I am interested in the food plants to attract this particular butterfly. thanks for your help
I love the sulphur butterflies
Here's a good site for you. It talks about both types of Sulphur Butterflies. http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/butterfly_gardening/38323
Hey you...how are you?
Sulfer butterflies will LOVE you - if you provide them with http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/371/index.html
Candle tree- or the shrub can get tall, but if you cut it, they will spread out - the sulfer butterflies FIGHT over laying eggs on this plant- the larvae - I've seen them green when in the green part of the plant, and yellow- when they are consuming the flower portion. Do they change colors? or are there two different types of sulfer larvae- I don't know.
The great part of this plant is that it produces loads of seeds. So you can be continuously growing it. The candle tree once it is past the seedling size will grow rapidly.
There are always sulfers fluttering around this plant.
Rj
I read that article, and I have to say- if you are intent on attracting the sulfers, you won't loose with the candle tree.
rj
thank you, both of you. that is exactly what I needed.
my neighbor has offered me seedlings, so this is going to be an easy project. I like easy projects!
right? I found out the hard way...I only had one candle tree plant at the time...and I noticed the sulfers were always flaping around it. For our section of the country- I've observed that the sulfer butterflies are attracted to any shrub that has a simlar leaf shape as the candle tree. I see them pass tons of stuff over, and find a candle tree seedling and they're all over it. I saw one flutering around my seedling in front as I was backing out of the driveway to work!!! funny that was fresh in my mind today!
I am glad you found some so ready at hand Vossner. Hope you get lots of cats.
They love Cassia's, all sulphor's do. I get several varieties here every year, to the point, my husband gave up trying to grow the Cassia's for resale, well when you have a wife who won't spray them... you know why fight it? lol
oops...malfunction...
This message was edited Jul 31, 2006 11:09 PM
I have just now started to see them again. Year before last I had a big Cassia tree and loved it. It was always covered with some sort of wasps but they only seemed to be feeding on nectar.
I didn't find any cats tho so I was wondering if I had the "right" kind of Cassia. So I dug this pic up and now that I've been "butterfly gardening" for a few years I noticed what this butterfly was doing!! She appears to be laying eggs! I guess I did have the right kind, but now I'm thinking maybe those wasps did eat the cats.
So, back to the plant, I've had a few come up from seed last year and this year but they are so slow growing. The must take a long time to germinate or it's just because they are usually underneath other foliage. I moved the 2 I found this year but they are still less than 6". They better hurry because now I'm really excited!
Yes...the cassias are the candle tree plants - laymans name- so you see...it's unanimous...they LOVE cassias/candle tree- I'd say it's like us and chocolates..LOL
oh this is so wonderful. I'm going to my neighbors today, in fact.