Here is a short list of a few Butterfly Host Plants:
Black Swallowtail ~Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Rue, Queen Anne's Lace
Tiger Swallowtail~ Wild Cherry, Yellow Poplar
Spicebush Swallowtail~ Spicebush, Sassafras
Giant Swallowtail~ Citrus Trees, Prickly Ash, Gas Plant (Dictamnus)
Great-Spangled Fritillary~ Violets
Meadow Fritillary~ Violets
Question Mark~ Nettle, False Nettle, Elm, Hops,
Hackberry Comma~ (Hop Merchant) Nettle, False Nettle, Elm,
Hops Mourning Cloak~ Willow, Birch, Elm, Hackberry
Painted Lady~ Hollyhock, Pearly Everlasting, 'Silver Brocade' Artemisia
Common Buckeye~ Snapdragon, Heliotrope, Verbena (offered on our 'Butterfly Nectar Plants' page.)
Viceroy Willow~ Aspen, Poplar, Cherry
Red-Spotted Purple~ Wild Cherry, Poplar, Aspen
Gray Hairstreak~ Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon, Hollyhock
Silvery Blue~ Lupine
Sulphers~ Cassia Alata
Gulf Fritilary~ Passionvine
:oD Debnes
This message was edited Sep 27, 2006 8:51 PM
Sucha Deal!
I brought 2 of the cats in today... They are getting really big now, so I fixed them up in the bathroom window ledge in an aquarium with plenty to eat and branches to spin on.
:oD
Deb,
I woke up this morning and went out to my garden immediately like I do every morning. The butterflies are gone as quickly as they came. There are only a couple of cats left. All I have done is take my nurseryman's advice and water and fertilize. My passionvine is no longer twelve feet long but instead is about eight feet long. That's okay!! At least I didn't have to resort to anything but just let nature take her course. I have pictures that I would like to post as soon as I figure out how the new Kodak Easy Share works...LOL
Shirleyt,
I went for the natural process also. I was a little nervous at the end but everything is for the better. I am sure that the passionvines will grow back. I am going to check out orange cosmos in Plant Files. I want to be sure to attract the Gulf Fritillaries next year!!
I also want to branch out to attract different species. I have seen a couple of Swallowtails hovering around the lemon tree (actually the tree is too sweet to be a lemon and too sour to be an orange so we don't know what it is). I am hoping they laid eggs. There have been visitors of other species but I need to familiarize myself with them. I planted mustard greens last week and I have dill seeds and rue seeds. I am hoping with these and my fennel and parsley planted last spring that I should be able to attract some others.
Thanks for the encouragement,
Chuck
CB--you do have some milkweed seed, too, right? (Whatever MW is native to your area? That's what the monarchs love/need for larval host plants....)
Maybe we could start some kind of BF larval host plant seed exchange on the Forum? I don't know much about seeds, but I know others are quite expert!
I can collect some milkweed seed for others if someone tells me when/how to do it!
tabasco,
A BF larval host plant seed exchange sounds like a WONDERFUL IDEA!!!! I have four milkweed plants already but no seed. Three of the plants were planted last week so my plants are too young for seed yet. The remaining plant was only planted last spring so it was too young also.
That sounds like a good idea to me too. I think it should be host plant and nectar plants tho. Is it something that Dave can set up separately? Or would we just make an ongoing thread and see if he will make it "sticky"? I vote Tabasco as president. :)
Chuck, I've got a ton of orange cosmos seeds.
I vote for Tabasco too. Either with or without the nectar plants, this idea is GREAT. If you will tell me how to do it, I will help with setting up everything. Konkreteblond, I would like to take you up on those orange cosmos seeds but I have no seeds to offer...just yet. I am going to change that for sure.
Thanks,
Chuck
LOL
Well, I'm not really much of a trader because I worry that who ever receives what I trade won't be happy (since I basically don't know what I am doing with seeds or trading!) So I vote on someone else being the President! But I think it's a great idea!
I would like everyone to Catch the BF Gardening Fever with us, though, and if I can harvest some MW seeds, I will be happy to send it out. Or any other seeds (although I just went out to check on my Tithonia and notice someone pulled it out! Boo Hoo!)
I think gardeners on the Wintersowing Forum are interested in a BF garden seed exchange, too, by the way! So don't forget to check out that Forum.
