Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: DAILY BUTTERFLIES Page 39, 1 by mellielong

mellielong wrote:
The Gulf Frits really seem to be enjoying the Tampa Verbena these days. Glandularia tampensis (it's Latin name) is an endangered species here in Florida. Last year, the head of the Invasive Species Task Force sent me a picture of a patch he found out in one of the preserves. He just wanted to show me that it does still exist in nature. There's a nursery out in Riverview, FL that has been really good about propagating it and selling it through Lowe's and Home Depot. It's hard to believe it's endangered since it self-seeds so easily, but I guess it's hard to grow through pavement. I like it because: it's endangered, it's named after my city, it's purple, it's native, and the butterflies find it yummy! I figure the Gulf Frits have probably been nectaring on it for a few millenia or so; they know a good thing when they see it.

So Melanie's lesson for the day is to try and plant things that are native to your area. You don't have to be militant about it - I like to find native plants that have been hybridized so I can pick a different color or some other feature. For example, I could pick blanket flower seeds off the side of the interstate, but I prefer the "Goblin" variety. I also like to look through catalogs and when I see a plant I like, I research to see if there is a native variety of that genus. I'm sure butterflies don't spend all their time in cultivated gardens, so I like to make sure I have some of the same kinds of plants they see in the woods and fields.

Melanie