Yes! You can! But before I tell you the secret, first drool over these pictures below – of a butterfly garden that I unexpectedly discovered during my weekend vacation, at a resort, some 40 Km away from Kolkata. I noticed that a huge group of butterflies fluttered near a particular bush (only) in the garden. Later I noticed, how focused the gardener was towards maintenance of this garden.
The hotel gardener drew my attention and drove me to find out more about this. My online research led me to the facts that butterfly gardens can indeed be manually created by selecting the appropriate plant, vegetation and a little bit of planning.
The right plant/vegetation includes Nectar Plants like Lantana, Pentas etc and host plants for caterpillars like Swallowtail and Pieridae etc.
However, some species like Lantana are believed to be poisonous in nature and should be kept away from the reach of children and animals.
Lantanas are planted in spring once the threat of cold weather has ceased. Warm temperatures are preferred for their growth. Lantana’s are basically tropical plants requiring lots of warmth.
More information on the grooming and maintenance of Lantana plants can be found here.
Da"s"yphered 