Hello Everyone,
I started gardening a few years ago and I started with some flowers that my DD loved and soon we had butterflies (on the ones that she didn't pick first:). We have continued the garden with flowers that attract butterflies along with a small water feature. Now we are wanting to do more. We meaning mainly me because she is 5.
So I want to start with some host plants. Any ideas. I see from the internet that milkweed and herbs seem to be popular. I have never grown herbs before. I thought about starting with some Dill, Fennel and Parsley. I use these alot so I thought what the heck. If I do not have caterpillers at least I could use them! :)
Thoughts?
Newbie..Need help with Host Plants.
Yes, Milkweed is a very good plant. its the only plant Monarchs and Queens will lay eggs on. I had several eggs this past month, but sadly, I think she laid a few blanks and the one that did hatch, was eaten. But they love them.
Are they easy to grow? Do they have a tendency to overtake? I read butterfly weed is in the same family but noone at my rinky dink nursery's seem to know what they are. They seem to refer me to a butterfly bush. If they are easy.. I saw another post where you can get them for a donation fo the monarchs.
yes, they are very easy to grow and arent invasive if you clip blooms before they set seed. Or you can collect the seed yourself and plant where you want.
you can get free seeds for SASE at www.livemonarch.org as well as purchase plants at very reasonable prices.
Could I suggest that you check the first thread at the top of the forum (with the sticky). There are info listed about things, including host plants. You never know. Sometimes you might find that you already have a host plant or two. For instance, I already had ash trees and black cherry trees on my property before I got into butterflies and they are host plants for certain butterfly species.
I will look at that posting. Any help would be great! :)
Be careful lars--this is very addictive! The next thing you know, you'll be raising caterpillars :-} I got started with a butterfly/hummingbird bed and now I'm knee deep in the whole process! It's a very special experience to set a butterfly free off the end of your fingers.
Oh I can see the addiction. I started with a few flowers that my daughter picked out. I noticed a lot of butterflies and I was just amazed. I added some more and more butterflies. I saw a decrease in butterflies last year I ordered even more butterfly plants this year and while surfing I realized I could use a host plant. I need to have my butterflies back!!!!! LOL :)
The search lead me to this site and I am loving it already~
Last year a lot of folks didn't have as many butterflies as usual, including me. I also planted more BF flowers and several host plants this year in hopes of attracting more BF's. I'm encouraged because I've seen lot's more BF's at our deer camp this year. I never realized how many enemies they have until I got to reading about it on here. That got me interested in bringing them inside to raise so I can enjoy more of them. I used plastic containers to raise them in last year but hubby was pretty fascinated with watching the process so he's supposed to build me a cage this year :-}
Im too scared to try and raise them. I keep thinking somehow Ill screw it up and end uop killing them off instead of helping them grow.
Look at it this way cue--we will all suffer some losses when we attempt to raise BF's but if we leave them outside, they are subject to being eaten by birds and various insects. They are also subject to having certain types of wasps inject their eggs into them and when they hatch, they will eat the caterpillar from the inside out--YUCK! I think they have a much better chance of survival if we raise them. And if you run into problems, there are some real experts on here who will be quick to answer your questions. Also, have you read the sticky at the top of this forum? Lot's of helpful info to get you started. If you try it, I can almost bet you'll be hooked :-}
LOL, thats what Im afraid of.. becoming hooked...ROTFL
I hope I get more. I was so drawn to them. They are so peaceful!
I think I will go slowly and get the host plants to help them then we will see about the raising indoors.
You're right! If you don't have enough host plants to feed them, they won't do well either way!
You might try concentrating on one or two species that frequent your area at first. I don't take in the Gulf Fritilliarys because they seem to do quite well on their own. Maybe because the vines give them a lot of protection from preditators. I mainly do the Black & Great Swallowtails in the spring and summer and Monarchs in the fall. I have a lot of other's host plants in the garden but just don't bring them inside (yet)!
I plant a lot of parsley each year because of its being host for Swallowtails. And, normally, the little caterpillars eat me out of it! LOL Each year I end up planting more and more parsley. We have lots of other plants, too, as I try to plant anything and everything that might attract butterflies and birds, but the parsley is something that I really work at having enough of.
