Roper Mountain Butterfly Garden
The Greater Greenville Master Gardeners maintain the butterfly garden at Roper Mountain Science Center.  In 2002, it was certified a National Wildlife Federation Schoolyard Habitat.  This certification means that wildlife is provided food, shelter, water and a place to raise the young on these grounds.	What is a Butterfly Garden?      What are Host and/or Nectar Plants for      Butterflies?        Click Here for More Info!
Volunteer Opportunities: Every Tuesday 10:00 - Noon. (Summer hours for Tuesday: 9:00 - Noon) 2nd Saturday of each month 9:00 - 1:00
Fall 2006 in the Butterfly Garden
Butterfly "Scarecrows" with New Sign
B Berger resting in the garden	Class in the Garden	J Ferrone with Swamp Sunflowers
Spring 2006 - Butterfly Garden's New Stream...
2005 Butterfly garden gets new signage	2005 Spring
2005 Fall

What is a butterfly garden?
A butterfly garden is simply a garden, with plant material that attracts butterflies.
The general needs of butterflies are host plants and nectar plants. Host plants are the plants eaten by the caterpillar or larva of the butterfly. Each species of butterfly has a specific plant that the adult butterfly lays her eggs on and which the caterpillar will eat. Nectar plants are the food of the adult butterfly. They use a proboscis to sip nectar from the flowers of the plant. A butterfly garden also needs protection from the wind. Many butterflies like a damp spot or mud hole for puddling. Finally, butterflies like sunny areas and some rocks to rest on and soak up the sun.

Nectar plants include these butterfly “magnets”:
‘Miss Huff’ Lantana
Butterfly Bush or Buddleia davidii
Verbena bonariensis
Phlox
Purple Coneflower or Echinacea purpurea
Butterfly weed or Asclepias tuberosa
Aster
Zinnia

Host plants are the most important plants in the garden. Here is a list of common butterflies in our area and their host plant:

BUTTERFLY SPECIES & HOST PLANTS
American lady----------------------anaphalis, antennaria, cudweed
Black swallowtail-------------------fennel, parsley, rue, dill, Queen Ann’s Lace
Buckeye----------------------------snapdragon, plantain, linaria, verbena
Cabbage white--------------------- mustard, cabbage, cleome, nasturtium
Cloudless sulphur-------------------senna, cassia, clover
Eastern Tailed Blue-----------------legume family, clover, alfalfa
Falcate orange-tip------------------mustard family
Giant swallowtail------------------- prickly ash, rue, citrus, hop tree
Gray Hairstreak--------------------mallow, hollyhock, legume
Great spangled fritillary-------------violet
Great purple hairstreak-------------mistletoe
Gulf fritillary------------------------passionvine
Long tailed skipper-----------------legumes (pole beans, garden beans), Wisteria
Monarch---------------------------asclepias species (milkweed)
Painted lady------------------------thistle, hollyhock
Pearl crescent----------------------aster
Pipevine swallowtail----------------aristolochia (pipevine), wild ginger
Question Mark---------------------hops, hackberry, nettle, elm
Red-spotted purple-----------------willow, poplar, plum, apple, aspen, cherry
Silver spotted skipper---------------locust, wisteria, beggar’s tick
Sleepy Orange----------------------cassia, senna, clover
Spicebush swallowtail---------------lindera benzoin (spicebush), sassafras
Spring azure------------------------dogwood blossoms, viburnum, blueberry
Tiger swallowtail--------------------wild cherry, poplar, ash, willow, birch
Variegated fritillary------------------passion vine, violet, pansy
Viceroy-----------------------------willow, poplar, aspen, apple, cherry, plum
Zebra swallowtail-------------------asimina (paw paw)

To see pictures and learn more about butterflies in our area, click on “Butterflies of North America” located at http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm
This site allows you to click on your state, and tells you what butterflies are there, and even narrows it down to the butterflies in your county.

We are very proud of our butterfly garden at Roper Mountain Science Center. Not only do we have beautiful flowers, but we have beautiful “flying flowers”.