Category Archives: Butterflies

What the Buddy Walk Gave to My Garden

Posted by Lesley on October 21, 2011 None comments

Tomorrow marks the Manasota BUDS 10th Annual Buddy Walk, a charity and event I’ve supported since their inception.  Like anyone else, I have my reasons to support this particular cause; their names are Ella and Stacy.  Ella was born with Down syndrome, and Stacy is her amazing mom and one of the founders of Manasota BUDS.  They are also my niece and sister.

Family is the root of why I never miss a Buddy Walk, but an ancillary and quite selfish reason has emerged over the past two years – Mariposa, my favorite nursery, donates to the silent auction.  It’s definitely true when people say there’s no selfless deed.  I’ll be circling that silent auction table like a shark tomorrow.

Prior to last year’s Buddy Walk, I had several butterfly plants scattered throughout the garden and even had plenty of butterfly visitors.  But then I won the butterfly garden package from Mariposa.  Now, I have a real butterfly garden; I just didn’t know the difference.  You think you see a lot of butterflies until you start seeing three, four different types daily.

The package included a cassia tree, milkweed, porter weed, button sage, pentas, and passionvine.  The combination is pure magic.  Sulphur butterflies should have been listed along with the plants as an auction item.  There were caterpillars on the tree and butterflies circling within days.

We get pop-ins, like the White Peacock and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and more than just Sulphurs are regulars.  The Gulf Fritillary is the Norm of our garden right now, constantly sipping at either the porter weed or button sage.

Sleepy Orange on the Cassia Tree

White Peacock Butterfly

Gulf Fritillary on White Button Sage

It’s a small one, but it’s a dream fulfilled.  When I started to really get into gardening, the goal quickly became butterflies.  I got lucky with a few plants; my Mexican sunflowers attracted tons of Swallowtails, and anyone can plant a milkweed to get Monarchs, but it really just depended on the day if I’d see a butterfly or not…not anymore.  Thanks BUDS!

For more information on Manasota BUDS, visit www.manasotabuds.org.  To register for the Buddy Walk or to make a donation, click here.

The Power of Pentas

Posted by Lesley on June 14, 2011 2 comments

It could be the bright red color or the stars filled with nectar, maybe it’s the landing pad that’s created from all those little stars.  Most likely it’s the combination of all three that make Pentas the most sought after flower in my garden.  Butterflies can’t keep their proboscises out of them.

I love them because even in the heat of summer when all the other leaves and petals are curling inside themselves to escape the sun, pentas are still perky.  And any flower that is a friend of a butterfly’s is a friend of mine.  The bees like them too.

Pentas are perennials in Florida but annuals in other parts of the country.  They’ll grow up to 4-feet tall, a fact that eluded me until I planted two in full sun.  They dwarf their shaded counterparts.  Ideal growing conditions for pentas are under full sun in moist, well-drained soil. 

Painted Ladies

Posted by Lesley on May 9, 2011 2 comments

I recently spotted an American Painted Lady butterfly for the first time.  It was flitting around the yellow tickseed at King Farm.  Scientifically known as Coreopsis, tickseed was named Florida’s state wildflower in 1991; there are 13 native species of Coreopsis throughout the state.      

The American Painted Lady is different from the Painted Lady butterfly.  As with the American version, I’ve only ever seen one Painted Lady; it was at a butterfly farm in New York.  There were hundreds of Monarchs under the tent and only one Painted Lady:

The two butterflies look very similar but have two distinguishing traits – their orange color and hindwing eye spots.  The orange wings of the Painted Lady are paler than those of the American Painted Lady, and the Painted Lady has four small eye spots on its hindwings.  The American Painted Lady has two large eye spots on its hindwings.   

In Gardening for Florida’s Butterflies, Pamela F. Traas says, “The best way to attract American lady butterflies to your garden is to plant large masses of the same nectar plant” (36).  That could be why I spotted this one at King Farm.  There was a huge patch of Coreopsis in one spot.  Tickseed is in the Aster family.  In addition to providing nectar, plants in the Aster family, along with a few cudweed species, are host plants for American Painted Ladies.   

Traas, Pamela F. Gardening for Florida’s Butterflies. St. Petersburg, FL: Great Outdoors Publishing Company, 1999.

Red Admiral Update

Posted by Lesley on April 30, 2011 None comments

I asked for it, and I got it.  A Red Admiral butterfly visited my garden today. 

  

Nature vs. The Laundry Room

Posted by Lesley on April 29, 2011 1 comments

Last year, my butterfly observation took place indoors-in my laundry room to be more specific.  I lost a couple caterpillars and a butterfly and wondered how or if my involvement played a part.  One of the chrysalises fell to the ground, and I strung it back up.  This was an example of good interference; the butterfly emerged happy and healthy. 

