Keep gardens and caterpillars thriving
Home gardeners frequently ask how to keep caterpillars from munching on their garden greenery. The short answer is you don’t: You can build your garden to support caterpillars while keeping it healthy and beautiful. Caterpillars turn into stunning butterflies and moths that bring beauty to our gardens and help pollinate our plants. Here are three tips on how to keep your garden healthy and the caterpillars happy too.
Plant for Diversity
Caterpillars are fussy eaters that prefer certain plants over others. Under normal conditions, larval host plants (the plants caterpillars eat) can tolerate munching without being worse for wear. To keep your caterpillar population in check, plant a variety of native trees, shrubs and wildflowers to attract birds that feast on caterpillars. Add plants that bloom at different times of year to ensure adult butterflies have nectar throughout the season.
Practice Pollinator-Friendly Care
Building pollinator-friendly gardens can save you time on maintenance. Many important insects, like bees, beetles, and yes, caterpillars, overwinter here and need shelter from winter conditions. Fallen leaves and standing dead plants protect insects, giving you a good excuse to put the rake away this fall.
Discover Your Butterfly-to-Be
Become a citizen scientist and use iNaturalist to photograph and identify your butterfly-to-be. The app’s online community will help you identify which moth or butterfly you might see in your garden in the future. Use our Native Plants for Pollinators guide to find the plants your caterpillars like best and add them to your garden.