Butterfly Gardening

As you spend time in your garden, you might become aware of some winged visitors to your gardening space. Butterflies are beginning to flitter through our area and the Sterling Morton Library has numerous resources to assist you in identifying and attracting these wondrous creatures to your garden.
Journal articles of note

• Arrigoni, Karin. “A fluttering garden: herbs create a butterfly oasis.” In Herb Companion; April/May 1997, Vol. 9 Issue 4, p. 26-31.

• Ball, Liz. “Butterflies and caterpillars in your garden.” In Flower & Garden; May2001, Vol. 45 Issue 3, p. 46.

• Bruner, Stephanie Polsley. “Butterflies welcome!” In Garden Gate; Aug2004 Issue 58, p. 8-11

• Dole, Claire Hagen. “The magic of butterflies: learn how to identify common butterflies and attract and keep them in your garden.” In American Gardener; July/August 2002, Vol. 81 Issue 4, p. 30-35.

• Jackson, Bernard L. “Butterflies in the rock garden.” In Rock Garden Quarterly, v. 64, no. 2, p. 115-118.

• Lawrence, Karen. “Growing a butterfly garden.” In The Herb Quarterly, no. 107, p. 42-46.

• Maloney, Cathy Jean. “ Give Your Garden Wings.” In Chicagoland Gardening; Jul/Aug2005, Vol. 11 Issue 4, p. 52-57

• Mattern, Vicki. “Plant a butterfly garden!” In Organic Gardening (1978); Jul/Aug92, Vol. 39 Issue 6, p24

• Mattern, Vicki. “The good, the bad and the beautiful.” In Organic Gardening (1978); Jul/Aug92, Vol. 39 Issue 6, p. 28.

• Moore, Sarah. “Gardening for butterflies.” In Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin; Summer2004, Vol. 66 Issue 2, p. 6-8.

Books of interest

• The Audubon Society handbook for butterfly watchers by Robert Michael Pyle. QL542 .P95

• Butterflies--how to identify and attract them to your garden by Marcus Schneck. QL542 .S36

• Butterflies of the East Coast : an observer's guide by Rick Cech and Guy Tudor. QL551.A7C43

• The butterfly garden by Mathew Tekulsky. QL544.T45 1985

• The butterfly gardener's guide. QL544.6.B88

• Butterfly gardens : luring nature's loveliest pollinators to your yard. QL544.6.B8

• Caterpillars in the field and garden : a field guide to the butterfly caterpillars of North America by Thomas J. Allen, Jim P. Brock, and Jeffrey Glassberg. QL548.A44

• Field guide to butterflies of Illinois / John K. Bouseman, James G. Sternburg. QL551.I3 B68

• Perennial combinations : stunning combinations that make your garden look fantastic right from the start by C. Colston Burrell. SB434.B86

• Includes a section on “Combinations for hummingbirds and butterflies.”

Books about butterflies to share with children

• The butterfly alphabet book by Brian Cassie and Jerry Pallotta. J QL544.2.C38

• Waiting for wings by Lois Ehlert. J QL544.2.E35

• Butterfly story / Anca Hariton. J QL544.2.H37

• Monarch butterflies : mysterious travelers / text and photographs by Bianca Lavies. J QL561.D3L38

• Butterfly magic by by Melissa Getzoff. J QL544.2.G38

• Where butterflies grow by by Joanne Ryder. J QL544.R93

• The big bug book by Margery Facklam. J QL467.2.F33

• Crinkleroot's guide to knowing butterflies and moths by Jim Arnosky. J QL544.2.A76

Websites of interest

• Butterflies of North America from the USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
  

• Butterfly gardening – Larval food
  

• Butterfly gardening – Nectar sources
  

• Butterfly Gardens & Habitats from the North American Butterfly Association

• The Butterfly House at the Missouri Botanical Garden

Later in May, a butterfly exhibit will be presented in the Arboretum’s Maze Garden. Before or after visiting the Maze, be sure to stop by the Library to look at some of these remarkable resources!