Hi,
I'm planning out my garden, and am trying to bunch nectar flowers together, as I've read, but I'm also trying to get some of the host plants in there too. How far away can the host plants be and still have a good affect?? What if I plant a vine on the side of my house to host, and have a bank of nectar flowers in the back yard somewhere? Or host plants on one side of the driveway (ceanthus and coffeeberry) with most of my nectar plants on the other (b bush, lavender, yarrow, etc)?? I don't want to ago to all this effort, if I should just concentrate my efforts in only one area, but if I can plant a new screen hedge (coffeeberry) and also get host plants, and it'll actually make a difference for my butterfly garden in the back, say, then great!! But if it's not going to make a difference really, because it's too far away, then there are other plants I might prefer to use as a hedge that would be faster growing, flowering, etc.-- i.e. perhaps easier in general.
Mostly, I just don't know if adult butterflies really fly all around, or if they just tend to stick to the areas around the nectar plants to lay their eggs, and that that's where I should plant my new host plants.
Thanks all. I hope your expertise can help.
Distance between host and nectar plants ....??
Steve, they will find your host plants before they'll find your nectar plants. I'm not sure how large your yard is - I live on a half acre and most of my nectar plants are in the front while the host plants are all over the place. I also volunteer at the Museum of Science and Industry where we have a large butterfly garden and raise the cats for our butterfly encounter. The plants are more spread out there because it's bigger than my house, but again, it's all mixed up.
When I go hiking at a local preserve, I am far more likely to see butterflies near their host plants. The females have to be there, and the males are looking to hook up with the females. In fact, about the only place I ever see Zebra Swallowtails is where pawpaw grows. Also, I can't remember seeing a Black ST in my yard until I planted fennel.
Most everything I've read says nectar plants are good, but if you really want to bring in the butterflies you need to plant host plants. Remember, their first priority is to reproduce and keep their species going. Food comes second. Plus, they can nectar from many, many plants (including things we often think of as weeds), but they can only lay their eggs on a very few plants. The butterflies will show up for your host plants, and the nectar plants will just be an added bonus!
And yes, most butterflies cover a large area. They may seem small, but unless you live on a ranch, the distance between your flower beds will be nothing to a butterfly. I watch them fly between the flower beds on either side of my house, then off to the corner to hit the bougainvillea, then over to my neighbor's plumbagos, etc. It sounds like you've got a good plan going!
Melanie
Melanie