But there’s always the possibility of unintended bad interference from an indoor environment.  So this time around, I wanted to truly observe-hands off.  It was a promising start from the caterpillars to the first chrysalis.

Now for the bad news…out of six chrysalises, only two became healthy Monarch butterflies.  Out of the three chrysalises outside of the milk crate, only one survived.  And although all three chrysalises inside the milk crate survived, only one produced a health butterfly.  My outcome was actually much better in the laundry room – three healthy butterflies from four chrysalises.  Outside the milk crate, the only success came from under the windowsill.

I didn’t see the butterfly emerge…of course!  Only the empty chrysalis remained when I got home.  The two chrysalises that attached under the eave of the roof didn’t last more than a day.  One ended up crushed on the brick path.  Either the wind or a bird must have knocked it down.  How it got crushed?  I can’t bear to think on it too much, but I did check the bottom of my sneakers and they looked clean.      

The other chrysalis stayed in place but was attacked by something.  John suggested a spider, and I can’t rule it out. 

I’ve let the spider webs get out of control because they’re disgustingly fascinating.  They trapped a lizard!  So now on top of gross fascination, I’m too freaked out to pull them down.   

But no matter what it was that initially attacked the chrysalis, the ants were what finished it off.

As for the three chrysalises inside the milk crate, two of the butterflies emerged infected with Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE).  OE is a parasitic spore that can infect the caterpillars or chrysalises…more to come on that in a future post. 

Catch Butterflies with Milk Crates

Posted by Lesley on April 28, 2011 3 comments

Six caterpillars and six chrysalises…I think.  As caterpillars move and grow at rapid rates; it’s difficult to track them outdoors.  The laundry room was a controlled environment; they were easy to track.  Outside, butterflies continue to visit and lay eggs.

But at any given time, I never counted more than six caterpillars on the milkweed, and there are six chrysalises accounted for.  The first three were easy to find; one attached under the windowsill and two attached to the eave of the roof.  The other three went missing.  I searched for days and only by chance found them while turning on the hose.

 

You may have to click on the photo to enlarge it, but there are three little chrysalises all in a row!  It was quite the exciting discovery.  Out of six caterpillars, half were drawn to the milk crate.  It makes perfect sense; caterpillars seek out sheltered areas.  They also need enough room to unfurl their wings.  Milk crates suit both requirements.  

And the handles are large enough for the butterflies to exit through.

The milk crate worked so well that all three chrysalises survived.  Out of the first three, only one made it.  Now that the Monarchs have moved on, I’m going to put the crate up against the fence near the Cassia tree.  The Orange-barred Sulphurs have been visiting regularly for a few weeks now, mostly in pairs.  I spotted two mating mid-air yesterday and spotted this caterpillar last week. 

Milkweed: Clip with Caution

Posted by Lesley on April 11, 2011 2 comments

As a gardener, my natural tendency is to snip, trim and weed when I’m in the garden.  I want everything to look pretty, and right now my milkweed looks anything but.  There are barely any flowers on it; the leaves aren’t as green as normal; and the seed pods are splitting into messy mop tops. 

That last part I’ve happily allowed up until this point because I’m a sucker for self-sowing plants.  There’s nothing better than getting more flowers than you originally planted, and the milkweed plants are spitting and hurling seeds through the garden at this point.  They are determined to take over, and I’m fine with it.  Every plant around, real or fake, has a milkweed seed stuck to it.

I always hesitate when clipping back milkweed because you never know what’s hiding under the leaves.  Good thing I kept the clippers holstered.  There are two plants and six caterpillars.  If they outlast the elements and the birds, the caterpillars will morph into Monarch butterflies.   

Milkweed is the only plant Monarch butterflies will lay their eggs on.  It’s like magic.  Plant it, and they will come – butterflies and bugs alike.  Although I’ve only ever seen four types of insects on my milkweed, an Iowa study reported seeing 457 different types of insects on their milkweed.  My four are butterflies, ants, milkweed bugs, and yellow milkweed aphids (pictured below).

I’d rather see milkweed bugs over milkweed aphids because the latter are detrimental to the plant.  They suck nutrients out of the plant and are surely the reason for my recently lackluster leaves.  Once the caterpillars move on to the chrysalis stage, I’m going to spray them off the milkweed with the garden hose set on jetstream - advice from My Monarch Guide.  There may be a few drowned ants as well because where there are aphids, there usually are ants.  It’s quite the interesting relationship; the ants milk the aphids. 

 

Interesting or not, I’m one chrysalis closer to grabbing the garden hose and reclaiming my milkweed.

Five to go.  To find the chrysalis, keep an eye on the caterpillar when it strays from the plant.  This one scouted out a few trellises before anchoring underneath the windowsill. 