Wingsandblooms, do you grow your parsley from seed? I'm trying that this year because every year my store bought parsley plants seem to poop out in early June, and what doesn't die gets eaten by the BST cats (which is fine because that's why I grow it). There always ends up not being enough, and I wondered if I should try succession planting with it? Is that what you do? This year I'm growing fennel and lots of dill too, and rue. Sounds like I'm set for a good butterfly summer, but with the heat and maybe another drought problem, who knows? We'll hope!!!! I LOVE my butterflies, Lars you are SO right, they are gentle and peaceful, and they kind of make the world go away when you're out there in the garden.
thea....
Your heat couldn't be worse than in TX. I have parsley in a semi-shady spot, and it is about three foot tall and going to seed now. I planted it last spring and it stays green even in the winter here. Your winters may be too harsh for it though.
I am planting some parsley, dill & fennel.. I started the parsley from seeds. It's going.. Not so sure how well! LOL.. My husband is building me two raised gardens with a walk way through by my house for mother's day. They are going to be herb and veggie gardens. While researching I found those herbs are used as host plants. I thought what the heck... Might as well try it. It will be away from the actual garden some. So if the cats eat the leaves it will not be noticable. I am soo hoping my butterflys will love my garden this year. I am not sure though I am doing my best to keep the dang slugs off my bee balms and newbie plants. Fixing to go out shortly and put some more beer out.
I am also looking into making them a puddling thingee. :)
Sheila, you're right, I think semi-shady is the key. The plants I had out in the full, brutal all day sun were the ones that dried up early. I tried a few in semi-shade and they didn't do well at first but then bounced back and thrived. Do you have BST cats on yours right now? As soon as I saw some BST's flitting around, I stopped snipping parsley for our salads; it's all theirs now!
I don't eat or use it for cooking, feel a bit quilty that I don't make use of it. I did clip off most of the seed tops and put them inside for a while before throwning them away. Just in case there were some eggs laid on them, but it has been three days now and nothing!! We have had about a week of rain now and finally today the sun was shinning. I don't have any cats yet and I am pretty bummed about it. I planted the Italian flat leaf last summer and I am thinking that is not one they like! I have a big crop of it and they laid eggs on some of it last year. I haven't seen any BST bfs either though. I think I am going to plant some of the curly leaf and dill to make sure I don't miss them entirely.
Hi, Everyone -
To answer thea611- no, I have never grown my parsley from seed - I tend to get a late start on it each year, so I always buy well-started plants (usually from Lowe's or somewhere). But I have begun thinking that I may start it from seed for next year. But, no, there is never enough - no matter how much more I plant each year, it is always eaten up! Where my little herb garden is sort of just gets mid-day sun. It is at the back side of the house so the house shades it from the morning sun. Then it gets the mid-day sun, but for afternoon, the sun goes more behind several large pecan trees and so I guess it hardly ever gets more than about 3-4 hours of full sun each day - probably from about 11 am or so through about 2-3 pm. It is all growing in pots, though, so I do have to watch it to make sure it's not drying out and water it more often. I have 2 large rosemarys and some lavender and various mints in this garden also along with some salvias and some basil. But most everything does well perennially except that I do have to replant the parsley every year. I'm not sure whether winter gets it or whether it just does not survive after the cats get through with it! LOL
In reading my "encyclopedia of herbs", I do see that parsley is not supposed to be perennial in my zone 8 (b, I think). It shows it as hardy to zone 9. So I guess the winters do kill it. The book says it will go to seed fairly quickly, so making more than one planting or planting in succession would be an answer to that. But the only reason I have been planting it so far is for the BST cats. But plants are getting more and more expensive so I may have to start from seed to be able to afford to keep up with the appetites the cats have!
My first year with BST cats I had to purchase some from grocery stores to have enough. I floated it in a bowl and washed it really well. Also made sure to keep it in a zip lock with a moist paper towel. It does last quite a while for a small investment. I don't think any died because of it; but I made sure to plant more the next year.
Is it too late to plant parsley from seed now? I am in 7b....... would love to attract some swallowtails!
I have no idea if parsley could be started from seed now. But Italian Parsley does fine as far as surviving over the winter here. They seem happier in winter than our hot summers.
I have some parsley that DID come back from last year, and it's thriving, but it's getting ready to go to seed already, and I'm not seeing any eggs or cats on it!!!! The butterflies here seem to be getting a slow start. I'm seeing some Gulf and/or Variegated Frit cats on my passionvines though. But still not many butterflies flitting around my gardens yet....
I believe that parsley is a biennial. Usually goes to seed the second year.