I've got a question??

For two days there has been a Swallowtail here and it won't land and I want to take it's photo.. I ran inside and took out 5 three gallon pots of aristolochia plants and it hasn't found them. I've been running around the yard lol trying to catch up to it.

How do you all get them to land and are they afraid of you?

How about some nectar flowers? Do you have any of those?

They are quite flighty and don't seem to want to settle down too long for a photo...

Hi tabasco,

Well, I've started some a couple of weeks ago, so they are seedlings yet. hopefully the surrounding alfalpha fields will keep them around till I grow some milkweeds.

What kind of swallowtail? Do you know? As for nectar plants, if I don't have any blooming yet in my yard, I pick up 6-packs of cheap nectar plants (the last ones I got were some petunias) at a nursery to keep the butterflies happy until the ones I already have or have started from seed/cuttings bloom.

Also I usually see a pair, flying around flirting with each other, before the female takes any interest in my pipevine.  If you are only seeing one then I don't think it is ready to lay eggs.  Assuming it was a female.  Maybe you had a boy fly thru checking to see if there were any available females around your aristolochia plants. Those randy boys ;-)

I don't know what type it was, it was black with yellow.. this is the photo I got after all that running around.

I cropped it, maybe you can see it better... lol. I'm going to get a photo if it kills me.. someday..

I'll go to Lowes this weekend and get some nectar plants..

Those large swallowtails are very hard to photograph. Our secret here on this forum ...

Raise them from baby cats and when you get ready to release them, pose them on a pretty plant and shoot a photo before they fly off. That's how I get most of my good photos! LOL!

Depending on what kind of swallowtail ... it's host plant could be parsley or dill or fennel or rue - Black Swallowtail or Giant Swallowtail. Pawpaw - Tiger Swallowtail, Spice bush - Spicebush Swallowtail, Pipevines - Pipevine swallowtails. I know there are other swallowtails I just can't remember them. Help me out here everyone.

Some of the swallowtail caterpillars eat only a particular plant, but others eat several different plants. You need to entice them to lay their eggs. Trust me ... plant it and they WILL come!!!

And most of the butterflies do come for nectar ... lots and lots of flowers are nectar plants. My butterflies love Porterweed (purple), lantana, zinnias, Mexican Flame vine, etc. You will need a mix of both host and nectar plants to bring them in to land.

Thanks Becky,

Most of the seeds you sent me have germinated and I ordered several others, but don't know if they will attract bees or butterflies ..

I haven't planted the zinnias and I have a Mexican Flame vine and about three passionvine plants too.

Gourd, sounds like you are well on your way to a great BF garden! Can't wait to see the pics later on!

From the looks of it I'd say you either have a Black ST or a Palamedes ST. It can be hard getting photos of them. I usually catch the swallowtails when they're on my plumbagos. I've also seen the Palamedes on the ground in my backyard sunning itself. About the only way you'll get them to stop is to tempt them with nectar plants.

Melanie

G, how exciting it's to see those butterflies this early in our zones. Yep, we're in the same zone, believe it or not. That gives me so much hope to once again see those butterflies in my garden. I can picture you running around with your camera as I would have, lol.

Becky, Melanie, and G. too, have you any tips on how to grow pipevine seeds? I've a few pods and I am about to break them open and try to sow the seeds. Please help.
Kim

"Seed Germination Database" has this about starting Aristolochia clematitis (is that your kind of pipevine?):

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.

Another site said to give it a cold water soak for 48 hours before you sow the seed...
and it's about 7 to 14 days to germination...but I've heard it can take longer...

That info doesn't really help, much, does it!?

Mine haven't germinated yet and it's been about 2 weeks...

Oh, and here's yet another suggestion for germination of aristolochias:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=70961

This message was edited Mar 1, 2008 6:03 PM

Yeah, it can sometimes be quite a few months after you plant them....and not too many of them germinate. I read something recently about planting fresh seed. Anyone try that? It's very discouraging when it takes a long time! I have some A. watsonii I really wanted to germinate...it's too late for that method, but maybe next time I have aristolochia seeds.

