Butterfly Lady

Monarch butterflies not only need milkweed to lay their eggs, but they also need nectar-rich plants. Adult monarchs are dependent on nectar plants as a food source during spring and summer breeding, fall migrations, and during overwintering to fuel up and to survive.

The Xerces Society, in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation and Monarch Joint Venture, developed regional monarch-specific nectar plant guides for the continental US. The plant species included in these nectar plant guides are based on monarch nectaring observations compiled from numerous sources, including published and technical reports, research datasets, and personal communications with monarch researchers, botanists, and other experts.

For gardeners who like easy-care plants, native wildflowers can be the foundation of the garden. They’re easy to grow, never weedy, and they attract and nourish wildlife, including birds, bees, beneficial insects, and butterflies.

Whether you like to start flowers from seed or transplants, these easy-growing wildflowers won’t require spraying for pests and diseases or copious amounts of chemical fertilizers to light up your landscape. Plus, they generally are quite tolerant of poor soils and dry conditions, which means you won’t need to amend the soil or be too compulsive about your watering duties.

1. Native wildflowers are extremely easy to grow. They create easy, low-maintenance color in almost any sunny spot, needing little water once established.
2. Native wildflowers help our pollinators. Native wildflowers are integral to pollinators’ survival. Planting a wildflower meadow gives bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds a nectar buffet to feed on all season long.
3. Native wildflowers are good for the environment. Native plants help reduce air pollution sequester or remove, carbon from the air.
4. Native wildflowers do not require fertilizers and require fewer pesticides than lawns. Pesticides are the number one killer of not only butterflies, but also bees, and moths and other pollinators.
5. Native wildflowers require less water and help prevent erosion.
   The deep root systems of many native plants increase the soil’s capacity to store water. Native plants can significantly reduce water runoff and, consequently, flooding.
6. Native wildflowers provide spectacular color and beauty. There’s nothing more awe-inspiring than a wildflower garden or meadow bursting in bloom.
7. Wildflowers are fun. Whether you’re a new gardener or a seasoned pro, growing, caring for, and cutting wildflowers for summer bouquets is a lot of fun.

   

Here are some of my favorite native wildflowers for butterfly gardens.

Here are resources to help you learn more about native wildflowers by state and region.

U.S. Forest Service: Gardening for Pollinators
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/gardening.shtml

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center: Plant Lists and Collections
https://www.wildflower.org/collections/

Here are books about using native plants to attract butterflies:

 

There is nothing more exciting than finding a field full of native Milkweed plants. Even more exhilarating is when you discover Monarch butterfly eggs on the leaves of those plants!

Monarchs will leave a trail of eggs as they travel north. The first generation departing overwintering sites in central Mexico only migrates as far north as Texas and Oklahoma. The second, third, and fourth generations return to their northern breeding locations in the United States and Canada as spring progresses.

Female Monarchs find milkweed on their journey north through a combination of visual and chemical cues. When they land on a plant that might be Milkweed, they drum their forelegs on the surface to release chemicals. Then, sensors on their legs and antennae called chemoreceptors to identify if it’s Milkweed and the quality of the plant.

Spring migratory routes are considerably more difficult to identify and study than fall routes because in the spring Monarchs are dispersed and consequently less noticeable than the fall migrants, which form roosts. Scientists are still learning about the Monarchs’ spring migration thanks to the help of citizen scientists from every US state and seven Canadian provinces. They report their first sightings of Monarch butterflies every spring. Through these reports, we can learn about when and where Monarchs travel as they migrate north in the spring.

High-quality habitat with abundant milkweed is critical for monarchs at this stage of their annual cycle.  Plan and plant your pollinator garden today!

Recently, I saw a post on Facebook about how to winter sow milkweed seeds using milk jugs.

Native milkweed seeds and many other perennial plants need a period of cold stratification in order to germinate. Cold stratification is simply exposing the seed to a period of cold treatment. I’ve always prepared milkweed seeds by using the artificial stratification method (click here for instructions), however, was intrigued by this unique method.

The holidays were spent at my son’s house in Michigan. I brought some milkweed seeds as a Christmas gift. He and his wife recently purchased a home and expressed an interest in planting a butterfly garden. I had planned to sow them directly into the ground but wanted to try using the “milk jug method” instead.

Using individual biodegradable planter cups to plant the milkweed seeds, I figured would make it easier to transplant the seedlings when they are ready. I placed potting soil inside the cups and watered the soil to moisten it, then three to four seeds were placed on top of the dirt and gently patted them down. (You do not cover the seeds with soil because they need light to germinate.)

To prepare the milk jugs punch four drainage holes on the bottom of the jug using an awl. (You could also use the tip of a heated glue gun or drill the holes with a small power drill.) The holes need to be about ¼ inch in diameter to allow good drainage.  Cut the milk jug in half with sharp scissors, leaving about an inch for a hinge.

Place the planter cups inside the milk jugs and use duct tape to seal them closed. Be sure to leave the caps off of the containers so the milkweed seeds will get watered from Mother Nature. I placed the milk jugs inside some planter trays for stability. Oh yes, and don’t forget to label the milk jugs! (I used a permanent marker, but a grease pencil will also work. Or you can use a planter label for each individual cup.)

Now you just leave the milk jugs outside and let Mother Nature do her magic!

Click here for more detailed instructions on how to winter sow seeds using milk jugs: https://springcreekhomesteading.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/milk-jug-sowing.pdf

Did you know there are actually people out there who are scared of butterflies? It is called Lepidopterophobia. It is hard for me to imagine anyone being afraid of these beautiful delicate creatures that bring me so much joy. Yet some people have that fear.

A few years ago a group of children from a preschool came to one of my butterfly farm tours. It was obvious that one of the teachers was quite uncomfortable during my presentation about butterflies. Then when we took the children inside of the butterfly house she refused to go in. Afterward, she admitted to being deathly afraid of butterflies. Her fear prevented her from sharing the enjoyment her students were experiencing.

Australian actress Nicole Kidman admits to having an extreme fear of butterflies. As a young schoolgirl in Australia, she came home from school to find “the biggest butterfly on Earth” waiting to greet her at her front gate. She’s been traumatized since. She tried to confront her phobia by visiting the butterfly exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, but she crumbled and ran out of the building.

Fear may serve a purpose when it prevents us from doing something harmful or dangerous. But most of our phobias are unjustified. These kinds of fears can prevent us from having many wonderful experiences such as the joy of observing a beautiful butterfly. So don’t be afraid and let fear rule your life. Enjoy the butterflies!