Gardening to attract butterflies

There are some gardens which simply attracts many butterflies. How is this possible? Simply through butterfly gardening, an art of growing flowers and plants that will attract these colorful and dainty creatures to your garden.

The design of your butterfly garden is a matter of personal preference. Some points to consider are the size of your garden and the types of flowers and plants you want to grow. Butterflies are attracted to flowers that have nectar rather than pollen, like honeysuckle, milkweed, summer lilac, valerian, daisies, purple coneflower, yellow sage, day lilies and lavender. Pick a style of garden that appeals to you, but ensure it also contains the plants and flowers that appeal to the butterflies you wish to attract.

Besides flowers and plants for your butterfly garden, you can also create an environment with water of some kind. A birdbath will look attractive and keep the butterflies up off the ground, away from stray cats or mischievous puppies. A shallow dish on a post or hung in a tree will do just as well.

When planting your butterfly garden be careful how you coordinate the colors you choose for your flowerbeds. Although butterflies do not care about your choice of color, you don't want your garden to be full of unrelated colors and textures.

Delight your family and visitors with beautiful butterflies, but be sure to create a safe habitat for them. If you own cats, it may not be a good idea! Happy butterfly gardening!

Visit Malaysia 2007 - Florathon

This year is Visit Malaysia Year 2007! Yeahoo! There will be lots of celebration and happening events all accross the nation. Locals and foreigners will have a taste of what Malaysia has to offer. Great food, great people and most important, great FLOWERS.

From 20 January 2007 - 4 February 2007, there will be a Flora Fest. The following are the details:


Saturday, 20 Jan 2007 - Florathon
Venue: Dataran Merdeka
Agenda: Dress up with costume or dress made of flowers and greens. Merit is given to those who dress up with the most original, creative flower like theme. If you're spotted, stand a chance to win fabulous prizes up to RM1,500. Brisk 2km walk from Dataran Merdeka to KL Lake Gardens. If you're interested, be there at 7:30am to register for the exciting event which will start at 8:00am. Best of all Participation is Free!
Entry Form: Download

Updated MNS Website

Recently received an email from MNS. Their website has recently been updated. Please visit their new MNS site and if possible, join them. Why join MNS? You get the following benefit.

For less than RM6 a month, your membership will support the following:

Habitat Protection and Conservation
numerous protected areas have been established in Malaysia by MNS supported by its membership.

Environmental Education for Children
there are close to 10,000 school children engaged with the MNS School Nature Clubs throughout the country.

Grassroots Community Capacity Building
MNS works closely with urban and rural communities on capacity building in habitat protection.

Creation of New Nature Parks
MNS has been the reason for the creation of many National and State Parks and Community Nature Parks.

Campaigns and Lobbying for Habitat Protection
currently the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve and the Belum Temengor forest complex is being lobbied for protection and gazettment.Benefits for youOrganized nature activities such as jungle trekking, bird watching, diving, nature guiding and photography.The Malaysian Naturalist, a quarterly magazine highlighting the wonders of Malaysia’s natural heritage.A regular newsletter to members from branches listing calendar of events and activities. Opportunity to volunteer in MNS projects.Special rates for park entries, facilities and discounts at the MNS Nature Bookshop.The additional subscription entitles you to the MNJ, the Malayan Nature Journal, the scientific periodical that publishes new research on biodiversity.