Tag Archives: gulf fritillary

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

Attracting Gulf Fritillaries to Your Butterfly Garden

Posted by Lesley on February 5, 2011 1 comments

The drunken butterfly I surprised on Wednesday must have told all his friends about my garden.  I’ve seen one every day since.  It’s great because there hasn’t been a Gulf Fritillary around the garden in quite some time.  And since every time I see one, he or she is wing-deep in white flowers, it seems the influx is thanks to the Button sage.   

There are two white Button sage plants in my butterfly garden.  Unlike the Porterweed and Pentas, the Button sage has stayed strong and green through every cold snap.

The sticks in front are the Porterweed, and the droopy brown leaves in the background are the Pentas.  Injured but not out, they both have visible regrowth.  I’m waiting until March to cut everything back – better safe than sorry.  The lush green in front of the Button sage is Lantana.  It’s not blooming right now, but the cold had no effect on it.  Both Button sage and Lantana are in the verbena family. 

Another possible reason for so many Gulf Fritillaries lately is one of the other newbie plants in the garden – the Passionflower vine.  Although Button sage provides nectar to the butterflies, Passionflower feeds and protects the larva.  The passion flowers are toxic.  The toxins stay in the larva and are poisonous to predators.  My vine hasn’t produced and blooms yet, but its corky-stems have shown me some love.   

When the garden used to see Gulf Fritillaries regularly, I had a lot of Mexican sunflowers and Zinnias planted.  Both are nectar sources.

The Secret Life of Butterflies and Ibis

Posted by Lesley on February 2, 2011 3 comments

I love that old episode of Seinfeld where Jerry leaves the apartment and we get to see what Kramer actually does when Jerry’s not around.  Kramer dresses up in his suits, takes the bike off the wall and rides it around the apartment; he starts fights with people on the street from Jerry’s window, the list goes on.  I couldn’t embed the video, but you can see the clip on YouTube. 

I popped home for about 15-minutes this morning and felt the same way about the critters…what do they do when we’re not around?  While doing a quick round of watering, I found this Gulf Fritillary getting drunk in my butterfly garden.

And as I went to leave, the ibis were swiftly sneaking away like they had just committed a crime.  By the time my camera was in position, they had already made it to the corner stop sign.

Suspicious, but I’ll give them a break because they’re just little brown babies.  American White Ibis, like their namesake, are all white except when they’re young.  At about two years-old, they lose their brown plumage and molt into their white adult forms.  Babies or adults, the ibis are welcome; but let’s hope that opossum doesn’t get any ideas while we’re out.     

Y is for Yikes!

Posted by Lesley on July 8, 2010 4 comments

Once again I missed ABC Wednesday, but I have a good reason.  I’m in New York and my mother’s house seems to have a real problem with me having online access – same thing last summer.  And to make matters worse this summer, the neighbor wised up and secured his wireless connection.  It only takes one and my sister and her iBook may have ruined it for the neighborhood, so here we sit at the local library.  Yada Yada Yada…on to my Yikes!  When I landed in New York on Tuesday, the pilot announced, “The local temperature is a scorching 99 degrees.”  I thought he was Yanking my chain until I stepped out of JFK airport and felt the heat climbing up my legs like wildfire.  That combined with this familiar looking butterfly, I’m not completely sure where I am anymore…Florida, New York, the sun???  

On first glance, I thought this was a Gulf Fritillary.  But after thinking about it, one: it’s unlikely for this area and two: it’s just not orange enough.  Now I’m thinking Great Spangled Fritillary.  Check the pictures and see for yourself.  The heat minus the constant air conditioning of Florida has my brain feeling Yucky.