Achillea, also known as yarrow, has a nice spreading characteristic that
looks wonderful in your garden. They commonly grow to about two feet but some
varieties get much bigger. They come in shades of red, pink, lilac, yellow and
white. These would do nicely toward the front of your garden. These are
sometimes used in dried-flower arrangements.
Other Flowers
There are many other flowers that attract butterflies. The ones I've listed
are all perennials that will grow back year after year. There are other
perennials and some annuals that are also favorites of butterflies, such as
zinnia, sedum, lobelia, blanket flower, Joe-pye weed, hollyhock, butterfly weed,
day lilies, bee balm, sweet alyssum, heliotrope, nasturtium, sunflower, and pot
marigold.
Other than Flowers
Some butterflies don't eat just flower nectar. Some like to eat the nectar of
rotting fruit. Just remember, though, that rotting fruit also attracts bees,
wasps, and flies. The bees we can live with as they play an important job in the
entire pollination process, but be aware of the others that will follow and
don't leave this type of butterfly food close to your home.
Some butterflies are also attracted to things like road kill but we won't go
into that here.
Give Them a Drink
Butterflies also need water to survive. However, they do not need gallons of
it and will stay far away from the sprinkler, which can harm their delicate
wings. They prefer a thin layer of moisture or some nice mushy mud. The best way
to make sure they have a supply of water on hand is to place a shallow container
filled with rocks somewhere in your butterfly-attracting garden that is out of
direct sunlight. Make sure that some of the rocks stick above the top of the
container so they will have a place to land. When you water your garden,
remember to refill the container.
Encourage Them to Stay
To keep the butterflies coming back year after year you will need a few host
plants in your garden where they can lay their eggs. The host plants will
provide food for the baby caterpillars after they've hatched. There are many
lovely host plants to choose from, and they vary from area to area. Some common
host plants are hollyhocks, Anne's lace, milkweed, aster, rue, dill and parsley