I love nature and plants so when I bought my first home I was surely excited to create my first garden. Being someone who also loves animals, how could I not design an environment that invites all the lovely little creatures to play. When I first started looking for flowers and plants for my garden, I made sure I chose ones that attracted butterflies and included my bird bath so the birdies can play as well.

Here are some great tips from Better Homes and Gardens on how to invite little lovelies to your garden and what plants to pick that will lure them to explore. You may even have some who call your backyard home and in that case, yourself a big pat on the back. It’s such a great feeling to be surrounded by nature’s creations and with these next few tips you will be there in no time.

Butterfly Heaven: Invite butterflies to come and play with colorful beauties such as cosmos, zinnia, black-eyed Susan and butterfly bush. By creating a corner garden you can watch as they all explore your playground of goodies.

Easy Peasy: If foliage is more your style instead of flowers, then give this garden a try. Not only is it easy to care for, it will look great during the fall and winter seasons as well.  Make sure to include purple coneflower, sedum, and iris to bring all the birdies to your yard.

Wild and Free: If you love plants that have a sense of free spirit and wild flair then planting native grasses and wildflowers is right up your alley. Birds and butterflies love these and how could they not? Including them in your garden adds a touch of whimsy and fun that all those tiny critters love.

Small Spaces: Even if you only have a few feet of space for your garden, you can create a haven for happy creatures. With plants like bee balm, sedum, and butterfly bush your wildlife sanctuary can be born.

In Love with Butterflies: If you adore butterflies then these next plants will bring you tons of happy. The bed of the garden attracts them while all the blooms offer nectar. To nourish the larvae include leafy plants such as parsley to give them what they love. Thrown in a few rocks for the butterflies to catch some rays and a birdbath for everyone to take a water break.

For more gardening tips check out the rest of this article on The Better Homes & Gardens website.