Well, I say everyone keep an eye out for nice dried seed pods that BFs like and we'll see if we can get the ball rolling.
I went for a Butterfly Walk with my DH this afternoon and spotted about 100 monarchs in a Zinnia garden. Did I already tell you that?! (I am so excited about that!) I must plant some Zinnias for next year!
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/plants/2000su_zinnia.html
Tabasco,
I am envious of your Monarchs. I have seen many species of butterflies in my backyard but I have never seen a Monarch in my backyard. I have heard that some years the Monarchs migrate here from Mexico and some years they don't. I really would like to see one for sure.
Like I said before, I think that it is a TERRIFIC idea to start a seed/plant forum for butterflies. I just hope we can get the idea out into the open of DG so many people hear about it. Then maybe we can find out more of the basics and find a leader.
Thanks again,
Chuck
Oh Chuck, my heart goes out to you for never seeing a Monarch in your own yard!! We must help you!! I will send you some seeds. I don't need anything in return tho because I've got plenty to take care of and not much room for much more. We're fixing to have a swap here next week and I'll get more things. I'm happy to finally have some seeds and things to share. My first few years I had nothing to exchange or share because I wanted the plants that I had! I wasn't ready to share them. lol
Tabasco, I'm not an experienced trader either. (whodathunk there are people that are!) I think it would be nice to have a separate forum for this tho or I will be overwhelmed. If I know that what I'm looking at is specifically butterfly plants then I won't have to search thru posts. Make sense? Maybe we need to start a thread to get a "vote" and then ask Dave? I still think you'll be a great president! ;) ... you don't have zinnias in your garden?? I thought it was you that had ordered the Zowie zinnias that I love.
This message was edited Oct 1, 2006 6:46 PM
LOL I did have zinnias but they got some kind of wilt. (Your texas mist flower is blooming like crazy, though)
I guess I thought we were going to have a Butterfly Plant Seed Exchange not a new Forum.
Yes we should have a separate Thread for the Seed Exchange, for sure.
Sorry if this too OT.
I will start a new thread.
We have to get Chuck some Milkweed and some Zinnias! Good luck everybody.
My summer BF garden...
It's beautiful! I'm always so jealous of how green the gardens get up north. Mine gets green but then ends up having brown tips from sunburn. What are those gorgeous trees in the background? Are they blue like that in person?
A thread for the seed exchange is fine with me. I'm already trying to get some stuff together to help Chuck!
Yes count me in! I vote for tobasco too, and we can all be her assistants. I also love the seed exchange for host/nectar plants, we will all learn something in this. It would be wonderful!! All those in favor say "Aye!" and we can start a new thread. I will be there!!
Chuck you lucky, you can grow citrus there where you are, Giant swallowtails love sitrus.. Keep an eye out, though when Paige, tobasco and I will see to it you get prepared by next Spring for sure! DH is always encouragning me to let nature take it's course too concerning wildlife and gardening, and I think we have struck a happy balance. It has taken years, and a lot of hard work, but aside from the obvious devotion to the Creator, and my family, nothing has ever been so rewarding to me.
I was out all day in the garden watching things. First i mowed and trimmed things up, and then just lingered out there all day. I just came in at 8:30. ayesterday evening was cramming all kinds of information about host plants, nectar plants, etcMaking up lists and documents with pertinent information.
I have a few ideas for layouts and plants for butterflies nad hummingbirds. Perennial plants that are geared to grow in particular areas of the world/country. I so love to do research and experiment with these things.
Anytime y'all are ready we can begin a new thread with an inclusive and exhaustive focus... Count me in!I like the idea of making it Sticky within the Bfky and Hummer forum, what do y'all think?
Deb
konkreteblond and Deb,
I have five asclepias (four native fasicularis(sp?) and one tuberosa(sp?). This spring I planted over 30 zinnias. I am not so sure if I need more plants or if I am just not in the migratory paths that you lucky people have. I have heard that sometimes the Monarchs migrate here and sometimes they don't. I have never seen a Monarch butterfly here in Perris but that just may be me.
Thanks,
Chuck
Tobasco,
Sorry! I forgot to tell you that your butterfly garden is very nice. Are the yellow daisies Hymenoxis acaulis? I ordered two of these from the Fall Catalog of High Country Gardens and I am anxiously waiting for their delivery later on this month.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful butterfly garden with us...
