There are nearly 700 species of butterflies in the United States, and you can attract some of them simply by planting flowers they love -- black-eyed Susan, butterfly weed, salvia, cosmos, lavender, purple coneflower, and verbena are all good choices.
To keep butterflies coming back, you need to plant "host" plants, those on which each type hatches, feeds, and pupates from egg to caterpillar to adult. Tiger swallowtails like willow, ash and cherry; buckeyes like verbena and snapdragon; the monarch must have butterfly weed; spicebush swallowtails' primary host is spicebush (Lindera benzoin); and painted ladies prefer daisies and asters. Butterflies also need small, flat rocks for sunning and shallow pools of water.
Some creatures might not seem desirable, but are nevertheless good for the garden. Bees, for instance, are vital to pollination, and a garden that's buzzing with them is a healthy, happy spot. Bees are drawn to the same nectar-producing plants that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Plants I've found to be bee magnets are the nectar plants mentioned above for butterflies and hummingbirds.
Herb gardens are also an absolute haven for them. Throughout summer, bees will swarm to these flowers. I enjoy watching them fly up to the blossoms and clutch them with all six legs, thrusting as much of their bodies as possible into the flowers. It is fun to watch these insects work at grasping fragile blossoms, wings a-blur. Sometimes a single bee will stay for long minutes, toiling over each plant for maximum nectar. Occasionally there would be a crowd of bees over each plant.
Some creatures are desirable because they prey on undesirables, such as mosquitoes. Dragonflies, frogs and bats are voracious mosquito eaters. Dragonflies and frogs need water; dragonflies lay their eggs in water or on plants at the water's edge, and frogs breed in or near water. Both need rushes or sedges for shelter, and dragonflies like to perch on plant stems standing above water. Dragonflies are beautiful, with two pairs of iridescent wings and long thin bodies. Frogs' mating calls usually only last for a few weeks, but can give your garden the aura of a movie set for "Swamp Thing." If you're hoping dragonflies will control mosquitoes, don't use insecticides or electronic zappers, as they will kill the dragonflies as well.
Bats can be frightening, but they are not interested in you and are extremely beneficial, eating at least half their weight each day in flying insects, mostly moths and mosquitoes. They come out in the evening or at night, when people are typically indoors. They live in trees, caves or rock crevices, though they adapt to urban settings and nest in buildings (where they are not so desirable). If one gets in your house, do not swat it with a tennis racket; try to confine it to one room and open a window so it can leave on its own).
Although you wouldn't want to encounter a copperhead or cottonmouth water moccasin in your yard or pond, such meetings are rare, and snakes are beneficial wildlife. They eat insects and rodents. You're unlikely to have snakes in an intensely urban area, but if you live near a park or other nature preserve, they may find their way into your environment. Roads and habitat destruction are also taking a toll on the snake population; in the United States, seven species are endangered and 10 are threatened. Don't kill small snakes in the garden; they are only being helpful.
If you're interested in helping all wildlife, check out the National Wildlife Federation at www.nwf.org for useful tips and information, including how to have your garden certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. By using native plants and creating shelter, you can have a yard that's teeming with beautiful, beneficial life.
Joel M. Lerner is president of Environmental Design in Capitol View Park, Md. E-mail or contact him through his Web site, www.gardenlerner.com.
