Butterflies create a rainbow of color that complements any garden.

At the Audubon Nature Center’s Butterfly Gardening workshop, attendees learn how to plant flowers that attract them and create a perfect butterfly habitat.

During the 7-9 p.m. class Thursday, July 23, instructor Jeff Tome will describe how a few simple plants and paying attention to basic butterfly needs can transform a yard into a butterfly paradise. Butterflies need more than a couple of butterfly bushes to attract them. Many require certain plants to lay their eggs on. Many caterpillars only eat from one family of plants or even only one particular plant. While butterflies seem to appear like magic in some yards and to only fly through others, those interested can learn how to make the butterflies stay in a yard by providing the food, habitat and shelter they require for all stages of their lives. The workshop will cover everything from butterfly corners to creating a butterfly meadow, all using the same techniques on different scales.

The class will be indoors and with an outdoor tour of the Nature Center’s butterfly garden.

Jeff Tome is a naturalist at the Audubon Nature Center who has created butterfly habitat in his yard through gardens and other plantings for the last 10 years. He spends many hours during the summer raising butterflies that will be released at the Monarch Butterfly Festival on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, Aug. 29. The cost is $16 or $12 for Friends of the Nature Center and children ages 9-15.

Reservations are requested by Tuesday, July 21, and can be made by calling 569-2345 or clicking on “Butterfly Gardening” at jamestownaudubon.org.

The Audubon Nature Center is at 1600 Riverside Road, one-quarter mile east of Route 62 between Jamestown and Warren. For more information on all Nature Center opportunities, call 569-2345 or visit jamestownaudubon.org.