Thanks all, Linda, if I have any success, I'll have extra for SASBE. If you're interested. My garden center carries this vines by the flats every other year. I hope they'll have some if my attempt fails. Keep touch, I'll let you know.
Kim

Lily-- if you buy a vine you can start them from cuttings. That's one of the recommended ways for propagation of aristolochias...

tabasco; I've tried them in the past, with broken vines. They were challenging to say the least. Should I try again with the cuttings method. I'm going to use hormone to help rooting. Thanks for the tips.
Kim

I took cuttings of my pipevine about three weeks ago and potted them up using rooting hormone. Of the 8 cuttings, 2 are doing really well with new full leaves ( these are actually Becky's, she must have good karma) four look like they have a little new growth and 2 turned black. Try the rooting hormone.

Trudi, did you have the cutting nodal, or internodal cut? I appreciate the tip. Sorry Gourd, I didn't mean to hijack your thread.

I haven't seen one butterfly here in my garden as everything a budding out. But I walked out in the garden and came home today with a ladybug crawling on my shirt. Also, I've seen moths on the windows. I'm so thrilled. :-)

Oh, it is alright with me, hijacking is good.....

I have not been able to root cuttings of this either.. and I've tried at least 50 cuttings. Some with and some without rooting powder. They seem to be very picky. Now the seeds I've done really well with, just moisten your soilless mix and put that into a cup, then just lay the seeds on top of the soil, maybe just sprinkle a little bit of soil on top, and I use seran wrap to seal the cup and put that under lights and on a heat mat.

Ah, the heat mat! I've one and was awaiting for the right type of seeds to use it. Here are my brugmansia's seeds. These don't require any heat mat, or they will ruin the seeds otherwise. Thank Gourd.
Kim

A heating mat? What's that? ;-)
Ok Lily, I believe it is the internodal cut. Basically I removed all leaves, planted 1 or 2 nodes and left one out to sprout new growth. The ones that are doing the best, had all leaves removed, the ones that are doing so-so, I had left a little green on. I need to be more scientific next time. Ok, I confess, basically I cut pieces about 5 inches long and stuck them in the dirt.

Thanks Trudi3, currently I've overwintered an 'elegan' pipevine, I'm going to try a couple cuttings with your method, and will see how they turn out. I'm looking forward to see some of the butterfly that visit this vines. Thank you all once again.
Happy gardening.
Kim

I got three six packs of petunias a couple of hours ago, but it is so windy outside, I'll put them out tomorrow. Man, I didn't know which was a petunia or which were pansies.. I have never grown these before. I had the wrong ones at first. And...

one of the aristolochia plants has three buds on it.. they have been inside all winter though.

Lily, let us know it goes with the rooting... and good luck.

I got serpenia this past fall, I don't know if it will come up though, I stuck them in pots and they stayed outside for the winter, hopefully they did not rott or die..

A.

I have not tried this but saved the recipe to try this summer. I found it on one of the forums. This might work for what you want.
Kathy

Butterfly bait
from a post by TexasPuddyPrint, Edinburg,TX:

Will let you in on a secret we use down here - we use Butterfly Bait to attract the fruit feasters. We find a large variety of butterflies eating at bait stations - Blomfield Beauty, Gray Cracker, Guatemalan Cracker, an assortment of Leafwings, Question Marks, Hackberrys, Emperors, Blue Waves, Red Rims, Band Cell Sisters, Red Admirals, Banners, Malachites, Satyrs...oh, I can't remember them all...but the stuff really pulls them in.

The mix is simple: Mash a few pounds of ripe bananas, a pound of brown sugar and 1 bottle of Guiness Stout beer. Just put everything in a blender and mix it up. Use it fresh or let it ferment in an old milk jug for several weeks to a year! I keep a gallon of it in my south Texas garage (temperature warm up in there!) and open the lid every couple of days or to vent it so it won't explode. As I use it I mix up a new batch and add it to the jug.

I have several pieces of firewood (with bark) hanging from my trees. I used a saw to cut out some grooves into it so the butt-bait will stay put and run off. Many of the folks out at the butterfly gardens just pour it on old tree stumps or fence posts.

Unfortunately, any fruity bait attracts wild animals around here. They love it...but I don't want to attract them.