Chuck
Lovely garden Tabasco! I've seen Monarch's flying overhead but they head to my neighbor's well developed (20 years) garden to nectar. I just don't have enough plants yet :/ But next year...look out! I'll be wintersowing my first butterfly garden this year - I've only got marigolds, fennel and parsley - but the fennel and parsely have fed about 4 broods of EBS cats this year so that was fun.
I'll look for the thread you're starting.
Happy Monday everyone!
~Sunny
waves~ @ sunny ~
I think that tree is a Blue Spruce, isn't it tobasco? My MIL has one in her front yard in NJ that is about 40ft tall. You have a lovely garden there !
Chuck your bound to have one or 2 Monarchs flying through here and there, I know I miss a lot when I'm not out there activly watching. You are fairly close to their winter home.
http://www.monarchwatch.org/download/pdf/where.pdf
You could go for a nice drive North up the coast and find several places they gather for the winter.
One of the eggs on the Fennel hatched the 2 days ago. Here it is about 1/3" long and just completed 1st instar.
Thanks for the comments on the garden. That pics a bit old and I have posted it before, but I think it's pretty too. The garden actually looks like h--l now, but there are lots of butterflies visiting it! They like that verbena bonarienses . (Chuck--try some of that to put with your zinnias!)
I guess that's a blue spruce in the back. It's maybe 30 or 40 feet tall. A handsome tree. And it is pretty blue. The yellow daisies are rudbeckia hirta 'prairie suns'--probably not the best BF nectar plants, but I think they are pretty and an AAS Award Winner...I am trying to save seeds for them and will share around if anyone wants to try them.
I posted a new thread about the Host Plant Seed Exchange asking for comments. So between now and when we get it going, be sure to save lots of seeds-- particularly milkweeds--so we can get the whole world growing BF gardens! LOL Thanks for your offers of help.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/656598/
If you post on other forums --- perennials, annuals, regionals, wintersowing, etc., and want to mention the idea and link to the above thread, that might be "a good thing" as Martha would say....
It's a beautiful day here. Lots of butterflies out!
Dear Deb,
I was wondering why all of a sudden you were so quiet. I missed your advice and help. I am going to the nursery today (it is 18 miles away) and I am going to plant some more California Buckwheat. Do you have any suggestions of plants that I should look for also? I planted lantana about three weeks ago when summer was still here but it stopped blooming last week when the temps finally dropped. Today our temp high is 75 degrees.
Keep in touch,
Thanks,
Chuck
Hi Chuck!
I'm still here, been a lil busy preparing for a local DG Round Up. Here is a list of some plants for hosting various Butterflies:
Butterfly: Host Plants:
Black Swallowtail ~Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Rue, Queen Anne's Lace
Tiger Swallowtail~ Wild Cherry, Yellow Poplar
Spicebush Swallowtail~ Spicebush, Sassafras
Giant Swallowtail~ Citrus Trees, Prickly Ash, Gas Plant (Dictamnus)
Great-Spangled Fritillary~ Violets
Meadow Fritillary~ Violets
Question Mark~ Nettle, False Nettle, Elm, Hops,
Hackberry Comma~ (Hop Merchant) Nettle, False Nettle, Elm,
Hops Mourning Cloak~ Willow, Birch, Elm, Hackberry
Painted Lady~ Hollyhock, Pearly Everlasting, 'Silver Brocade' Artemisia
Common Buckeye~ Snapdragon, Heliotrope, Verbena
Viceroy Willow~ Aspen, Poplar, Cherry
Red-Spotted Purple~ Wild Cherry, Poplar, Aspen
Gray Hairstreak~ Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon, Hollyhock
Silvery Blue~ Lupine
Sulphers~ Cassia Alata
Gulf Fritilary~ Passionvine
The most common types of asclepias around here in the northeast are:
syriaca - tall, heavy mauve-colored flowers with a heady scent, very broad leaves, that's the "common" milkweed - perennial
incarnata - bushy perennial, with mauve flowers with not much scent, called "swamp" milkweed. One strain will put forth more branches and blooms if you snip off the deadheads; one strain blooms only once whether you trim it or not.
curassavica - shorter, gets about 3 feet tall, with clusters of red-and-yellow bicolor flowers and much more tender leaves than the others, also called "bloodflower" or "tropical" - not perennial this far north, you have to restart it from collected seeds each year.
tuberosa - also shorter, but perennial here; these are the ones with the orange flowers and the rather fuzzy leaves, also called the "butterfly milkweed". I have also seen a strain of this being sold that's supposed to be all-yellow, called Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow'.
