Tag Archives: tickseed

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.

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.