In Leelawadee, butterflies search for delicious flowers, flowers that you as the gardener will provide. Different colors of flowers are available in different quantities, with forty flowers in all.
The game lasts five rounds; at the start of each round, flowers are randomly drawn and placed in the middle of the playing area. Players then take turns removing flowers from the supply and planting them in their garden. These flowers then attract the ten butterflies in the game. Some butterflies match the color of a flower, and these fly to the garden with the biggest connected flower bed of this color. Other butterflies match two flower colors, and these are attracted to the biggest combined flower bed of these two colors. All butterflies prefer fresh flowers, so creating a flower patch equal in size to an opponent's garden is enough to lure the butterfly from that other garden to yours.
Having butterflies in your garden brings you points at the end of each round. New butterflies score one point at the end of round one, two points in round two, etc. Butterflies which remain in your garden throughout a round score only half as many points. (Because seeing new species in your garden is more cool.)
Who will prove to be the best gardener?