Author: BeetleBug

Flowers That Attract Butterflies in California

Do you live in beautiful California and want to do more to attract butterflies to your garden? Then stick around here, because this guide covers not only the plants and flowers that will attract butterflies in different parts of California, but also the different species of butterflies that you might see depending where you live.

California is rich in butterfly species. Southern California alone is home to around 170 species of butterfly!

Some are commonly seen, others are very rare. Sadly, some are heading towards extinction. Providing habitat for butterflies that occur where you live means playing a small yet important role in their conservation and wellbeing – not to mention the added bonus of attracting other wildlife like birds.

Flowers & Plants That Attract Butterflies in Southern California

Insect Hotels – Should You Put One In Your Backyard? Big Guide to Insect Houses!

Insect hotels are becoming as sought after as birdhouses and bird feeders in today’s gardens. Have you got one? Should you have one (or two, or more?). Continue reading Insect Hotels – Should You Put One In Your Backyard? Big Guide to Insect Houses!

Bee Friendly Mosquito Control

You want lots of bees on your property, but you don’t want the mosquitoes.

While mosquitoes have their place in the world, most of us prefer not to have them swarming in the garden and worse, getting inside the house.

Protecting all the pollinators and other insects (and wildlife) in the garden when you want to undertake some mosquito control is really important. A general insecticide or pest control procedure will kill off almost every insect including bees, spiders and other bugs – and that’s not what we want to be doing if we care about the environment. These chemicals are also toxic to us and our pets.

Sadly and concerningly to a lot of people is the way in which many local county authorities in certain areas maintain regular or seasonal mosquito abatement programs that involves widespread spraying of poison chemicals around entire towns in order to control mosquitoes, in the name of public health. The downsides are obvious: a die off of other insects, not to mention the potential effects on human health. If you live in an area where this takes place, it can certainly bring about anxiety; especailly if you love your garden bees and other insects.

The respected magazine Bee Culture states that “In urban and suburban areas, mosquito abatement practices are causing unnecessary bee kills” and the Pollinator Stewardship Council is dedicated to educating the public about these programs, as well as doing all they can to protect bees who are at risk from government mosquito spraying programs. It is well worth getting in contact with them if you require specific information about where you live in the US.

So what sort of mosquito control can you do that is bee-friendly and general insect-friendly?

You’re far from the first person to want to know this and lucky for us, it’s a question that has been investigated for a long time by some of the most knowledgable bee-people around: those who keep bee hives and need to ensure that their bees are not exposed to poisons. We can borrow a lot from this knowledge and experience and apply it in our own gardens and homes, no matter how large or small or how many bees you might have around.

What Are The Best Hashtags for Butterflies? Instagram & Twitter – Get Your Butterfly Pics Seen



There are a lot of butterfly pictures being posted on social media. Many of them are amazing.

Even if you think you’re taking the best butterfly photos in the world, getting them seen is another matter!

Most of us know how hard it is to get noticed at places like Instagram and Twitter, which are the two biggest social media sites where hashtags can make all the difference in whether you’re being seen or if you’re virtually invisible. Continue reading What Are The Best Hashtags for Butterflies? Instagram & Twitter – Get Your Butterfly Pics Seen

Put a Butterfly House in your Garden or Yard – Habitat For Butterflies

The simple act of hanging up a butterfly house or or butterfly hotel in your yard allows you to directly contribute to the conservation of wonderful butterflies – right in your own home!

What is a butterfly house?

These boxes give your local butterflies a place to shelter during the day and during bad weather, and to rest safely for the night – allowing you to not only help them, but to enjoy them up close as you attract them into your backyard.

And a habitat for butterflies doesn’t have to stand out like a sore thumb in your yard. There are some beautiful designs out there (or you can make your own), giving a real natural look and of course allowing it to blend in to your garden which makes it much more likely that butterflies will be attracted to it and actually use it. Continue reading Put a Butterfly House in your Garden or Yard – Habitat For Butterflies

What is the Best Type of Milkweed for Monarch Butterflies?

Milkweed – it’s a generic term used to describe what can actually many different species.

Milkweeds are important for butterflies, with the highest profile species benefiting from the plants being the increasingly endangered Monarch Butterflies. It’s the most well known of all the milkweed butterflies who require these plants for laying their eggs. Their larvae then feed on the milkweed – therefore these plants are essential for Monarchs and other Nymphalidae – Danainae species of butterfly!

If you’re planting a new garden, or just adding to an existing one, including native milkweeds is one of the best things you can do for Monarch and some other butterfly species. And there are plenty of milkweed plants to choose from. As a bonus, they all have spectacular flowers and add so much life and color to a garden of any size and style. Continue reading What is the Best Type of Milkweed for Monarch Butterflies?

Best Compact Camera for Photographing Butterflies

Photographing butterflies is hugely exciting and rewarding. First of all, it involves finding butterflies and often specifically hunting out different species so you can get photos. It can turn into an amazing adventure as you create a list of species you want to get some beautiful images of.

But whether it’s just in your backyard or if you plan to travel far and wide in search for rare butterfly species, we no longer have to spend thousands of dollars on specialist photography equipment to get gorgeous macro style photos of butterflies and other insects. Continue reading Best Compact Camera for Photographing Butterflies