In the Garden: Flowers and Butterflies

While having bouquets delivered can beautify your home in an instant, creating a personal garden can ensure that your living space remains lively and inspiring every month of the year. Part of the charm of nurturing a garden is watching visitors from the animal world stop by for a bit of rest, relaxation, and pollination. Pollen- and nectar-rich flowers that bear bright colors like pink, orange, yellow, red, or purple have reputations for attracting large numbers of butterflies. Placing these flowers in your garden may help turn a modest greenery patch into a butterfly wonderland. To take the first step in inviting these delicate, winged creatures into your garden, choose the right kind of flower. Delivery of great nectar sources acts like a homing beacon to butterflies that can't resist the sweet taste of this natural plant secretion. Wildflowers punctuated with hardy shrubs, annuals, and perennials can guarantee that butterflies will stop by your garden throughout the year. Using organic materials in your garden, watering a small part of the soil, and allowing a patch of grass to grow naturally can provide the essentials of food, water, and shelter for your fluttering guests. As a bonus, butterflies act as pollinators and ensure the timely appearance of seeds and fruits, if you're growing a vegetable garden and want to put some of its yield on the menu.

Butterfly, Lepidoptera, and Entomology Sources

Iowa State University provides links to resources covering butterflies, science, biodiversity, and the weather.

Insect Info

Stephen Stroud offers links to British websites dedicated to butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and damselflies.

All About Butterflies

Alycia Nieves compiles general information about butterflies, including species descriptions and details about their life cycles. Games and activities with butterfly themes are also available.

Backyard Bugs

Les Weiand collects photos of insects and offers a list of links for more information about entomology and gardening.

Mother's Day Flower Arrangements for Flower Delivery

Arizona Foothills Magazine suggests the best bouquets to send on Mother's Day when planning on flower delivery.

The Cost of Valentine's Day: Having Bouquets Delivered

Bankrate discusses the average pricing of popular gifts given on Valentine's Day.

New England-Inspired Peanut Butter Treats

This article provides an introduction to peanut butter and its industry before offering suggestions for tasty treats.

Here's What's Going Wrong With Shoedazzle

Business Insider assesses Shoedazzle and highlights problems with its business model.

ProFlowers Says 'Get Fresh' This Valentine's Day With Flower Delivery

Business Wire profiles ProFlowers and offers product suggestions for flower delivery needs during special occasions and holidays.

How to Keep Your Clients Happy: Flower Delivery

Cascade Business News offers suggestions on how to preserve business relations, including sending flowers to clients.

Monument Commission Ending Flower Delivery Program

The American Legion reports that the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) has closed its Floral Fund Program, which has helped veterans and next of kin deliver flowers to overseas graves.

Frame Unusually Sized Art Affordably With Custom Mats

Lifehacker explains how to make custom framing affordable with a mat from a craft store and a little ingenuity.

Who Will Win the Mother's Day Race and Have the Most Bouquets Delivered?

Linux Insider discusses the tactics that various companies use to profit in the booming (flower delivery) business during Mother's Day.

DIY Wedding Floral Design Instead of Having Bouquets Delivered

The University of California San Diego offers a course that teaches students how to make their own floral designs and arrangements for décor instead of having bouquets delivered.

Selecting and Wiring Flowers for Flower Delivery

Sam Houston State University offers a PowerPoint presentation covering selecting and wiring flowers.

Commencement Photography and Flowers

Smith College provides photography and flower vendor information to graduating students and their families.

Moon Flower

Indiana University Bloomington's Department of Biology gives a profile of the Moon Flower (Ipomoea alba).

Gift Shop and Flower Delivery Services

The Huntsman Cancer Institute's gift shop offers information to visitors about flower delivery for patients.

Vendors for Commencement

California State University San Marcos gives commencement attendees information about contracted vendors for graduation events.

Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase: Van Gogh's 'Unexpected' Painting (PDF)

Catherine Restrepo writes about one of Van Gogh's most famous and mysterious paintings.

The Wedding Flowers Business: Having Bouquets Delivered

The Rainier School District offers a PowerPoint presentation covering the special costs of having bouquets delivered during a wedding.

Do-It-Yourself Wedding Flowers: An Alternative to Having Bouquets Delivered

Austin Community College offers a course for wedding planners to learn how to create their own floral arrangements.

Commencement Vendors and Flower Delivery for Parents

Calvin College provides gift, flower, and cap and gown vendor information for parents of graduates.

Commencement Flowers Sales Volunteers Needed

California State University Long Beach's Alumni Association calls for volunteers to help run the flower sales booth during commencement ceremonies.

Flowers in Glass Vase

Rachel Ruysch's oil painting is analyzed by Washington University.

Perennials for Cut Flowers and Flower Delivery

The University of Vermont offers information about the best cut flowers to use in zones classified as 5 and colder by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). These flowers can be best to order when having bouquets delivered.