When you think about creating a butterfly garden, the first thing that probably jumps to mind is the colorful plants you can add to your landscape to invite the winged creatures in. But butterflies have other needs, too. Just imagine what a strong gust of wind or a sudden downpour might do to interfere with their lives’ mission of eating, mating and raising a family.

In addition to food, adult butterflies need protection from nature’s winds and storms.

Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

Caterpillars need shelter, too. Look for the voracious crawlers hanging beneath leaves of host plants in a dry, sheltered location, or in the foliage of trees and shrubs. Chewed leaves or silky webbing should give away their location.

Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

Caterpillars need shelter, too. Look for the voracious crawlers hanging beneath leaves of host plants in a dry, sheltered location, or in the foliage of trees and shrubs. Chewed leaves or silky webbing should give away their location.

Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

A butterfly chrysalis often blends right in with its surroundings, so when cleaning your garden, be careful not to inadvertently damage one on or near the host plant’s foliage, stems or leaves.

Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

The undersides of logs or wood in woodpiles also make nice sheltered areas for butterfly chrysalides. Look carefully at the upper center of the picture to see the camouflaged chrysalis.

Photo Credit: ©2002 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard

Because butterflies are fragile and lightweight, adults need refuge areas where they can rest, away from strong winds and protected from rain. During wet weather, butterflies rest in trees and shrubs, under large leaves, on the undersides of large branches, under home eaves and in tree hollows. Then they re-emerge when the sun comes out, winds pass and temperatures warm.

As you plan for shelter and refuge in your garden, consider the chance to accommodate areas of respite, as well as those of provision. Large trees and thickly branching shrubs offer sheltered resting places. But adult butterflies enjoy basking in the sun. A board, flat stone or sandy area in a full-sun location is perfect for that purpose, but be sure to also include areas with enticing plants that are sheltered from wind.

Some butterfly species live through the winter in mild-winter climate regions. Remember as you do your fall garden cleanup that butterflies may be sheltering on the plants or leaves within your landscape – especially those that are host plants. Keep an eye out for any egg deposits or pupa cases that might have been laid by adult butterflies to overwinter in your garden. Avoid pruning limbs to which they’re attached.

Also consider providing your butterflies additional hibernation areas – a coffee can that’s half-filled with dry leaves and then placed securely and horizontally into the crotch of a tree can become an enticing shelter for many adult butterflies, including mourning cloak, painted lady and red admiral.

Of course, butterflies need shelter throughout their life cycles – not just as adults. After mating, adult females lay eggs on host plants. Eggs are quite different from species to species, are adhesive and sometimes laid in patterns on leaves, stems or even on the ground. Some eggs hatch in a few days, while others are deposited in fall to hatch in spring. Hatchlings technically are called larvae, but more commonly, caterpillars. They’re quite distinctive. Some – such as swallowtail caterpillars and tomato hornworms – are remarkable in coloration or size.

A caterpillar’s sole aim is to eat its way to maturity. Over a period lasting from a week to several months, it repeatedly sheds its skin, emerging each time as a larger caterpillar. The caterpillar then begins to pupate, wrapping itself in a unique case called a chrysalis, which is well-camouflaged. Some pupae hang from stems, some roll into leaves and some – cocoon-like – are found on the ground amid fallen leaves. The pupa of each species is unique. With experience, you may be able to recognize the chrysalides of many common types of butterflies, and you’ll find yourself wondering at the changes taking place inside each insect’s case.

During this remarkable transformation, the body cells within the larva begin to migrate, reassembling themselves in other places to form the adult’s wings, head, antennae, thorax and legs. This may take a few days, a dry summer or an entire winter. When the butterfly has matured, it slowly breaks open its pupal case and emerges. Within an hour, the adult’s wings will have filled with fluid, dried and hardened. With the flap of its wings, it takes to the air for the first time, free forever of its previous earthbound existence.

Adults may live several months, an entire season or even longer. Some migrate in large groups to distant areas to feed and mate, while others overwinter on plants in your landscape. Still others produce several generations each season. For abundant butterflies in your garden, look for and protect those in their chrysalis form at locations such as those shown in the pictures and described in their captions. Then truly enjoy them once they break free of their confines and take flight about your garden.