Butterflies have played a large role in Native American culture. Native American tribes all had their own unique meanings for the butterfly.  Native Americans have a strong spiritual connection to nature, which was often represented through the butterfly. They often decorated their clothes, teepees, and possessions with butterflies.

This is a famous photo of Sitting Bull taken circa 1880-1890 wearing a hat with a Monarch butterfly on the hatband.

My favorite legend is a story among some Pueblo tribes. According to this legend, the Creator felt sorry for the children when he realized that their destiny was to grow old and become wrinkled, fat, blind, and weak. Hence, he gathered beautiful colors from various sources such as sunlight, leaves, flowers, and the sky. These colors were put into a magical bag and presented to the children. When the children opened the bag, colored butterflies flew out, enchanting the children who had never seen anything so beautiful. The butterflies sang which further delighted the children. However, songbirds complained to the Creator because they were jealous that butterflies were both so beautiful and could sing like birds. So the Creator withdrew the ability to sing from butterflies. And, accordingly butterflies are so beautifully colored but are now silent.
https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/HowTheButterfliesCameToBe-Papago.html

Bear Painting, Native American Myth “How Butterflies Came to Be” by Colorado Artist Nancee Jean Busse. https://nanceejean.com/workszoom/2676060#/

For the Blackfeet, the butterfly was associated with sleeping and dreaming. They believed that butterflies delivered dreams. It was the custom for a Blackfoot woman to embroider the sign of a butterfly on a small piece of buckskin and tie this in her baby’s hair when she wishes it to go to sleep. At the same time, she sings to the child a lullaby in which the butterfly is asked to come flying about and put the child to sleep.

Butterfly symbols are found on this Pendleton butterfly pattern from the 1920s.

The butterfly was a prominent figure in the myth and ritual of the Hopi. This insect occurs frequently on prehistoric pottery and in the “Butterfly Dance”. The Butterfly Dance, a traditional social dance of the Hopi, is held in August or September after the gathering of the harvest and presentation of the Snake Dance. It is a thanksgiving ceremony for the harvest, chiefly for the corn crop. Like most Hopi ceremonies, the Butterfly Dance is a petition for rain, good health, and long life for all living things. The dance also recognizes the butterfly for its beauty and its contribution to pollinating plant life.

The spirit of the butterfly is also personified in Hopi Kachina figures. Kachinas are the spirit essence of everything in the real world. They represent game, plants, food, birds, insects, and even death itself is given a Kachina form. Among the various insect Kachinas are three of butterfly origin.

Poli Taka (Butterly Man), Poli Sio Hemis (Zuni Hemis Butterfly Kachina) and Poli Mana (Butterfly Girl)

I am not sure this legend is legitimate, but it’s still beautiful nonetheless and frequently repeated when butterflies are released at various celebrations:

If anyone desires a wish to come true, 
they must first capture a butterfly and whisper that wish to it.
Since a butterfly can make no sound,
the butterfly can not reveal the wish to anyone but the Great Spirit who hears and sees all.
In gratitude for giving the beautiful butterfly its freedom,
the Great Spirit always grants the wish.
So, according to legend,
by making a wish and giving the butterfly its freedom,
the wish will be taken to the heavens and be granted.

Art by Larry Selman @http://selmanart.com/ Used with permission.

This delightful retelling of a Native American folktale is “a satisfying selection, creatively designed, with beautiful pictures and striking imagery. See more here: https://amzn.to/31bDUyg

A portrait of Sitting Bull, looking back on the events that shaped his life and fate. Click here to see more:  https://amzn.to/2OQr2ef

Sometimes when raising Black Swallowtail caterpillars inside a closed container, such as a butterfly habitat, they have the tendency to pupate on top of each other. This prevents the butterflies from eclosing properly so you must separate the pupae.

These Black Swallowtail pupae are connected with each other by silk threads.

Below is a step-by-step for how to remove and separate the pupae:

First, spray the area where the pupae are attached with water. This makes it very easy to remove them.

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Once you have sprayed the area, you can easily remove the pupae.

I find it interesting the colors of the pupae are different.

Using a pair os scissors, cut the silk girdle.

Now you need to be sure to remove all the silk that is still attached to the pupae. You can spray with water to make this easier.

The silk threads were spun by the caterpillar to attach itself. They need to be removed or this butterfly will not be able to eclose (emerge from the pupa).

