The big 50 is coming up for my sister, and I want to make her cake. She has a butterfly garden and I'd like to know the easiest way to create different kinds of butterflies to put on her cake. Any suggestions are welcomed.

Thank you.

Sorry I am no help but I would also like to know how to make the butterflys!

Cutters! In particular patchwork cutters where you can get a butterfly set! I also recommend you getting Peggy Proschen's book, and she demonstrates how to do butterflies with royal icing. I did a cake recently where I used four different kinds of butterflies. Feel free to browse my photos.

Here is how I do mine:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=143131&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0

But I have also seen very nice ones done from rice paper, gumpaste or royal icing!

You can use push ,molds, patchwork cutters, cookie cutters to form them, or pipe them from royal icing. You can combine forms to give the look of different kinds of butterflys. There is a tutorial here on CC that tells you how to make them of velum or edible paper as well.