Bird and Butterfly Garden

Our Bird and Butterfly garden surrounds the main entrance to our building. Plants in this garden were selected primarily to attract birds and butterflies. They both have the same needs- food, water and shelter. Trees and large shrubs provide shelter and the pond provides water. Our flowers provide nectar for the butterflies. Many of the plants we selected provide food for the butterfly larvae. Some examples include red fennel & parsley (both hosts to eastern black swallowtails), red milkweed (host to monarchs) and red twig dogwood (host to spring azures).

A large part of the hummingbird's diet consists of aphids and small spiders. They also love sweet flower nectar. Humingbirds prefer flowers that are orange or red and have tubular shaped flowers. Other birds eat seeds. The purple millet and red fountain grass in our garden provide seeds for birds. Composite flowers such as coneflowers and black eyed Susans also provide seeds.

The flowers in our garden also attract numerous species of bees and wasps, which are valuable pollinators.

Each year, the Master Gardener volunteers redesign the garden to keep it fresh and interesting for visitors.