Click to Enlarge The bright yellow flowers of coreopsis signal butterflies to come and sip nectar.   Blooming Butterflies by Martha Daniels photos by Jim Rathert Make your yard flutter with color by planting wildflowers in sunny spots. Butterflies are on the move from March until late October. If you want them to hang around your home, give them the colorful wildflowers and nectar they desire. A warm spot and a sunning area help, too. Most butterflies eat nectar from wildflowers. Adult butterflies eat by sucking nectar through their hollow tongue, or proboscis. The length of a butterfly's proboscis determines which flowers they can sip nectar from. When not feeding, a butterfly keeps its tongue tightly rolled beneath its head. Not all butterflies eat nectar. Some species eat sap, decaying fruit or other plant and animal juices. Butterflies, including the monarch, red-spotted purple, buckeye, painted lady, fritillary, swallowtail and skipper, especially like sun wildflowers. The flat petals of some flowers provide landing strips for the butterflies to sit on and feed. Butterflies eat during the day and rest at night. They often sunbathe in the early morning to dry their wings and warm their bodies. A butterfly flies best when it has a body temperature between 85 and 100 degrees. To attract butterflies, stack flat, white or light-colored rocks in a bright sunny area (such as the edge of the flower bed) where the sun shines in the morning. Locate your butterfly garden near small trees to shelter the butterflies from the wind. Plant wildflowers in big clumps of three to five plants. Use several kinds of plants. The big, bold splashes of color and perfume will catch a butterfly's attention. Butterflies seem to like yellow, red, orange, purple and blue flowers better than white flowers. Planting Missouri wildflowers is easy, and they don't need much water, fertilizer or care. Wildflowers native to Missouri have adapted to our climate, soils and pests. Don't use insecticides on your wildflowers, for they will kill butterflies. The Fantastic Five These five wildflowers for butterflies provide beautiful blooms for weeks and are easy to grow. Most of these plants are perennials. That means they will come back year after year and keep attracting butterflies. Rose verbena Blooms April to October Grows 6 inches tall Rose verbena inhabits dry places. Grow it along flowerbed edges and in flowerpots. Rose verbena even grows well in rocky gardens. Plant rose verbena in a place with full sun to slight shade. Rose verbena's little flowers have great nectar for butterflies. Purple coneflower Blooms May to October Grows 3 feet tall Many people grow purple coneflowers for their beautiful blossoms. As the plants grow older, they form a big clump with many flowers. Butterflies, especially fritillary butterflies, flock to the flowers and slowly probe each cone for nectar. Purple coneflowers grow best in partial shade to full sun in soil that is slightly moist. Lance-leaved coreopsis Blooms April through July Grows 2 feet tall Coreopsis (pronounced core-e-OP-sis) grows on prairies and glades. The plants do best in dry soil and that gets a lot of sun. Coreopsis spreads from seed. Songbirds (such as goldfinches) like their seeds, too. The painted lady butterfly really likes coreopsis nectar. Butterflyweed Blooms May to September Grows 2 to 3 feet tall Butterflyweed's name says it all. It is a milkweed, and butterflies flock to the bright orange flowers. In fact, it is a favorite for spicebush swallowtails and also provides food for monarch caterpillars in summer. Butterflyweed grows on prairies and glades in full sun and dry soil. It's easy to grow in your yard, but it comes up slowly each spring. Be careful not to dig into the roots if you plant early. Butterflyweed grows easily from seed and thrives in flowerpots. New England aster Blooms August to October Grows to 6 feet New England asters look like little purple daisies. They grow best in wet, sunny soil. They are normally found in prairies and along streams. Monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico in late fall feast on the nectar. Helpful Hints If you can't plant in a yard, try making flowerpots for your deck or porch. Rose verbena and black-eyed Susans make a nice mix in pots. Plants native to Missouri are best, but marigolds, zinnias and cosmos are also good butterfly plants for pots. The eggs, pupae and adults (the life stages) of many butterflies spend the winter in leaf litter and standing plants. Keep this in mind when you clear flowerbeds in fall and leave some dead plants and leaves for the butterflies. Also, think about providing more host plants next year. Host plants are those eaten by caterpillars or larvae. With them, you can watch a butterfly's whole life cycle. The young of some butterflies eat very specific plants. For example, fritillary caterpillars eat violet leaves, and monarch caterpillars eat milkweeds. Pick up a butterfly book or field guide and see if you can identify your winged guests. Flowers, sunny places and water encourage butterflies to linger long enough for you to enjoy their fluttering colors.