Maybe this link will help
S.B.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here

Shannon, there are many books about butterfly gardening. There are a lot recommended on our FAQ page. I would recommend the Judy Burris/Wayne Richards book because it shows the entire life cycle of the most common species, with host and nectar plant recommendations as well.

Also, Butterflies Thru Binoculars of Eastern US.

Susan

For gardening in general, the book below is recommended quite often. I've checked it out from the library before but don't own it, so I'm not able to look up the things you asked about - but I know it contains a lot of information about maintenance. It should help you with your questions about cutting back in the fall.

If you have not already, you can cover the soil between your plants with two - four inches of mulch. That will keep the soil from drying out so quickly when it gets hot and dry later this summer. It will also help keep the weeds from growing between your plants.

Of course with butterfly gardening, you want to avoid pesticides.

Best of luck with your butterfly garden. What did you plant?

Here is a link that might be useful: The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato

Thank you all for your information! I realized after leaving my computer for the day (well, after leaving work) that my question really was kinda silly. Individual plants will have individual needs. And I did look at the FAQs, but must have missed the books -sorry 'bout that.

Off the top of my head, I planted:
Butterfly Weed
Bee Balm (if it makes it, it's really tall and we've had some strong storms where they fell over. I've since staked them.)
Echinacea (not sure which variety)
Blanket Flower (red and yellow)
Turtlehead
Pincushion
Guara
Phlox
Rudbeckia (all of the flowers snapped off, again, maybe from the storm?)
Tickseed
Buddleia
Deutzia (I think)

I may be forgetting one or two others. It was a BIG undertaking! :oD

Sounds like you're off to a good start, Shannon! You might want to plant some additional milkweed, as I've found that the Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) really doesn't attract the Monarchs to lay eggs, but it is supposedly a great nectar plant (I can't grow the stuff, drat!).

Other hosts you might want to plant (you're in the Midwest, east of the Rockies, right?), are fennel, dill, or curly parsley for the Black Swallowtails. Also, Rue, if you can find it locally.

Pipevines (which you will almost certainly have to order because they are rarely found in nurseries, if at all) for the Pipevine Swallowtails.

Check out the website, www.butterfliesandmoths.org and click on "Maps". Then click on your state and you will get a list of the butterflies that frequent your area. The maps will indicate the part of the state (counties) that you are most likely to find a certain species. It will also tell you the host plants (if you click on specific species of butterflies) for that butterfly and where they are more likely to be found, e.g., woods, open fields, gardens, etc.

I use this a lot. Not all of them are updated, but I have noticed that it has recently been updated with newer photos (live butterflies, where it used to be a lot of pinned specimens).

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Butterflies and Moths

Sounds pretty Shannon. There's always more butterflies around in LATE summer for me. You'll have some flowers by then and even more next year. You may want to take some pictures so you can compare this year to next. That's fun to do.