When I was little my cousin and I used to catch butterflies and gather them in a tent we had put up in my grandma’s garden. After hours of carefully tracking and hunting down butterflies our tent would be filled with colorful flutter, and we would be ready for the “Big Butterfly Release”. We would call the entire family out in the garden, and with bravado throw the tent openings open so the butterflies could escape in a beautiful parade for freedom.

Looking back this was perhaps somewhat cruel to the butterflies, but I would really love to have a garden like my grandma: filled with colorful inhabitants, both still and moving. So I asked my friends on Twitter which plants attracted butterflies in their garden, and here are the responses I got

• Lantana seems to work well in a butterfly garden, or are you looking for cut flowers? @PayneMorrison
• The original butterfly bush Buddlieia, rosemary, flax, marigolds and nettles @hilary_b
• Lantana & others w/multiple florets (Buddleia, Achillea, Sedum A.Joy) @InterLeafer
• IME purple coneflowers bring in tons of Red Admirals, which are my fave. @MrBrownThumb
• Purple coneflowers, lavender attract most in my garden @cailinAolain
• most flowers that have open type blooms (ie) daisy types, dahlias marigolds, buddleia but they can soon become a untidy shrub @peterdonald
• Lantanas work best for me! @Wildflower222
• they seem to love my zinnias….the hummingbirds love those too. @gardenmom29
• butterfly website has lots of good ideas, i.e. suitable plants for caterpillars plus names of the butterflies http://butterflywebsite.com/butterflygardening.cfm @salix2
• I had a digitalis (foxglove) that the butterflies and hummingbirds seemed to love. toxic for kids though. @socaljules
• I find that Cosmos really attract the butterflies to the garden @Kittyburgers
• butterflies are always fluttering around my “butterfly bushes” Buddleia davidii they really live up to their name!!! http://img35.yfrog.com/i/d08y.jpg/ @Aithley
• Bee balm, butterfly bush, lavender, hydrangea @patriciarose
• Buddleia, echinachea, pineapple sage, pentas. @green_leigh
• lantana, milkweed seems to work for butterflies ’round here @kimokali
• plumbego, Butterfly bush and porterweed do well for me. @patz313
• the scabious plant in my garden is popular. @thegreengal
• Butterfly bush and milkweed attract butterflies @SuburbanRancher
• Butterflies also love asters, penstemon, and agastache( hyssop). @prudence101

Of the plants mentioned I only have Rosemary and Lavender, so it seems I need to go out shopping!