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Feeding the Life Cycle of Gulf Coast Butterflies

[st_spacer id_wrapper=”elm_594054a5bf2ae” ][/st_spacer][st_spacer id_wrapper=”elm_594054a5cdcf8″ ][/st_spacer][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a6143c0″ ][st_column span=”span12″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a60f5ac” ][st_heading el_title=”Notes by Bill Finch” normal_font_size=”24″ wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” div_margin_top=”5″ div_margin_left=”” div_margin_bottom=”25″ div_margin_right=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054a5eff8d” ]Notes by Bill Finch[/st_heading][st_text el_title=”Butterfly blurb” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054a60a799″ ]You’ve got to feed the young’uns if you want the adults (and they often need very different plants)

The young eat the leaves, the adults sip from flowers. Often, these are different plants. But adults spend much of their time looking for a place to lay their eggs, so providing a place for caterpillars to forage is sure to attract adults butterflies in good numbers.[/st_text][/st_column][/st_row][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a673667″ ][st_column span=”span8″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a6513d6″ ][st_text el_title=”Timing of flowers blurb” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054a64c5be” ]What good does it do to have a “butterfly flowers” if no butterflies are around to partake?

Time your flowers to take advantage of the butterfly outbreak: Flowers in spring are nice, but the big butterfly season begins in late summer and in autumn.

Many butterfly plants you read about in books don’t live very well in our climate — buddleia, for example — but even if they do, they often aren’t blooming during the peak butterfly season.

Spring butterflies (before April 15) tend to be a little specialized (Falcate orangetips) and may focus on one type of plant that isn’t necessarily all that showy, like mustards. So your vegetable garden may attract more butterflies than a conventional butterfly garden.

American Summer butterflies (April 15 through June 15) become more widespread and diverse, and the common “butterfly plants” are often in full bloom, but I see fewer butterflies in gardens, maybe because the butterflies that are around are dispersing and have plenty to chew on elsewhere

Gulf Summer butterflies (June 14 through August 15) – this is when the big butterflies becomes really noticeable, particularly swallowtails. This is a great time to have butterfly attractants in the garden, but sadly, few of us do (the butterfly plants from Boston have long since quit blooming!)

Hurricane Summer and Fall butterflies (Aug 15 through Nov. 1) – this is the really big season for butterflies, and the time when you want to have plenty of flowers and foliage for them to feed on.[/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span4″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a66e856″ ][st_text el_title=”Butterfly picture and caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054a669a40″ ]

Fiery Skipper caterpillars are hosted by various grasses, such as Bermuda Grass, Crab grass and St Augustine grass
Fiery Skipper caterpillars are hosted by various grasses, such as Bermuda Grass, Crab grass and St Augustine grass

[/st_text][/st_column][/st_row][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a69f52d” ][st_column span=”span12″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a69a718″ ][st_text el_title=”Not flowers and mudholes blurb” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054a695902″ ]Some of the best butterfly plants are NOT “flowers.”

They’re often trees and shrubs and vines, some of which don’t produce conspicuous flowers at all.
Oaks, hickories, hackberries, red bay trees, sassafras, spicebush, black cberries, sweetbay magnolia, tulip poplar, white cedars, red cedars, paw paws, passionflowers,: These are among the very best butterfly host plants, but all of them are shrubs, trees or big-climbing vines that butterflies choose to lay their eggs and caterpillars will eat.

Butterflies have a dirty secret: They love mud almost as much as they love cow patties and rotten fruit.

Many people worry about providing water to butterflies. But truthfully, butterflies seem to like to drink from mudholes. Wouldn’t hurt to have a little wallow in your yard. Butterflies are attracted to rotting vegetables and fruits almost as much as flies are.[/st_text][/st_column][/st_row][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a6e887b” ][st_column span=”span7″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a6c65e2″ ][st_text el_title=”Small flowers blurb” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054a6c17c7″ ]Plants with clusters of small flowers are often the most attractive to mature butterflies

With only a few exceptions, butterflies have short tongues, and that means they don’t like “deep” flowers (the kind of flowers that moths love). Butterfly flowers: Tend to be small and in clusters. Doesn’t mean they aren’t showy: they often are. Composites like wild sunflowers, black-eyed susans, eupatoriums, and others make good butterfly flowers, because each “flower” is actually dozens or hundreds of flowers packed together.[/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span5″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a6e3a64″ ][st_text el_title=”Gulf Fritillary photo and caption ” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054a6dec4f” ]

Feeding Butterflies post
Gulf Fritillary feasting on Lantana. Photo by Patricia Pierce

[/st_text][/st_column][/st_row][st_row gradient_color=”0% #FFFFFF,100% #000000″ gradient_direction=”vertical” img_repeat=”full” 1=”video_url_mp4″ autoplay=”yes” child_of=”none” div_padding_top=”10″ div_padding_bottom=”10″ div_padding_right=”10″ div_padding_left=”10″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a73b3e5″ ][st_column span=”span7″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a71b6ed” ][st_text el_title=”Host Plants” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054a7168d2″ ]Some Host Plants for Butterfly Larva

Plants in the citrus/rue family (Rutaceae): Giant Swallowtail and Schaus Swallowtail

Carrot family (including parsley, dill, Queen Anne’ Lace etc) Eastern Black Swallowtail

Laurel family (including Spicebush – Lindera benzoin, Tulip Tree – Liriodendron tulipifera, Sweet Bay – Magnolia viriniana, etc): Spicebush and Palamedea Swallowtails

Pawpaws (Asimina species): Zebra Swallowtail

Pipevines ( Aristolochia species): Pipevine Swallowtail

Passionflowers (Passiflora species): Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwing

Blueberries: Hairstreak butterflies

Pea family : Many Sulfur butterflies (Cloudless sulfurs need partridge pea, Southern Dogfacemay prefer swamp lead plant –Amorpha)

Mistletoe: Giant Purple Hairstreak

Sorrels and docks: Copper butterflies

False nettle, American ramie (Boehmeria) :Red Admirals, Commas, Question Marks

Willows: Viceroy

Asclepias (milkweed species):Monarch Butterfly

Hackberries (Celtis species): Emperor Butterfly

Thistles: Painted Lady

Figwort (false foxglove) and acanthaceae (ruellia, justicia, thunbergia, acanthus): Buckeye and Checkerspot butterflies

Asters (New England aster): Pearl Crescent

Crotons: Goatwing butterflies

Bamboo cane: Southern Pearly Eye and Creole Pearly Eye

White cedars (Junipers): Hessel’s Hairstreak

Red cedars: Juniper Hairstreak

Spring mustards: Falcate Orangetip


Resource Pages for more details

The Butterfly Site LIst of Butterflies in Alabama

University of Florida Search on Butterfly

GENERAL

Sarracenias: One of the best plants for attracting mature butterflies

Mints

Composites (tickseeds, sunflowers, asters, thoroughworts, eupatorium, mistflower, goldenrods and many others)

Many legumes

Coral hairstreaks flight coincides with butterfly milkweed

Cloudless sulfurs steal from hummingbird flowers but young need partridge pea[/st_text][/st_column][st_column span=”span5″ id_wrapper=”elm_594054a7365ce” ][st_text el_title=”Butterfly photo and caption” wrapper_padding_top=”0″ wrapper_padding_left=”0″ wrapper_padding_bottom=”0″ wrapper_padding_right=”0″ wrapper_bg_opacity_slider=”” id_wrapper=”elm_594054a7317b5″ ]

Butterfly food post
Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly. Photo by Patricia Pierce
Butterfly food post
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Photo by Patricia Pierce

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