As a weaver as well as photographer and with much garden experience, I was puzzled when learning Navajo weaving, that the Navajo people consider butterflies bad luck.
I had noticed that lovely yellow butterflies consumed entire fennel plants, but didn't think much of it.
When I moved to a new location I decided I wanted a garden to attract butterflies. The new place already had wild lantana (it has pink & yellow flowers) which butterflies loved, so I bought some white and some purple lantana as well. Also bought some butterfly plants and various other plants said to attract butterflies.
I made some lovely little flower shaped saucers of clay and also bought some little clay saucers (the kind that go under clay pots) so they would have a shallow source of water. I placed the saucers around the garden, with many under branches so they would be out of sight of the birds. Evidently birds consider them a special treat.
Then I found out why the Navajo people consider them bad luck. The butterflies consumed whole plants. What they didn't chew or use in one stage of growth, they did in another. It was one of life’s little lessons. I had lots of butterflies.
So, as for butterflies in the garden…maybe some butterfly decorations would be easier on the plants than actual butterflies, unless you want to make photographs of the actual ones in various stages and the many colors and designs that come to your garden. That is an amazing study I’m sure the world could use. The photographs should be easy to sell in many ways.