Linda, I can't plant butterfly bush here in Florida because it is an invasive plant. But my grandma's neighbor has one up in WV and it certainly attracts the butterflies. As for the fruit thing, I've tried it before, and even though I know we have the species that prefer fruit (Red-Spotted Purples, especially), they never will come to my yard. They come and lay eggs on my cherry tree, but that's it. Maybe I'm too suburban for some of the butterflies that prefer things other than flowers. Back to WV, my aunt (who lives down the road from grandma), says she gets a lot of the Red-Spotted Purples when the apples fall off the trees. So maybe it helps to have a large concentration of fruit, in which case the butterflies are probably all hanging out in the orange groves here in FL.
The best way to attract butterflies and really get them to stick around is to plant their host plants. If you already have nectar plants in place, and then you add their host plants, they literally have no reason to leave because you're meeting all their needs in life. I know whenever we have people over to our house they're always amazed by how many butterflies we have in the yard. I keep telling people, "Plant it and they will come!"
