I am new to butterfly gardening. I am spending the winter planning and researching for my first butterfly garden next spring. When researching for catepillar host plants, I am seeing
The (Painted Lady) prefers nectar from composites 3-6 feet high
http://www.backyardnature.net/fl_comps.htm
This ought to help.
Ah yes! Very helpful Thanks!!
Oh, melody--that is a wonderful explanation of the composite. I never really knew what exactly they were either--just something like a 'daisy'!
Hi, sjweld--we will want to know all about the flowers you will be planting in your new bf garden! And please takes some pics, too! Always exciting to follow along a new butterlfy adventure! t.
I will keep you posted. So far I researched the butterflies of my county and thier caterpillar host plants and adult feeding plants. I listed any that fit my criteria (I want the finaly garden to be purples and yellows). Now I need to Cross reference the list and figure out exactly what I am going to plant and how many of those I can get seeds for and winter sow.
Here is where my bed will go. I laid out a lasagna bed this fall.
sjweld, for some purple color may I suggest Liatris ligulistylis planted around A. curassavica Apollo Yellow or A. tuberosa Hello Yellow. Your Monarchs would love you for it.
http://www.everwilde.com/store/Wildflowers-5.html
http://www.prairienursery.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=225
http://www.hardyplants.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SP&Product_Code=ASC8&Category_Code=Asclepias
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/134151/
Oh, those look lovely! Thanks for including the link to each. I printed them out to add to my butterfly notebook!
Another purple you might want to add is verbena bonarienses, although not native to our region, v. bonarienses is the leading butterfly nectar plant in our midwest area other than buddleia, and easily grown from seed.
Also the buddleia (butterfly bush) which you probably already have on your list. Not a native, but it's a very popular butterfly nectar plant and comes in purple 'black knight'.
And echinaceas (coneflowers) are purple-y pink and also highly recommended in the midwest for butterflies.
And zinnias--available in both yellow and purple, short and tall varieties. An annual but easily grown from seed started in late May or June. It seems like the butterflies like the ones that are more single petalled than fully double...
We have several liatris in our garden for the butterflies, too. http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/L_files/La-Li.htm
L. ligustylus is the one that the monarchs go crazy for according to the internet but we had trouble growing it because it liked to die out out in wet areas. I am going to find a better spot for it next year. We have had Liatris pycnostachya 'september glory' which is nice and we grow the Liatris spicata from corms (purchased at the garden center or online from Brent & Becky's in spring).
We grow milkweed incarnata 'cinderella', http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/539/ which is sort of a rosy purple-y mauve and a perennial (zones 3-8). A. Incarnata grows in a wide range of garden conditions (not only swampy places) and is native to our region. And it is available a white version ('ice ballet'). We also grow the asclepias curassavica (hello yellow and silky red) which is very very pretty in the garden but will die out in cold midwest zones and will need to be reseeded each year.
The seeds for most of the plants popular with the butterflies are available for trade or stamps from DGers. I have collected several of the seeds, so please send me a d-mail if you are interested. If you are just starting out in growing from seed, check out the 'wintersowing' forum, too. Lot's of good ideas there for starting gardens from scratch.
Looks like a great spot for a butterfly garden! Good luck with all your research! t.
Awesome! Thanks, I look forward to the seeds. :)
tabasco-my memory fails me. Please tell me I sent you a d-mail thanking you for sending the seeds. I see I did not post a thank you here and I am really hoping I did not space it by all together. I can't wait to plant the seeds!
Thanks again, Sheri
sheri, I am sure you sent a 'thank you'. And never worry about that with me, I am as spacey as anyone these days...so happy you like the seeds and butterfly gardening. t.