Red Admiral Challenge

Posted by Lesley on April 7, 2011 2 comments

I’ve seen three types of butterflies in my garden over the past two days – Monarch, Gulf Fritillary and Cloudless Sulphur.  All three are repeat visitors.  Swallowtails are in and out as well.  But never have a seen a Red Admiral in my garden, and I really want to.  I’ve spotted two in the past few weeks – one by the office and one in our neighborhood.  Both times I was walking Luke without my camera.  Their wing pattern is unmistakable; it took me no time to come home and identify the first one.  The reddish orange band is eye-catching even from afar.  This photograph is courtesy of Flickr member Mollivan Jon.

Red Admirals fall under the brushfooted butterfly category.  I’d love to attract them to my garden, but according to Florida Butterfly Gardening, ”Garden abundance is low to moderate” (101).  One reason for this may be their choice of host plants.  Red Admiral caterpillars feed on the leaves of Pellitory and Nettle varieties, neither of which are commonly used in landscaping.  They also prefer open, moist areas like swamps, hammocks and marshes. 

It’s probably best for me to simply try to feed them.  Butterfly Bush is a favorite nectar source for Red Admirals, and I have just the spot for one.  It’s also better than their favorite non-nectar alternatives – two things I prefer to remove from the garden – fermenting fruit and fresh dung.  Yep, I’ll definitely try the Butterfly Bush.      

This photo is from Robin’s Robins; the Butterfly Bush in her yard seems to be doing the trick:

Minno, Marc C., and Maria Minno. Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies of the Lower South. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 1999.

New College Campus

Posted by Lesley on March 12, 2011 2 comments

I spent the morning at the Archaeology Fest at New College.  It was an assignment from the paper, and I was happy to have it come my way.  The festival, people and stories were interesting enough.  But the location is one of my favorites.  The college is located next door to the Ringling Museum; the campus overlooks Sarasota Bay.  Up until 2006, New College shared their campus with the University of South Florida.  I once took a literature class in the original Ringling mansion.

The mansion, renamed College Hall, had seen better days.  Still, the classroom overlooked the bay and had a fireplace.  If I hadn’t finished my reading for that day, I’d show up early and pray this bench was open.

The new USF campus is great.  It’s all one building, laptops in the classrooms, the works.  It’s just so very different.  It was nice to walk the grounds and enjoy the beautiful day.  I even spotted a couple of butterflies.

Buckeye

Black Swallowtail

Gardening to Attract Butterflies

Posted by Lesley on February 22, 2011 6 comments

A recent request on Facebook has had me happily researching butterfly plants.  But with over 15,000 different species of butterflies and even more larval and nectar plants, my own garden is a good way to pare down the subject.  My garden is in Southwest Florida, more specifically, Sarasota.  And there are four categories of butterflies that can be spotted regularly around here - Monarchs, Swallowtails, Sulphurs, and Fritillaries.     

A Monarch hiding in some Milkweed

The easiest and fastest way to get started is with Milkweed.  Buy as little as one small plant and wait for the Monarchs.  Milkweed is the only larval plant Monarchs will lay their eggs on.  Larval plants are also called host plants because after adult butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves, the hatched caterpillars feed on them.  In addition to being a larval plant, Milkweed is also a nectar plant.  A successful butterfly garden needs a combination of both.  The nectar plants are far less specific – many brightly colored, aptly shaped flowers fit the bill.  I’ve watched Monarchs sip nectar from Purple Coneflowers, Sunflowers, Pentas, and Zinnias.

A Spicebush Swallowtail with its probiscus sunk into a Mexican sunflower

Swallowtails have a broader palette than Monarchs; the herbs are what draw these beauties to my garden - parsley, dill and fennel are favorite larval plants.  The herbs are known hosts; my nectar recommendation is only a personal observation – plant Mexican sunflowers.  I’ve yet to find another flower that attracts more Swallowtails.

A Gulf Fritillary perched on a Mexican Sunflower

Mexican sunflowers also attract Gulf Fritillaries, along with Pentas, Button Sage, Lantana, and Spanish Needle.  Most vines in the Passionflower family can serve as hosts but avoid Red Passion-flower and Purple Granadilla.  Larvae don’t fare as well on these varieties. Instead try Corky-stemmed, Maypop or Yellow.  

An Orange-barred Sulphur feeding on the Cassia tree

Sulphurs are last on my list and by far the most elusive.  It wasn’t until my Cassia tree went in that we started seeing regulars.  Up to that point, the orange and yellow butterflies flew through the yard but never stopped for nectar.  Now, it’s as if they’re permanent ornaments that came with the tree.  Cassias, along with members of the bean family, host Sulphurs.  As for nectar, Pentas and Tropical Sage are good choices.  The latter is a cinch to grow - the plants don’t mind sandy soil, and it’s an aggressive self-sower.   

Tropical Sage

Some other nectar plants I’ve had good luck with are Tickseed, Blanketflower, Black-eyed Susan, Porterweed, and any variety of Sunflower. 

Tickseed

Purple Coneflowers