The silk thread can gently be removed from the chrysalis.

Once all the silk is removed from the pupae, you can place them on the bottom of a butterfly habitat. The butterflies will emerge and then climb on the sides of the netting to dry their wings.

You can purchase butterfly habitats here: http://butterfly-lady.com/marketplace/caterpillars.htm

Newly eclosed female Black Swallowtail.

With monarch butterflies now down 90 percent in the last 20 years, we simply must do more if we are going to be successful in reversing monarch butterfly decline. We must continue working together to help save the monarch butterfly and reverse the overall trend of declining wildlife populations in the United States.”
Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation

You can do a lot to protect the vanishing monarch butterfly, from planting milkweed to collecting data on monarch breeding and migration.

1. Plant Milkweed

The absolute best way to help Monarch butterflies is to plant milkweed! Without a major effort to restore milkweed, the monarch population is certain to decline. Monarchs depend on milkweed for survival.

2. Plant a Garden

Recent research suggests that a lack of nectar plants may be playing a bigger part in the decline of Monarchs than previously realized.

3. Don’t Use Pesticides

Many pesticides contain glyphosate, an herbicide that kills milkweed. Milkweed is the only plant monarch larvae eat, and the only plant the monarch will lay its eggs in. Without milkweed, the monarch butterfly would cease to exist.

4. Become a Citizen Scientist

Individuals can help solve some of the enduring mysteries about the monarch. To better understand monarch migration, science organizations rely on citizen scientists to collect data during the annual life cycle of monarch breeding, migration, and overwintering. Your actions can improve and inspire monarch conservation. Click here to find out more: https://monarchjointventure.org/get-involved/study-monarchs-citizen-science-opportunities

5. Spread the Word

Educate others about the monarch butterfly decline and encourage them to take the steps to protect this delicate species. (Four Things You Can Do To Help the Monarchs by Hannah Rosengren.)

Spread the message with this “Plant Milkweed T-shirt by Butterfly Lady: https://amzn.to/2PFvZn4

Monarch butterflies need our help! To offset the loss of milkweeds and nectar sources we need to create, conserve, and protect habitats for these iconic butterflies.

One of the best ways to help Monarchs is by creating a Monarch Waystation in home gardens, at schools, businesses, parks, zoos, nature centers, along roadsides, and on other unused plots of land. Without a major effort to restore milkweeds to as many locations as possible, the Monarch population in North America is certain to decline to extremely low levels.

A Monarch Waystation is a well-managed garden that provides food and habitat for the struggling Monarch butterfly population. (https://www.embassylandscape.com/blog/)

Choose the site. A suitable Monarch Waystation habitat can be easily integrated with an existing garden. Monarch Watch does not have any minimum area requirement in order to certify your habitat; however, a truly effective Monarch Waystation will be at least 100 square feet. The total area may be split among several sites at your location and there is no upper limit for the size of a Monarch Waystation habitat. Choose a spot that gets plenty of sunshine every day. Butterflies and butterfly plants need lots of sun; therefore, Monarch Waystations need to be located in an area that receives at least six hours of sun a day.

Create shelter for the Monarchs. Plant bushes or trees near your garden to provide places for Monarch butterflies to roost at night. Monarch Watch suggests that to ensure that the maximum number of Monarchs survive in your habitat, the plants should be relatively close together. However, they should not be crowded – be sure to follow the planting guides specific to each plant.

Monarch caterpillars need plenty of milkweed to become butterflies; one caterpillar alone will eat 20-30 large leaves!

Plant Milkweed. To maximize the utilization of your habitat by Monarchs, it is desirable to include a number of milkweed species. It is best to have at least 10 plants, made up of two or more species; however, a large number of plants (more than 10) of one species is sufficient. Milkweeds of different species mature and flower at different times during the season. By increasing the number of milkweed species in your habitat you will increase the likelihood that Monarchs will utilize your property for a longer period during the breeding season.

Monarchs cannot survive without milkweed; their caterpillars only eat milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.), and Monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs.

Plant nectar plants. Plant nectar plants that bloom sequentially or continuously during the season so your Monarch Waystation can provide resources for Monarchs throughout the breeding season and the migration in the fall. A Monarch Waystation should contain at least four annual, biennial, or perennial plants that provide nectar for butterflies.

