19 Plants that Invite Beautiful Butterflies to Idaho Gardens

Have you ever heard of lepidopterophobia?

Until I Googled, "why do people love butterflies so much?" I sure hadn't. It's been 30 minutes since I learned the term, and I'm still not over the shock of it.

Pronounced lep-ah-dop-ter-a-pho-bee-ah, thanks to Healthline, I now know it's the clinical name for an intense fear of butterflies and moths. Doctors don't know the exact prevalence of the condition, but it's estimated that five-to-10 percent of Americans have unique the condition. Symptoms include:

• persistent, irrational fear of making contact with moths and butterflies
• severe anxiety or panic attacks triggered by the thought of moths and butterflies
• avoidance of situations where moths and butterflies could be present

Moths are horrible.

Now the fear of moths I get. Unbeknownst to most people who know me, my husband included, I've been low-key afraid of and annoyed by moths my entire life.

They're ugly, they're invasive, they ate one of my favorite sweaters in college, and I can't stand the way they cling to your clothes when they land on you.

I also hate how their guts stain whatever they were on when you expedited their exit from this world. And how they end up trapped between screens and windows as often as they do is disturbing.

Butterflies, however, that's a different story.

Butterflies are beautiful. 

From their beautiful, bejeweled-looking wings that reflect the sunshine as they flutter about your garden, to the gentle way they land on you, butterflies are nothing like moths. If they were, I doubt humans would liken soft and sweet kisses to them. Butterflies add a touch of whimsy wherever they go, especially gardens.

If turning your Idaho garden or yard into a butterfly oasis sounds appealing to you, you'll be glad to know it isn't all that difficult. The gallery below lists a variety of plants that will attract these gorgeous creatures to your property.

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