Linda, they come to the bait so fast if they are in the area. Maybe only put it out on a small piece of bark during the day when you are working in the yard. Take it back in at the end of the day and put it in a ziplock and drop it in the freezer. It is too cool to pass up trying.
Gourd, not sure about your area, or what ST you have visiting in your yard, but mine like the Lantana, Salvia, and Phlox for nectar.
This TST was at the Botanical Gardens last year and with a choice of all sorts of flowers, it chose the Phlox.

Gourd,
You may already know this but I will share just in case you don't. I love going out to take wildlife pictures and have chased MANY butterflies. I discovered that if it's windy, I might as well not waste my time. Like other wild critters, they are very skittish if the wind is too high. Warm, calm days are best for butterfly pictures and you don't have to chase nearly as long and hard. And (at least out in the woods) they love to hang around mud puddles and creeks for their puddling sessions (around 10 a.m. when the sun is warming things up seems to be a favorite time). Do you have a muddy area for them in your butterfly bed?

Oh boy, thank you for the recipe and the mud puddling information. Also, NatureLover1950, I can hardly wait till it gets warm here, it gets very windy too, so, I will forget those days..lol. I need to make an area for mud puddles.

I took my 8-year-old granddaughter out for a trip in the woods with our cameras just this last Saturday. I wish I could have had a camcorder with me to capture her chasing a butterfly down the road with her little digital camera out in front of her the whole time. It was quite windy and the BF wasn't at all cooperative. She chased it for quite a ways before I convinced her to give it up. I had to promise to take her back on a better day.

I'm so glad you mentioned the brew. I finally got around to making some this weekend. I didn't see any Guinness Stout at the store, but they had this Double Chocolate Stout and I figured the butterflies might like a little sweet with their beer. I'll probably set it out this weekend and I'll let you know what it attracts.

I don't really see butterflies puddling too much around here, and I can't recall seeing a group of them puddling. The last time I saw a puddling party was a bunch of sulphurs when I was up in West Virginia. I remember my grandpa saying, "A horse must have peed there." Gotta love that good old country wisdom.

"A horse must have peed there."

oh too funny!!!!!!!!!

HI Gourd! Welcome to our world.. Looks like you're off to a fine start. You have some great help already.:-)

Your picture looks like you have a Black Swallowtail. From what I can see it is a male. He has probably just come out of hibernation after being tucked inside a chrysalis all winter. With butterflies and moths the first thing on their mind after eclosing is to reproduce. The male you have is patrolling to find a female to mate with. After that the female will want to find the appropriate larval host plant for her babies.

BSTs use a lot of different plants making them one of the easiest butterflies to garden for. These plants include all of the Carrot family, Parsley, Dill, and Fennel.

The two prominent rows of yellow dots along the edge of the wings on your butterfly are what tell me it is a male BST. The female will have only one row and more blue on top of the lower wing.

I was able to retain one BST chrysalis from all the broods I raised last year and it hasn't eclosed yet.

On the other hand my Giant Swallowtails began eclosing yesterday and one emerged from her chrysalis... I released her around 2pm yesterday. This morning a male emerged from another chrysalis and I released him right after his wings were completely filled out and sturdy. Giant Swallowtails use another set of host plants. For that matter each butterfly species has it's own separate host plant(s).

The butterfly bait is great stuff but swallowtails are not usually attracted to it. What you will get is lots of different brushfoot butterflies like Red Admirals Mourning Cloaks and Question Marks... Try it and you will see that the butterflies that go for the brew are not the same as butterflies that use flowers for their food nectars.

Here is a male Black Swallowtail

Gourd~ Here is a Female Black Swallowtail ovipositing (laying eggs) on Parsley florets...

:-)

debnes_dfw_tx,
You are a master photographer! Those pics are awesome!

debnes_dbw
those are great photos. Such great information too. You have great vision too.. I would not have seen the dot on there at all, I had to look several times to figure it out and I am still not sure it's what I am thinking..

Thank you all for such great information too.. horse pee made me laugh.

The swallowtail in our area is the Tiger swallowtail. Not yet this yr. of course.

I got the brown sugar, but I cannot find the beer.. where do they sell that type? Guiness Stout?

We tried Sams, and Walmart.. that's it.

You can ususally buy a bottle of Guiness at Kroger, Safeway or a big grocery.

But you can substitute another rich ale or stout for guiness. Or even a regular beer will work. Or add a little molasses.