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Hot summer greetings from the Magical Garden. Can you imagine a special little creature that lives in the garden, with beautiful wings looking like a living flower? What kind of magic is this? This month we're exploring how to attract butterflies to your garden. This issue of the newsletter includes:
What can I do to attract butterflies to my garden? It isn't too difficult to provide all a butterfly needs: - Provide Food: You must provide food for the adult butterfly as well as the caterpillar. They are not the same thing. The adults sip nectar from flowers through their straw-like tongues (a very few eat tree sap and rotting organic material). Caterpillars eat leaves, but some eat seeds, seed pods, flowers, or even aphids. The milkweed plant is wonderful food for many caterpillars. The best flowers for attracting butterflies are those that flower for a long period of time, are fragrant, grow in colorful clumps, and have large petals or blossoms that provide easy access to the nectar. According to the Entomological Society of America, the following are good plants to attract butterflies: Ageratum, Beebalm, Bougainvillea, Calendula, Coneflower, Dahlia, Day lily, Geranium, Hibiscus, Impatiens, Marigold, Milkweed, Mint, family, Phlox, Salvia, Snapdragon, Yarrow, Yellow sage, and Zinnia. Fragrance and color will draw in a passing butterfly; plant flora in masses for greatest effect. - Provide Water: Butterflies like to drink water so a birdbath or other shallow, clean water source is attractive to them. - Provide Protection: Your butterfly garden should be protected from wind. Along a wall, by a hedge, or in a hollow are good spots. - Provide Warmth: The garden should also have plenty of sunshine as butterflies are cold blooded. - Avoid Insecticides: Finally, don't use any insecticides on the flowers intended for butterflies. The insecticides will kill your butterflies as well as the unwanted pests. New this month at the Magical Garden, we have two more wall plaques which can also be used as stepping stones. One is bright and cheery in the shape of a sunflower. The other has an acorn and oak leaf motif. We also have some very nice citronella candles with images of butterflies and bumblebees that glow when lit. Finally, we have a new 3 dimensional garden trellis, a 76" obelisk perfect for training a pretty flowering vine. Watch this spot for more new items every month. http://www.magicalgarden.com/ Butterfly Garden Links The ButterflyWebSite has everything you ever wanted to know about butterflies. They have over 60 articles about butterfly gardens. The Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens is North America's largest, glass-enclosed tropical conservatory. About.com's butterfly garden article also has links to other butterfly information. Watch the path of the monarch butterfly migration (and other migratory animals) on Journey North. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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The Magical Garden is located outside Atlanta, Georgia. If you have any questions please email us at info@magicalgarden.com. glass
gazing globes - steel gazing globes -
globe stands - downspouters
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