Brenda Dziedzic was kind enough to contribute her brilliant photo of a Tiger Swallowtail nectaring on chives.  It is a wonderful addition to the much improved spread on butterfly gardening.  Brenda is a true expert on so many butterflies, and on gardening to attract them.  In fact, she’s written the book!     I refer to it often, as it has details you won’t find anywhere else.

Include a trip to Michigan in your summer plans.  At Brenda’s Butterfly Habitat, you’ll see a wide variety of native butterflies in every stage of their life cycle, living out their lives on their host and nectar plants.

Here is her bio:

“My name is Brenda Dziedzic and I have always had a love for nature, so in the late summer of 2001 I decided I wanted to see lots of butterflies like I used to as a child. What would I do? I’d create a butterfly garden. That winter I did a lot of research on the internet to find out what kind of plants I would need. In the spring of 2002, I met Lois Hansen. She gave me a list of necessary plants for my area, some plants from her garden, and my very first two Monarch eggs. Along with the eggs, Lois brought over several books for me to read about butterflies. That was it. I was hooked. From then on I began reading every book I could find about butterflies. Each year, I plant a bigger variety of host and nectar plants. I bring in most of the eggs I can find so I can raise a variety of butterflies.

I am the author of “Learn about Butterflies in the Garden”, owner of Brenda’s Butterfly Habitat, a Co-founder and past president of Southeast Michigan Butterfly Association (SEMBA), a Monarch Conservation Specialist for Monarch Watch, a member of Association For Butterflies (AFB), North American Butterfly Association (NABA), and Wildflower Association of Michigan (WAM), and an Advanced Master Gardener. In June, 2015, I was presented with “The Presidents Volunteer Service Award”.

My yard is certified by Monarch Watch as a Monarch Waystation (the first one in Michigan and number 45 in North American), SEMBA as a Native Butterfly Garden, and the National Wildlife Federation as a Wildlife Habitat.

A few newspapers that have written articles about my butterfly garden and Brenda’s Butterfly Habitat.

I’ve been on the Green Room television program – “Interview with Brenda Dziedzic, a woman who raises and attracts butterflies in her yard by using the native plants they depend on”. Ann Arbor, MI CitiTV Channel 19, “Nature in the Hills – Brenda’s Butterfly Habitat” City of Farmington Hills Video Division, “Issues of the Environment” WEMU 89.1 AM, and “The Gardening Show” with Dean Krauskopf WJR 760 AM. I also had a program “Howto Attract Butterflies to Your Garden” on Westland, MI Public TV – WLND, which was filmed while I was giving a talk at the Westland Public Library.

My website is www.ButterfliesInTheGarden.com and my Facebook page is Brenda’s Butterfly Habitat.

My butterfly house is located at 6414 Merriman Road, Westland MI 48185, between Ford Road and Warren Road, at Barson’s Greenhouse. It has butterflies, which are native to Michigan, and their host plants. This allows people to see the life cycle of the butterflies that they can have in their yards. I try to share my knowledge about butterfly plants and rearing butterflies with as many people as I can. We need to give back to the earth. We can do this by planting the native plants that were intended to be here. Native plants have higher nectar content than most non-natives and they produce a healthy ecosystem by attracting a wider variety of birds and insects, which enhance the biodiversity.