Hummingbird and Butterfly Garden Plant Lists with Invasives?

Tabasco-
I have this digitalis all over: sun, part shade and shade. I think that it actually does best for me in sun or part sun but it blooms in shade. The deer do not like it at all. Remind me and I'll send some out to those who want it later this summer.

Question. Have you (or anyone else) ever made a butterfly puddle? The butterflies seem to really like the graden after I have watered. Swallowtails and monarchs. I would like to get some advice on how to set up a more permanent water feature for them if you think they would like it.

I love to see the unusual butterflies too. I especially love commas. I would what they eat?

ROX

ROX--here's an interesting thread about Butterfly puddles--

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/452280/

I haven't made a 'formal' butterfly puddle, but I do have a big sunny rock where I place soft bananas and sometimes I put out watermelon flavored gatorade that they seem to love (a lot) in a makeshift bird bath arrangement. I am going to mix up a potion today and see what action I get. (I noticed my milkweed tuberosa is blooming, too.)


And here's a very good website about Butterflies of Washington County, Ohio (around Marietta, I think) that lists local species. http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/butter/butter.html that are probably visiting most gardens in the ORV.

It says that Eastern Commas like nettles, hops and elm. (I don't have any of those in my yard.)

Hello, again, everyone!

I spent some time this afternoon out in the garden trying to identify several butterflies and came in to google around for them and this thread came up!

So I read through it and of course wondered how everyone's butterfly gardens were doing and if you've had any visitors?

Please let us know what is going on in your garden! I am interested particularly in the swallowtails (and of course Monarchs).

When I googled the new Holden Butterfly Garden in the Arboretum at Kirtland, Ohio came up too. Looks very interesting.

http://www.lakevisit.com/articles/articles_05.html

And the butterfly exhibit at the Franklin Park and Conservatory in Columbus is going on this month. I visited last week and it was fascinating.

http://www.ourohio.org/misc/html_misc/feat_arch/2006/fe_06_08_06.php


This message was edited Aug 1, 2006 5:14 PM

The verbena bonariensis seems to be the big hit with the Monarchs this month.
The swallowtails (sometimes more than 8 at once) tend to swarm the butterly bush.
Also have lots of Great Spangled Fritillary.
ROX

Hi, Rox--

Eight swallowtails at once is pretty spectacular! You must have some very attractive host plants nearby?! Willows? Parslies? Let's see, what else?

Yes, I may as well have just planted my verbena bonarienses and forgotten all the other flowers! Even my 4 buddleias seem to be ignored but the BFs love that verbena. (I wonder if I have the buddleia hybrids known to have no nectar).

I haven't seen any monarchs resting on my milkweeds---just in flight in the yard.

I went to the library yesterday and checked out 4 butterfly books and ordered 2 others on Monarch migration. I am teaching myself how to do butterfly counts and trying to memorize the different varieties. Not easy (for me).

The Ohio Lepidopterist site has some good ID information but Marietta College has a better BF ID site

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/butter/butter.html

http://www.ohiolepidopterists.org/bflymonitoring/species/photos.htm

I guess we all missed doing the NABA Fourth of July Butterfly Count. Something Lepidopterists do all over the country http://biology.usgs.gov/s+t/noframe/f070.htm. it seems.

You must be busy checking for eggs and cats? Any luck?

Have fun. t.

T-
No willows. The neighbor has some parsley but I bet it is the Queen Anne's Lace that attracts them! Across the street there is an entire field of it.

No eggs or cats yet.

After your research, I'd be interested to know what BF you are seeing in your garden. I wonder if you get anything we don't. One of the rarest BF for me is the Zebra swallowtail. I see just a handful all season.

ROX

Rox

Speaking of rare butterflies--do you know about a recently discovered Swallowtail called the Appalachian Swallowtail that was found down in the Smoky Mountain area around 2002 but now they believe some have been found in the Shawnee State Park here in Ohio?--

Anyway, I think you may be in a good 'Appalachian Swallowtail' hunting area and you may want to keep an eye out for them. They are similar to Eastern Tiger Swallowtails but much larger. Other than that they don't know a lot about them--they think the larval host plant might be cimifuga--but the experts aren't agreeing on that though.

