Hi. I am new to DG and brand new to butterfly gardening. My question is regarding the puddling place described in the thread Quotations from a great butterfly garden article (by Julie Neel). I never come across mushroom compost and am wondering what else could be used to provide the nutrients and salts that the butterflies need?
What a terrific article for beginners. I am hoping to start small this season by making a puddling place and planting some of the nectaring and host plants. Milkweed, though which one specifically I do not know, is growing abundantly. I hope to identify it by using this reference: http://www.monarchwatch.org/milkweed/index.htm.
One other question. I read that it is best to grow the nectaring and host plants from seed when possible as the sprays and such that are used in commercial production are toxic to butterflies. Has this been your experience? Thanks for any help you can provide. I look forward to learning about the life cycle of butterflies and seeing my first Monarch.
Substitute for mushroom compost in puddling place?
Hi, Tangerine, and welcome to DG.
I am not sure what article (by Julie Neel) you are referring too, but I think you can use just about any manure type compound if you can't find mushroom compost.
Or over-ripe bananas or pears or other fruit, salt solutions, and there is a recipe for 'Butterfly Bait' on a thread here on DG that looks interesting (made with beer or stout (Guiness) and brown sugar and lots of other attractive (to butterflies) components that you will want to look up. Stinky, but they like it.
I hadn't thought about growing from seed to avoid growers' chemicals, but I guess that makes sense if you are trying to be totally organic or cautious. I don't use any chemicals in my butterfly garden, though...
Good luck with your nectar and host plant plan. What butterflies are you hoping to attract besides monarchs? What seeds you are planting?
Have you found these two sites yet? Full of lots of good details.
http://www.naba.org/
This link is kind of fun... http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/bflyusa.htm
Let us know how it is going ... t.
Welcome Tangerine. Good to have you.
I am making my first butterfly puddles this year, so we can learn together.
Thanks for the welcome and the great websites. The article I referred to is from the earlier thread Quotations from a great butterfly garden article.
Based on that article I plan to plant pentas, lantana, salvia and verbena 'Homestead Purple' for nectaring plants. For host plants I will use bronze fennel and parsley. That's about as far as I have gotten in my planning.
The trouble with starting from seed is that some plants like lantana and pentas often fail to germinate and also take extra long to flower. I might try a combination of seeds and small starts. At the moment I have been looking for smooth dark stones to use in the puddling place but haven't found any yet!
Tangerine,
You can probably find a bag of smooth black stones at a craft store.
Diane
tangerine-- I bet you could start the Lantana from cuttings. Might be faster. I have also heard that Buddleia is easy to start from cuttings (and seed)
I am trying to start my BF plants from seed, too (I'm a beginner with seed sowing). Might be a wait! I am starting my seeds using the Wintersowing method...supposed to be a kind of 'seed starting for dummies'...I hope so!
Thanks for the tips 1gg and tabasco.
Tabasco...I have winter sown in the past and think it's a great method.
How is your b'fly puddle? I've not been able to start mine yet. Do you put holes in the bottom of your holder to allow rainwater to drain out?
There is so much to do in the garden that I haven't started my butterfly puddle either. You know, I've wondered the same thing about whether or not to put holes in the bottom of the holder! I think I will...as soon as I find a container, that is!
Yes me, too. I was thinking I would use some of those clear containers you get with salads at a fast food place and punch holes in the bottom and cut off the tops, which might be deep enough to make another puddle. I don't have anything else I can poke holes in that I can think of. I wanted to do it early to attract them, but I'm 'way far behind. I have some wooden stakes that I can pound into the ground right next to my butterfly bushes and then nail those containers to the stake. Not gorgeous, but the shrub should hide it.
I want to make a sand/dirt bath for the birds, but I have the same problem. You have to let rain water or sprinkler water out and find something to hold it. I'm wondering if I could hang that from one of my shepherd's hooks that now have bird feeders. I don't know. Just have to try something and see what works, I guess.
Diane