Butterflies bring a little extra tranquility to your backyard sanctuary. Beautiful, sun-loving butterflies love nothing more than to rest on a flat stone located in a warm, windless spot next to small groups of flowering plants. To attract butterflies, include plants that produce yellow, purple or orange flowers, such as asters, butterfly bush, marigolds and zinnias. Provide a shallow mud puddle so butterflies can quench their thirst. And, for the caterpillar stage, offer food in the form of an undisturbed patch of a leafy green plant, such as clover, dill, violet or milkweed.