Here is a link for them http://www.rlephoto.com/butterflies/swallowtail_at01.html

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/07_06/07_12_06/out_swallowtails.html

It would be very cool to 'discover' one in your Ohio 'yarden'!

No. I've never heard of them.
That would be a find! Guess I need to look for a large male in the Spring amongst the smaller Eastern swallowtail.

My husband is always looking for herps (reptiles and amphibians) in counties where they haven't been recorded before. Now I can look for these! I also like to find unusual wildflowers. Mostly rarer plants or interesting mutants. This year I found a few: Clematis viorna and an oddly colored honeysuckle.

ROX

Hi, ORVers--

Now that the butterfly season is getting into full swing, I wanted to bump up this thread and add this catalog from Envirotech, native plant growers in Somerset, Ohio, who are offering some of their inventory at sale prices now.

http://www.envirotechcon.com/Catolg%202007.pdf

Envirotech is located about 1 hour east of Columbus and does not have regular retail hours, but you can call for an appointment to visit. And please call or e-mail them for up to date inventories and how to take delivery on your order.

Their regular Fall Sale is September 9, 2007. Again call to confirm and for details.

http://www.envirotechcon.com/nursery1.html

If anyone places an order, I would love some asclepias tuberosa.
Thanks, ROX

rox --

I never purchased any asclepias tuberosa, but I noticed the A. tuberosa plants in the park have seeds ready to harvest and I will get you some if you want them....

Just let me know... t.

T, Yes please!
ROX

OK d-mail me your address.

Just wondering how everyone's butterfly gardens are progressing??

Mine has matured quite a bit since I first posted this thread. And I have really gotten into the native nectar and host plants, shrubs and trees as much as I can. It makes for a rather 'easy maintenance' garden (if you don't mind a 'natural' look. I have my natives in the back yard along the woods so that garden patch blends right in.

I do have lots of Swamp Milkweed coming into bloom this week and I planted about 30 new Tropical Milkweeds (not native). I have some Purple Milkweeds coming back, too, I think/hope.

Last year (2010) we had a bumper crop of butterflies...it seems like it was a good year for almost every butterfly gardener in our region. This year our butterflies have been very sparse, but the season is still young.

Is anyone else in the ORV planting for the butterflies?? And what are you growing for them? Any favorites?

Judy, you need to send me a list of the most popular plants so I can start collecting seeds and making plans for next year. ;)

Chele, I will go thru my Prairie Moon seed packets and make a list. So many of those are natives (or near natives) to our region. http://www.prairiemoon.com/

One you absolutely must plant is Liatris Ligulistylus which the Monarchs go crazy for. But this plant is rare in the nursery trade and a little challenging to grow from seed~~cold stratification and long perennial maturing process, etc. It is beginning to be offered by Native Plant Societies and a very few select nurseries:

http://www.wildflowerfarm.com/index.php?p=product&id=78&parent=1

I will be interested to hear what are favorites in other ORVers gardens...

p.s. How are my sunflowers doing...?

Thanks Judy. I'll wait to hear more!

The Russian sunflowers are about 8" tall now and the Tithonia is about 4" tall. Both are in 4" pots and ready for you. :)

We're seeing a lot of Silver-spotted Skippers and a few Hackberry Emperors.

We're actually planting for Butterflies and Dragonflies.
The DF's love perches about 3' over the pond and lily pads to sit and bask on.

Judy you have to get together w/ our neighbor Eric.
He's heavily into native butterfly attractors.
He has, I think, 8 different Milkweeds.
According to him, thru the spotters he runs w/, the Medium Purple Butterfly Bushes seem to do the best attracting.
The deeper Purples and Pinks do OK but will be passed up for the plain old heirloom one.
Seems to be what we see here.

We have a GIANT Salvia that is doing great on the Fall Butterfly and Bombus tour.
They don't even start to bloom until late September..... so w/ most of their food source gone you get concentrations of Butterflies especially Skippers.