Annual plants, which bloom quickly but don’t return for a second season, play a crucial role in a Monarch Waystation.

Perennials, which are slower to establish when first planted, but survive and thrive in subsequent seasons, are also important additions to a Monarch garden.

Plan to manage your site. You should have a plan to sustain a Monarch Waystation. Specific actions you take will depend on the features of your habitat; however, some general examples include mulching, thinning, fertilizing, amending the soil, removing dead stalks, watering, eliminating insecticide use, removing invasive plant species, and incorporating additional features.

Certify your waystation. If your monarch habitat meets or exceeds the general description of a Monarch Waystation set forth above, your habitat may be certified by Monarch Watch as a Monarch Waystation. Upon certification, your habitat will be included in the Monarch Waystation Registry, an online listing of Monarch Waystations worldwide, and you will be awarded a certificate bearing your name and your habitat’s unique Monarch Waystation ID number. You may also choose to purchase a weatherproof sign to display, identifying your habitat as an official Monarch Waystation. If you like you can certify your waystation through Monarch Watch. There is a small certification fee.

Go here to register and certify your site:  http://www.Monarchwatch.org/waystations/certify.html

You will attract Monarchs as well as many other species of butterflies to your Monarch Waystation! (Photo by Mary Lynette Brooks Keene. Used with permission.)

Kids Monarch Butterfly Lifecycle T-Shirt https://amzn.to/2JWkers

I’m often asked, “How do I start a butterfly garden?” and, “How can I get butterflies to come to my garden?” or, “I have lots of flowers but how come I never see any butterflies?”

Plant host plants! It takes more than nectar to entice butterflies to take up residence in your garden. Larval host plants are the secret to successful butterfly gardening; they are plants required by a caterpillar for growth and development. By planting host plants in your garden, you offer a promise of food for the next generation and will attract more butterflies than you thought possible.

If you do not have host plants in your garden, butterflies may come to visit the flowers for nectar, but then they will leave. Butterflies are on a mission. Females are busy looking for places to lay their eggs. Males are also attracted to host plants, where they can find females for mating. So make it easy for them and plant those plants they need for their offspring.

A female Monarch butterfly deposits eggs on Tropical milkweed. One female can deposit 400-500 eggs in her short lifetime.

Below are some common North American butterflies and their host plants. I have included some of the most common and easiest butterflies to attract. As you learn more about the different species of butterflies that are native to your area you can expand the different types of host plants to put in your garden.

In my opinion, the most important host plant you can have in your butterfly garden is Milkweed, and the more the better! There are many species of Milkweeds you can plant which are suited to where you live. In fact, in the United States, there are over 100 species of native Milkweeds. It can be challenging to find native milkweeds to purchase at local nurseries. Your best bet is to find native nurseries in your area that might carry native Milkweeds. You can find seeds and starter plants online here: https://amzn.to/2Y4X0Ey

The American Lady is found throughout temperate North America.

Common Rue is one of my favorite host plants. It can grow 2-3 feet tall and is a perennial.

Black Swallowtails are found from southern Canada through to South America. In North America, they are more common east of the Rocky Mountains.

There are several species of passion vine that can be used as host plants but the Blue Passionflower (Passiflora caerulea) is a vigorous, deciduous vine that is hardy down to −10 °C (14 °F).

Painted Lady butterflies are found in all 48 contiguous states. These butterflies use many different plants as hosts but these are some of the most common.

Common Buckeye butterflies are found in the southern half of the US and the eastern side of the northern half of the United States. Buckeye butterflies lay eggs on a wide variety of host plants.

Cabbage White butterflies are found throughout North America. Great Southern White butterflies are found from the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. It is migratory along the southeastern coast of the United States, with strays to Maryland, Kansas, and Colorado.

Please note that these plants go by the common name Dutchman’s Pipe, but some species of Dutchman’s Pipe are toxic to the larva. Only these two species, Aristolochia trilobata and Aristolochia fimbriata are not so that is why the scientific name is so important when you go to purchase this vine.

Remember, you cannot have a butterfly without the caterpillar and you cannot have the caterpillar without that host plant. So plant lots of host plants. You can never have too many.

For a more comprehensive list of butterflies and their host plants, click here.

Resources for Host Plants:
Rose Frankin Perennials 
Shady Oak Butterfly Farm 
Lupine Gardens and Chemical Free Native Plants

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