As July draws to a close, I wanted to share a few of my favorite shots from the butterfly garden.

Here’s a lower section of the garden. Rudbeckia, Echinacea, and zinnias are my summer rockstars! They are drought tolerant, easy to grow, and I absolutely love the color combination. Zinnias attract LOTS of butterflies, and Echinacea and Rudbeckia provide great habitat for pollinators.

Last year I planted a border of hollyhocks, and this year they bloomed! Their tall habit creates a lovely backdrop for photos, and the flowers attract lots of bumblebees. Hollyhocks are considered a classic country garden flower. A member of the mallow family, they often grow to be nine feet tall. Hollyhocks self-seed proficiently, coming back year after year. Although they appear to be perennials, they are actually biennials. For more on hollyhocks, check out this great article from Blooming Secrets.

eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) at zinnia — eastern tiger swallowtail (*Papilio glaucus*) at zinnia

If you want to attract more butterflies, try planting a patch of zinnias in any sunny location. Be sure to provide host plants, as well.

pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor) at zinnia — pipevine swallowtail (*Battus philenor*) at zinnia

Here is another species of swallowtail: pipevine swallowtail (Battus philenor). In Tennessee, we have four species of “dark swallowtails.” Pipevine swallowtails are a bit smaller than the other dark swallowtails, and they only have one row of orange spots on their hindwing. If you want help identifying them, check out this article from Louisiana Naturalist.

Skippers are among the lesser-known members of order Lepidoptera. You can identify them by their rapid wingbeats, diurnal habits, angular wings, and large bodies compared to their wings.

Here’s a short video of my garden in peak butterfly season. See if you can spot the snowberry clearwing!

Our garden tour would not be complete without a picture of Pounce performing his morning ritual.