Winter butterfly garden planning

Here in Virginia, it's the middle of winter with the temps in the low 20s and not much higher during the day. It's too cold to even go outside, but I can plan for those warmer months just by looking through the seed catalogs that have been delivered lately. A good one is Wildseed Farms from Fredericksburg, TX. Besides offering a very good selection of butterfly plants and flowers, they give a lot of good information, including the percentage of average planting success with a certain species, the soil temp, germination time, blooming period, how many seeds are in a pound, and suggested uses. For example, Yellow Cosmos (Asteraceae) is an annnual, good for the entire United States, with an average success rate of 80%. I know this is a good butterfly attractant and it's easy to grow. You can buy it by the pound, 1/4 lb., 1 oz., or packet. There are also mixtures designed for specific areas of the country, each containing about 24 different seeds. These wildflower mixes may be good for meadows (and for people with patience), but I'd recommend instead purchasing seeds in packets. If you know which flowers would attract butterflies, buy those seeds and then they can be planted in groups which is important if you want to see butterflies this summer. A grouping of the same flower will more likely attract the winged ones instead of an assortment of 20 different ones scattered over an area. If you are looking for a mixture, Wildseed Farms is the place to buy one. There are no fillers in the mix; they are pure seeds. If you go into one of the big box stores, pick up a wildflower (or butterfly) mix. Look at the back of the can and you'll see most of the contents are filler. Many do not include that many butterfly flowers, either. So, happy planning!