Having, well had, good lick last year w/ over ripe bananas in the Muddling bowl.
Really draws the Admirals and other sap eating BF's.
Not pretty but....lol!

Autumn Joy/Matrona mix last August, early in the morning. Most of my yard was planted so that I could attract hummers and butterflies. I've been trying to fine-tune it over the years. This year I've started a new bed just for different varieties of milkweed with both seeds and plants; I'm hoping that in a few years time I'll have a butterfly nursery.

Ric, I've never grown anything specifically for dragonflies. They're my favorite - is there a list somewhere I can access for certain attracting plants?

I've never had to do anything to attract dragonflies, other than providing a water source. The breed in the bog and we always have a lot of them.

Just came across this...a great host plant for Black Swallowtail Butterflies is fennel. I have l Bronze Fennel that I have had one for 3 years and the kids love seeing all the caterpillars on it! I planted 6 more this year I like it so much.

Same here, Chele..I just didn't know if there were certain plants that attracted them more than others. They're all over by our pond and I love to watch them.

I have some great photos of different ones on my facebook account. Last year or the year before, they really went nuts for my Kniphofia. :)

Yes, today was one of our first good butterfly days of the season: Monarchs (2), e.t swallowtails, zebra swallowtails, pipevine swallowtail, hackberries, silver spotted skippers, etc. etc. With all the rain this spring the butterflies haven't had much of a chance to show themselves around here before today. The hummingbirds are out in force today, too.

We have a wide array of host plants for the various butterflies in our yard. But we're always adding more.

One of the biggest nectar plants for Ohio butterflies is said to be Verbena bonarienses and I have to agree with that. Although today the fritillaries are really going for the pink monardas.

I'm intrigued that your rotten banana got some action, ric. I have not been able to generate any interest to speak of in fruity stuff. I do have a composted manure pile that is getting a little interest.

Wow! I used to have V. bonariensis all over my previous gardens. Maybe I should grow that again. It's a nice plant and easily removed when it self seeds.

Got some Killer shots of a Zebra today.
Their single caterpillar food is Paw Paw Trees.

Dragonflies actually do need a few plants to get the best use of a small pond or water feature.
Obviously mature farm or acre sized ponds will usually do well on their own.

But for smaller 'yard' ponds some need soft tissue bog plants to lay their eggs.
Underwater hiding places for their Nymphs.
Then landing pads for the Naiads/Nymphs.
Also perches... they love perches.

http://sagebug.com/howto/dragonflies.html
http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Outdoor-Activities/Garden-for-Wildlife/Gardening-Tips/Attracting-Dragonflies.aspx
http://www.ehow.com/info_8536757_dragonfly-attracting-plants.html

Here's a Fragile Forktail and to the right a Naiad....

What kind of moth/butterfly looks like a chunk of bird poop? LOL Jazzi just found one. You really would think it was bird poop unless you saw the two appendages sticking out but they lay on the ground? It flew off.

Hmmm.... not familiar w/ that one.
Many Caterpillars, especially Swallowtails look like bird poop when young though.

I guess if we sit it/one again, I'll have to get a photo. It was rather odd!

Pearly Wood Nymph Moth, Eudryas unio?

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Eudryas-unio

LOL Ric! If that is not it, it's darn close. Totally laughing that you could find a moth based on a bird poop description.

Search
"Bird poop" moth ohio
Then you have to get fancy to get the real name...LOL!

Yeah. Sure. LOL

The site I linked to is a great resource.
I've been adding sightings there for a few weeks.
They have an amazing Database.

I'd love to contribute as they are bountiful here but I barely have time to do the other stuff I should be doing. sigh. We have massive critters here. Nolan loves them!

The nice thing about all these fields of Joe Pye weed and Solidago and various forms of milkweed and then some!

Henry thought you might like this.
Herman

Nice find Herman!
I think it's a Royal Walnut Moth but I've never seen one that pale. Did you get a top (dorsal) shot?

I thought cecropia but it was under a walnut. I found a big pupa under another walnut last fall.

Yep definitely a Royal Walnut. EXCELLENT find!