Some more plants for Butterfly nectaring:
Red valerian
Centranthus
Columbine
Sky Blue Aster
Smooth Aster
Pale Purple Coneflower
Purple Coneflower
Joe Pye Weed
Meadow Blazingstar
Prairie Blazingstar
Bergamot
Black-eyed Susan
Ohio Goldenrod
Stiff Goldenrod
Little Bluestem
Prairie Dropseed
It is hard to find many of these plants at your local nurseries. When I have asked for some of these they look at me as if i grew another head. The people here at DG are good about sharing seeds though if you look up some of these plants and see who has them. I should have a few to share also, after this weekend's RoundUp.
A great plant you might find easier as a nectar bar is Buddelia, however make room, they grow fairly large. There is a dwarf variety they love just as much and that is called Nano. I had some Monarchs come by today and nectar from the Buddelia White Profussion.
:oDeb
Here is another picture
I took those from about 15ft away. I'm almost glad it didnt find my Milkweed because it doesnt really have enough meat on it to keep more than one or two right now.
A Black Swallowtail found the Rue plants I am saving to trade at the RU and she laid eggs for a while..didn't even mind me or my Chihuauah just a few feet away.
The tiny GF I showed you last week is almost ready to make a chrysalis. It's about 2" long and very fat. It will probably crawl onto the metal trellis and hang any minute... I will take a pic in a lil while.
I'm not going to be caging any more caterpillars now, just mainly watching what comes through and taking what comes.
If you have already gone to town you can just save any of this info for next time ya go. Calling in advance helps too if it is a long way off.
See you around! o/~
Deb
I have a lot of flowering plants in my yard, but the 2 that seems to get the most action for nectar are : White and/or purple Buddelia and all colors of Lantana.
Deb,
I am going to have to read about seed saving. Do you know any good books on the subject? The one I bought from Seed Savers Exchange was more about saving the seeds of vegetables. I do have some Mexican Hat Prairie Conflower seeds that I cut about six weeks ago. I have no idea if I did it right or what? I was planning on saving the seeds for next spring just to test their viability. I haven't any seeds from my butterfly weeds (asclepias) yet. Two of them I bought last Spring (one of the fasicularis(sp?) and the only Tuberosa). About three weeks ago I purchased three more of the fasicularis(sp?) and already one didn't make it through the transplant stage. The Tuberosa is the only one that has bloomed but its flowers were so covered with golden aphids, I didn't see how I could get seeds. Until I bought asclepias, I have never seen golden aphids.
Thanks again,
Chuck
Yes I hear ya about the aphids, I scraped a few off with my fingernail from a couple of my plants, no sign of them again yet, but I'm watching them. If it continues I am going to buy a lil tub of ladybugs..that oughta fix em! See if you can buy some too, but if it is windy wait until the wind settles down or they will fly off before they find their dinner.
About seeds....when a flower's petals fall off a seed pod forms underneath the blooms. On your Mexican Hat and Coneflower the seeds are in the center attached to each spike is a seed. When they start looking ragged cut them back at the base and stick them in a vase out of the way where it is dry. When the cones turn all brown you can pluck the seeds out by the tips of the spikes. If they are ready they should come out pretty easy. About 2-3 weeks from cutting should be good. Here (pic below) is a Purple coneflower pod I cut off Wednesday. See how the center is still green underneath? These are NOT ready, they need more time on the cone drying to be ripe and viable. There in the green lumps is the rest of the DNA needed for the seed to be whole. When this kind of seed is ready the whole pod will be brown and fall apart with little effort.
I am learning about these things right along with you actually, learning more from hands on experience and then reading to confirm or correct myself. It helps me really understand what I am reading about if I have already held it in my hand..:o)
I have some other different types of flowers out there making seeds. I will share those as I come to them.
