Hey ya'll...
Gotta say I've been looking for Green Shrimp Plant (blechum browneii) as it is a larval host to the Malachite butterfly (which we get in south Texas). I call this big butterfly a decadent piece of Key Lime Pie drizzled with chocolate and topped with whipped cream!!! When you see the bright lime green, dark brown and white colors on that butterfly that's what comes to mind!!!
Anyway...I ordered about 70 larval host plant liners from Shady Oaks Butterfly Farm in Florida. I got them last week and must say I was extremely pleased with the prices, sizes, quality of plants, well developed root systems and the packaging. These are the larval host plants I ordered:
Green Shrimp Plants - for Malachites, White Peacocks and Buckeyes)
False Nettle (Red Admirals and Question Marks)
Water Hyssop (White Peacock)
Frogfruit (Phaon Crescents, White Peacocks and Buckeyes)
I am so excited to add all these larval host plants to my yard. I hope the butterflies that regularly visit to nectar will lay eggs on them. I would love to raise and photograph the life cycle all of those butterflies.
This is the Garden Watchdog page where I posted positive feedback for Shady Oak Butterfly Farm
http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/5683/
This is their larval host plant website. They have many other larval host and nectar plants. They also have a wonderful and very informative home page/website with a variety of excellent links. I do hope ya'll will take a looksee.
http://butterfliesetc.com/hostplants.php
Now I am waiting for our dratted weather to clear up! I am tired of dreary, drizzly and windy days!
~ Cat
Fantastic purchase of larval host plants
Cat - Great plant site! I don't know if it was you or someone else who found this place before, but remember looking at it and was quite impressed with the variety and prices they had! Thanks for posting the website again and letting us know what you thought of your order from them! Awesome!!!!
Great site TPP!
I want some of that Green Shrimp Plant, I just love those Malachites! And key lime pie and choc mint ice cream!
Thanks Cat! Plus they give seeds away,Wow!
Becky,
Don't remember who posted...but someone did when I asked about a nursery that sells Green Shrimp plants. Am really tickled pink to have received so many plants in such good condition!!! I've done mail order before with other companies and have not been pleased at all...but Shady Oak Butterfly Farm is great. Excellent correspondence and you can't beat the quality and prices either. I wish I had more room in my yard so I could order even more!!! :o)
Dratted weather is cold again today...a minor cold front rolled through earlier...YUCK!!!
Oh...and I also ordered some rarer cestrums from Kartuz Greenhouses a few months ago and they were packaged extremely well and arrived in good condition. It's been several months since I received and transplanted them and they are doing extremely well. I am impressed considering how crazy our weather has been lately.
~ Cat