Why Butterflies Need Healthy Habitats

Butterflies need places where they can find food, shelter, and the plants they need to reproduce. Caterpillars depend on particular host plants for food, while adult butterflies feed on flower nectar.

Across the Colorado Front Range, natural habitats are being lost or changed by development, roads, and other human activities. Climate change is another concern, especially for butterflies that live at higher elevations. As temperatures warm, some mountain and tundra butterflies may lose the plants they depend on.

Pesticides Can Harm Butterflies

Insecticides can kill butterflies and caterpillars, even when they are not the intended target. Exposure can also affect their growth, ability to fly, and survival.

Herbicides can harm butterflies by removing the plants they need. When host plants disappear, caterpillars lose their food. Fewer native flowers also means less nectar for adult butterflies.

The Simplest Solution

Avoid pesticides whenever possible and protect the native plants that butterflies depend on.

Five Ways You Can Help Butterflies

1. 1. Plant native plants
      Choose native flowers for nectar and native host plants for caterpillars.
   2. Avoid pesticides
      Use non-chemical methods whenever possible to manage unwanted plants and insects.
   3. Leave some areas unmowed
      Allowing portions of yards, parks, roadsides, and other open spaces to grow naturally can provide valuable butterfly habitat.
   4. Protect natural areas
      Support efforts to conserve native ecosystems and the plants and animals that live there.
   5. Learn about butterflies
      Watch butterflies, learn which plants they use, and share what you discover. The more we understand butterflies, the better we can protect them.

Every Garden Can Help

You don't need a large property or a special garden to help butterflies. A few native plants can provide food for caterpillars and nectar for adults. Leaving some areas natural and avoiding pesticides can make an even greater difference.

Butterfly conservation starts with protecting the places butterflies need to live.

Learn More About Butterfly Conservation

For more information about creating butterfly habitat and conserving butterflies and other pollinators, visit the People and Pollinators Action Network, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and the North American Butterfly Association.