STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Possibly, but that's a good thing. Bees are required for pollination, i.e., more flowers. And wasps are creepy, but they prey on bugs and eggs of bugs you don't want in the garden. If you aren't spraying your yard with chemicals, birds and insects are naturally attracted to it.

The biggest bee-attractors in my yard seem to be lavenders, so if you want to avoid bees, I'd skip that.

Some good candidates for butterflies include Lantana, Verbena, Yarrow, Echinacea (coneflower) and Buddleia (butterfly bush). Passionflower vines are also excellent.

Butterflies also appreciate warmth and water. Warmth you can provide with a few flat rocks in the sun that they can land on and bask. For water, you can use a shallow dish or birdbath - fill with half sand and half soil and keep it wet. They land on the sandy muck and drink.