Few backyard visitors bring more delight than the graceful butterfly, with gardeners dutifully growing flowers in hopes of enticing the gossamer winged creatures. Texas backyard naturalists are fortunate to live in a state with such a wide diversity of butterfly species – 495 in all. Much of the Lone Star state is also along the migratory pathway of monarch butterflies heading south from Midwest states to warmer winter weather in Mexico.
Gardening for Butterflies
Butterfly gardens by their nature, are chock full of colorful flowers. Butterflies like nectar plants with shallow flower tubes, and are attracted to large groupings of red, yellow, orange and purple flowers. Unlike the hummingbird who feeds at the flower while hovering, butterflies require a flower that allows them to land and feed in place. Purple coneflower, butterfly weed, mealy blue sage, phlox and lantana are all native Texas plants that invite butterflies to visit. For the best results, include a wide variety of nectar plants with varied blooming seasons – that way the garden can feed butterflies in spring, summer and fall.
A sunny spot is best for a butterly garden. Butterflies need warm temperatures — ideally between 85 and 100 degrees — to thrive.
The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) publishes a comprehensive list of plants suitable for butterflies in specific regions. Their plant list includes both native and non-native plants, along with information on flower blooming seasons. Click here for the NABA butterfly plant list for north central Texas.
Finally, butterflies need a small sandy wet garden spot to puddle. It’s from these sandy or muddy garden spots the butterfly gets the salts and minerals it needs that aren’t in plant nectar.
Gardening for Caterpillars
It takes more than brightly colored flowers and a puddling spot for a successful butterfly garden.
Like all insects, butterflies undergo metamorphosis, changing from egg, to larvae (caterpillar), to pupae (chrysalis) to adult (beautiful butterfly). Accommodating all phases of the butterfly life cycle keeps butterflies in the garden. And while adult butterflies feed on a variety of nectar producing flowers, they lay eggs only on select host plants. Some butterflies, like monarchs, lay eggs only on a single variety of plant.
Adult butterflies know which plants are suitable by taste. The adult butterfly tastes the plant with its feet. Yes, that’s right, the adult butterfly lands on a host plant and through its feet determines if the plant is correct for its eggs.
To encourage butterflies to lay their eggs in your garden, consider planting milkweed (monarch), dill and parsley (swallowtail), passion vine (fritillary) or thistle (painted lady). Caterpillars have their own special beauty with colorful bandings. These voracious eaters can munch a plant down to its stem, but rarely does this kill the host plant.
If you want butterfly caterpillars, do not use any pesticides near your larval host plants as it will kill the caterpillars.
The Texas Natural Science Center at University of Texas offers a way to encourage butterflies to lay eggs within your garden. Gently catch the butterfly, place it in a large container (with breathing holes), cotton balls soaked in sugar water and a larval food plant. Place the butterfly in its temporary home on a window sill that receives diffused light. Do not put it in direct sunlight, you don’t want to cook it! The butterfly will likely lay its eggs in about 6 to 24 hours. At that point, place the eggs with a food plant within the garden. If the captured butterfly does not lay eggs within 24 hours, release it and try again.
Backyard Tidbits
· There are over 24,000 species of butterflies and over 140,000 species of moths. · Butterflies have been around a long time (about 240 million years) and evolved from moths. · Butterflies can lay up to 1,000 eggs at a time. · The world’s largest butterfly species is the Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing butterfly found in Papua New Guinea with a one foot wing span. · The monarch butterfly is the state butterfly of Texas.
Resources
Attract Butterflies – National Wildlife Federation – www.nwf.org
Butterfly Gardens – University of Rhode Island – www.uri.edu
Central Texas Butterfly Gardening – University of Texas – www.utexas.edu
Kids will enjoy the Children’s Butterfly Site – www.kidsbutterfly.org
The ButterflySite – www.butterflysite.com