How to attract Red Admirals with Host Plants??

Hi, wind! Thanks.

I ordered the sign from Monarch Watch, http://shop.monarchwatch.org/ I went through the Waystation certification program for our garden. I have to find more sunny spaces to plant a few more milkweeds, though.

I love chervil too and seldom find it in the grocery, fresh, that is.

For anyone wondering about the four vanessa butterflies found in North America here's a nice site that shows the differences. I like the article because it goes into detail about 'favorite' host plants of each.

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mariposa/species.html

I can help with some information on the Nettle, not the butterflies or cats, but the plant. I have it in the woods which is 1/2 a vacant lot next to us. I have never looked for cats in there, primarily because of raspberries, mosquitoes and nettles. Mostly mosquitoes. LOL!

I don't think it is invasive at all, and certainly not like mint , or even Chelone. The woods had formerly been lawn, but the trees were too close together for the deck of the riding lawnmower, so I made it into a woods as soon as we moved in. The nettle arrived with some wildflowers, and the pacth is bigger than it was then, but not by all that much. It doesn't really look weedy, and in a dry woods, it's short enough that "non descript" is about the worst you can say about it. UNTIL you walk into it or brush up against it. There are no thorns on it, just hairs that are no more distinguished than the rest of the plant -- just little hairs on the edges of the leaves. Just brushing up against the hairs in enough to drive you crazy with pain. The trick is to count to 60 before you touch the place where you were stung. Naturally the first thing you want to do is scratch or rub, and that is the worst thing you can do and will make the pain stick around for over an hour.

I know Plant files says this is 4-6 feet tall, but I am positive mine is shorter than 36". Mine looks just like their photos, too, but the height that is listed seems very wrong to me. I have never had it sting me anywhere but my legs and if it were that tall, I would have brushed up with my hands or arms, or face, even. Curious.

Suzy

I am going to look in the park and woods for Nettle now that I know a bit about it. I think I might have some right here in the yard. Or maybe it's thistle. Anyway it hurts like h___ when I mistakenly try to yank it.

One good thing, I was weeding out my mint and found my Echinops ritro returned this spring. I thought I had lost it. I have seen it mentioned as a host plant here and there on the internet. Now, if only my WS echinops seedlings would perk up but I think they are goners...

So, do you plant out the woods with wildflowers?

We have a woods bordering us (county parkland) that I could possibly 'help along' with some native wild flowers, but it seems so shady that I haven't tried. Will nettle grow in shade?

Do you have native milkweeds in your woods? I think there is one that will grow in shade--but maybe not 'dry' shade. (I think it's the swamp milkweed.)

The woods used to be a beautiful shade garden, but then my babies became little kids and got more demanding and we'd spend the day at the pool or museum and gradually I just quit watering it. Now it is a lot of wildflowers, ferns, shade, and anything the birds drop that will grow in shade because the soil is so wondrous. Mostly cruddy trees. It's a mess, actually. But there is a path through it and everything. Yes, Nettle is a shade plant, well, go to PFs and check, but yes, it's growing in the shade. It looks nothing like thistle. The hairs are practically invisible. It looks more like Monarda than a thistle (although it doesn't really look like Monarda). Just very bland and uninteresting.

If you get stung, just don't touch it, rub or scratch it and it goes right away. It might be 15 seconds...I forget what I was told. If you see some, clip all the foliage off and just bring the roots. I must have gotten mine in the very early spring.

I am going to have to go look for some at the local preserve.....get some good rubber gloves and transplant it. Nettle has so many good attributes in addition to being a Host plant Obviously......Thanks for the info Suzy

The most butterflies I saw at once last season was on watermelon rinds. Very messy to look at but the butterflies flocked to it! I am watching this thread trying to learn about using host plants.

Hi, bluegrassmom, We'll have to get you into this butterfly gardening thing--so much fun! In the meantime I think I'll go get some watermelon rind! Sounds like an ieffective approach to attracting butterflies..

Illoquin, Now that you describe Nettle, I'm sure I have it on the property somewhere---just have to figure out which weed it is. I'll look again at plant files.

I did see some narrow leafed plantain at the garden center (in a weed patch by a shed) so now I know what that looks like at least! Well, I just never put the name to the weed. Of course I have seen them before!

My hops vine is really taking off this spring. I understand it can be something of a thug in the garden. I have it in a kind of out of the way place, so I hope the Red Admirals can find it. From reading reports, though, it doesn't sound like Hops are the RA's favorite host plant, though...

Worked all day yesterday in the yard trying to make space for more host plants. Beautiful day to be out in the sunshine.

Tabasco, did you end up getting any Red Admirals on your hops vine? A friend of mine just gave me a rhizome and I am hoping it will be used as a host plant. I think I have a few nettles just in case the hops doesn't work out.
I'll probably end up pulling it out if it's not useful as a host plant because I need the room for stuff that is lol.

Hi, Meredith,

Yes, I did get a few red admirals, but it was not such a great summer around here for butterflies in general so I was fairly disappointed. )-:

An (online) butterfly friend of mine who lives here in Cincy area, though, does have lots of Red Admirals on her hops vine, so I think I would keep it, were I you.

She has it growing on a large 'tripod' fashioned out of long small tree limbs in her sunny butterfly garden. I think I'm going to move mine from it's quiet shady corner or try to start another from cuttings and grow it up a tree limb 'tripod' next spring so the RAs can find it more easily!

I haven't been able to keep up with all the butterfly news on DG this summer, but I hope you've been having a good year! I miss reading your posts with all your ideas and updates!

t.

Awe, I miss your posts too. I'm happy you saw this so quickly. Thank you for the encouragement : ) It always makes me more excited about planting something someone else has had success with. I just got the rhizome in the ground so we'll see if it survives. The first freeze isn't too far off here, so I'll keep my fingers crossed and mulch it well. : )

Hi, Tabasco and all---

I've been busy trying to keep up with the yard and all. I did have a lot more Eastern Swallowtails and Monarchs this past summer, but didn't see a Red Admiral this year, much to my disappointment. I moved my sweet pepperbushes (clethra) to the front side yard and that's where they usually gravitated. I didn't check that area much as I should have. It's a butterfly garden in progress. The big dancing and spttering shows were around the white butterfly bush and yarrows up front.

Funny thing hapend last night--I have some yellow Daturas just blooming. This is the first time I have grown these and I stuck my nose up to the big trumpet-shaped flower to see if they had any fragrance. Suddenly, this yellow butterfly flapped out, whipping and tickling my nose!! I must have scared the daylights out of it. I didn't even see it in here because it was as yellow as the flower!! Not sure what kind it was, but I definitely will plant those again. They obviously have something to offer butterflies.

Oh how funny! I bet it scared you almost as much as you scared it!

Hi, again, fnf, Good to know you are having some butterfly success this season! Even up your nose! (-:

I have several clethra bushes and never thought of them as butterfly fair, but I will have to keep an eye on them, too. Maybe move them to a better spot.

When I was watering my white hydrangea standard last night several white butterflies jumped out of its blossoms (I think they were cabbage BFs). Maybe the butterflies hide out in a camoflage flower when they aren't flying...

I cleaned out and cut back my BF garden this week and just left a few Milkweeds standing. End of the season for me around here, although since I cut it back I have seen several monarchs wandering about looking for my zinnias, I think.

I was going thru my seed packets last night making plans for next year. And I'm going to cruise the garden centers today looking for marked down perennials on the $1 table. Its about that time to score some bargains around here!

Happy gardening. t.