Deb that photo on your post @ 4:32 is magnificent! Just love it. And thanks for showing seeds and such. I have one little echinacea plant - it's grown vigorously but slowly, perhaps I'll see a flower on it next year when I put my new wintersown babies beside it to show how it is supposed to be done ;)
~Sunny
p.s. Deb, I *finally* got that Gulf Frit in a pic!!!!
Awesome Sunny!
Like i said, Im just here learning with everyone else. And it is ALL THAT! Gardening alone was always great for me, a wholesome experience. But now meeing everyone in here, and sharing like we do, is the best ever!
I am going out to see if the frit on my vine has completely chrysalized...lol. I looked at 3am when I went out to take a pic of the Harvest Moon, but the pics came out blurry.
Deb
Dear Deb,
Isn't that Harvest Moon beautiful? I have a question about Butterfly Bushes. I have a purple Buddleia that I just pruned yesterday. The number of seeds that I was able to save was awesome. My question is: here in So California, Butterfly Bushes are only nectaring plants. I thought I heard somewhere that Butterfly Bushes are larval hosts for butterflies also in certain places. Regardless, if anyone needs seeds for a purple Butterfly Bush, let me know. I have hundreds of seeds. My bush is now only five feet tall, although yesterday it was twelve feet tall.
Thanks again for the beautiful photo....
Chuck
Yes it is!
I have never heard of it being a host plant, surely that begs some research. I too just pruned again and have tons of seeds from my white profussion. Here is another seed sugestion, put the seed pods in paper bags until they are completely brown and dried before removing them from the stems. From what I hear they are easy to grow from seed... I sure hope so, bc I'm sharing the seeds and growing some for myself soon as I can.
I will look into it as a host plant though (I would be surprised), and let you know for sure when I find out.
Deb
Don't throw all your prunings away. It sounds like they root easily from cuttings!
http://www.gardenadvice.co.uk/howto/gardenplants/cuttings_softwood/index.html
I am not aware of the Buddlea being a host plant either, but it sure is loved for its nectar.
Me either Tobasco..
Definatly! There are so many plants that respond to cutting, and that link is great. I bookmarked it! I have had success with most things I have rooted in water, and many by using root hormone and sticking it straight into the dirt. I encourage anyone to try it until they get the hang of it.
Cool fact everyone: A cutting of a plant is a clone of the exact plant. Planting a seed makes a whole new generation with slight variances. ..makes ya think, huh?
Sorry Chuck , no sign of those being a host plant for anything but the usual suspects and enemies of plants. They are excellent for nectaring, and every garden should have at least one Buddelia. (Share those seeds.) Glad you already have one.
Remember y'all, we will be exploring the Nectar plants in the next segment of this thread. I have lots of seeds for those too. I will post my availables as soon as I take a recount.
:oD
Deb!!!
I have three little cats on my Rue!! They are about tiny ant size today!! I thought I saw one last night, but I am sure today, and I can tell where they have started eating. If I get parsley at the store and wash very well would it be sufficient to feed them if this plant won't?
I am going to send my DH down to take a pic later.
Great Sheila!
Yes, I think buying some parsley and washing it is a good idea. I have some hatched now too, 3 different sizes. I have tried to make sure the parsley was clean but they crawled off the Fennel onto the Parsley leaves now. I wonder if Veg wash will be safe for cats? Got to be sure and rinse it off real good whatever is used. I am pretty sure that a few drops of LOC would be safe...I need to get a quart of that stuff.
I hope they do alright...they seemed to like the rain we had today.
Deb
Sheila, if you are going to try and switch their food you need to do it early. What they start eating is what they like to continue eating and sometimes they won't change. Rue is definitely harder to find and doesn't grow fast but it seemed to be more filling to both the GST and BST's that I had eating it this summer. They would go thru dill or fennel in a day but the rue was lasting much longer UNTIL their last instar and they started eating a lot more.
That's what I have found too Paige, they like where their momma put them most of the time. These I have now were eggs on the Fennel and I kept that lil limb draped across the Parsley so they might crawl over on it themselves. They ate Fennel for about 4 days then moved to the Parsley.. I was really surprised to see that they had too. Who knows, they might crawl back over to he Fennel before they are ready to eclose, lol.
Thanks yall, I will get some tomorrow. Oh BTW did you notice where someone posted a great picture of the different stages?
It helped me realize that they were my BST cats.
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/659985/