We really want to attract Pipevine Swallowtails. They're extremely picky about host plants though. Has anyone had any luck attracting them to a Calico Flower (Aristolochia elegans)?
loess_roots is propagating Virginia Snake Root (Aristolochia serpentaria), which is one of their preferred host plants. He was more than happy to supply us with a sample of seeds. :) Contact him for availability for fall transplanting of rootstock.
Has Anyone Attracted Pipevine Swallowtails?
Over at MOSI in Tampa, they lay on the a. gigantea, but we move them to a. trilobata as they die on the tropical species.
Melanie
Bummer. We have an A. gigantea plant, but have yet to locate A. trilobata seeds.
I have A. fimbriata, which works fine. If you'd like seeds, let me know. I had a couple of cats that died on A. gigantea once after they were put on it. Although it apparently works okay for Polydamas cats.
I apparently had the most toxic a. gigantea known to man because mine killed every Polydamas cat I put on it. I also grow a. tomentosa, available at http://www.mailordernatives.com/ It's not big enough to support cats yet, but I have high hopes for next year.
Melanie
hey saishoku_shugi,i haven't seen any pipevines here, have you seen any?
We get hundreds at the ranch but they won't use any aristolochia except the natvie aristolochia erecta (Texas Swanflower) which is sad to say a wee plant that blends into the grass and it hard to find - for my human eyes anyway.
The butterflies find it just fine - am always seeing caterpillars, chrysalids and butterflies...but for the life of me I just can't find the plant!!! I know there must be plenty around because of all the butterflies flitting about.
I've grown a. gigantea, a. fimbriata and a. elegans but they just won't use it.
~ Cat
Cat, here they will use the A. fimbriata. When I actually had eggs this year (unusual to have any cats I didn't find at a nursery) all the eggs were laid on that. I do have a Swan Flower plant, but no eggs on it. I just don't know how cats could be raised on A. erecta only. There's just not much to it. But the cats do like to eat it.
Thanks for all of your information! We really want to attract these beauties!
Redzone, if you are familiar with Botanical Gardens on Walsingham Rd., they have four, or more, pipevines there. We also have some at our house and have seen them in other residential areas.
Mellie, I have read that Florida PVSTs are partial to A. tomentosa! Good luck attracting them next year. Thanks for the great site! :D
This message was edited Sep 27, 2008 2:33 PM
Wow, Cat, that's an amazing picture! :)
Saishoku - thanks!!! That was the first time anyone has seen a communal roost of Pipevine Swallowtails. The trees had several colonies on them - give or take about 150 butterflies between two trees. They roosted together for about two weeks then went their separate ways.
Linda...I planted several a. fimbriata around the ranch house in the hopes of getting the PVS to use it but they insist on flitting around the yard and back fields in search of that dratted a. erecta!!! I plan to keep adding more seedlings to the back pastures - perhaps eventually the females will 'taste' it and decide to use it.
Isn't it strange how the same species of butterflies will use different plants in different regions. Like our BSTs that prefer to use rue - they shy away from fennel and parsley. Go figure!!!
Oh well, so long as they keep laying eggs it's alright with me :o)
~ Cat
This year there's been no BST on ANY host plant here. Seems really strange, because I have so many kinds of those host plants. But no eggs, cats, nothing! Ususally, however, they use the fennel or parsley, rarely the Rue here.Oh, my Swan Flower at least made a seed pod this year.
Good going on the swan flower seed pod. That's about the only way I can ever find the plants in the back fields. However, even those get eaten by the hungry PVS caterpillars. Can you image that little plant sustaining a clutch of five or six eggs? Heck, one cat can eat it to the ground in a day :o)
~ Cat
Fimbrata is the host in my yard, I have a lot of it and its easy to grow and reseed. This year I only had the cats in the spring and no more after that. Seems it was that way the whole summer.
Hey just came accross this thread. A. elegans is the hoast plant for our PVS's here in St .Pete. Florida,
They seem to love it, and do very well. It reseeds for us almost a little too well but seedlings can be moved easily.
We get PVS's here all year round (except for a few of the colder weeks) we even had Cats on one vine just
last week. One of our older A. elegans vines had grown up our grapefruit tree all the way to the top a few years ago
and I think acts like a PVS beacon to them, bringing many, many into our garden. Well, it's been pretty chilly the past
few days (mid 30's) for us, and all the Tropicals...Come on Spring!!! Happy Gardening, Terry.
Lucky you rose_hip! I've grown two huge a. elegans in my yard for several years and no signs of butterfly use. I ended up removing one because it kept growing over my back fence and latching onto a utility pole - growing all the way up to the transformer - was hoping that would serve as a beacon to butterflies but no such luck. I had to cut it back several times and finally gave up and removed. Now I have little seedlings sprouting in that corner of the yard!
Was going through some old photos...and couldn't help but be amazed at how tiny this a. erecta sprout is and that the pipevine swallowtail managed to lay several eggs on it at that!
~ Cat
This message was edited Jan 24, 2009 7:06 PM
Some mama butterflies are just in denial, aren't they? But aren't we all on occasion? I've tried to grow plants that obviously didn't have a prayer after a while, but I'd just keep trying to keep them going!
Hello Ladies :)
Cat,
OMG! Bless that lady Swallowtail's heart...she found the needle in the haystack so to speak! Goodness, you should send that pic to National Geographic or something...absolutely amazing!!!
(Still looking for my chin strap...LOL)
Hmmmmmm...I was going to order the Aristolochia durior variety until I read this thread...
I can't find a place to order plants/seeds of the erecta...
But I can get the Aristolochia fimbriata, but it's not hardy to zone 5 so I'll try and get seeds and take a cutting...
Has anyone tried the A tomentosa variety?
I bought two tomentosa plants last year. They're still in pots so they're not very big. When I ran out of trilobata I tried feeding the tomentosa to my Polydamas, but they didn't eat very much of it. I didn't get any eggs on it, but they sit pretty close to the house in the shade, and I don't get many butterflies back there. This year I'm going to think about where I want to plant them, and then see what happens.
Melanie
I sowed A. trilobata seeds the end of Dec. and have just had two sprout. I've got 8 more in the tray. Pipevine seeds cannnnnnn be fussy. Hopefully these will make it and the other 8 too. Then I'll have plenty for the Bf's.
mj
This is what works out here
http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2005/09/04/watsons-dutchmans-pipe/
I've had trouble with Aristolochia seeds. I found a couple of sources on germinating one species. More tropical species probably don't need the cold stratification if stored, but not sure.
PFAF:
Aristolochia clematitis
Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn. Pre-soak stored seed for 48 hours in hand-hot water and surface sow in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 20°c[68°F]. Stored seed germinates better if it is given 3 months cold stratification at 5°c[41°F]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Division in autumn. Root cuttings in winter.
Tom Clothier: Aristolochia clematitis
Sow at 18-22ºC (64-71ºF) for 2-4 wks, move to -4 to +4ºC (24-39ºF) for 4-6 wks, move to 5-12ºC (41-53ºF) for germination.
Can Pipevine swallowtails live for summers in zone 5 then migrate south?