Butterfly Gardens – Page 2 – Helping You Help Nature

Life Cycle of a Butterfly

October 12, 2020 by Butterfly Gardens Leave a Comment

Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash

Butterflies and moths have one of the most fascinating life cycles on the planet. These insects go through four stages of life: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. As they progress through these stages, they transform from caterpillars to stunning winged insects during a process called metamorphosis.

There are over 17,000 different species of butterflies in the world. The exact details of each species’ life cycle vary. For instance, some have longer lifespans or different mating rituals. The amount of time it takes for a butterfly egg to hatch or for a fully-formed butterfly to emerge from its chrysalis also varies between species. But, in general, their life cycles follow the same pattern from birth to death.

Butterfly Mating Rituals

The mating rituals of butterflies can be beautiful to watch. Scientists have only studied the rituals of a few different species but have noted some general patterns.

Female butterflies are ready to mate almost as soon as they emerge from their chrysalides. The University of Minnesota’s Monarch Lab points out that, for monarch butterflies at least, the males become sexually mature about 4-5 days after emergence.

In many cases, it’s the male butterflies that initiate the mating ritual. In a terrific piece over at livescience.com, Joseph Castro explains that male butterflies seek out mates in one of two ways. Depending on their species, males are either perchers or patrollers. Perchers sit and wait for a female to flutter by. Patrollers fly around, actively searching for a mate. Males use visual cues to determine which females would be good mates. The colours and patterns on a butterfly’s wings are key in locating mates of the species.

Once a male spots a potential mate, he begins his courtship ritual. He starts by flying close to the female, often just behind or above her. Once in place, he releases pheromones to attract the female. He may also perform a courtship dance: a specific flight pattern that varies from species to species. While this is beautiful to watch, it does serve a purpose: it helps spread the pheromones onto the female’s antennae, making the male’s bid for courtship more powerful.

The female may decide to fly away if the patterns on the male’s wings aren’t a good match for her. Or, she may engage in the courtship dance as well, or just choose to mate with the male.

Some species have different rituals. A male monarch, for instance, might just grab a suitable female out of the air, in an “aerial takedown,” and initiate mating on the ground. However they get to that point, butterflies mate by facing in opposite directions. With their abdomens touching, the male butterfly uses his “clasper” to hold tightly to the female while he passes sperm to her reproductive tract.

Butterfly Eggs

Female butterflies carefully choose where to deposit their eggs. Once hatched, butterfly larvae don’t move very much. The eggs need to gestate on a larval food source so that the young caterpillars have easy access to food.

A detailed piece at ThoughtCo explains that some species of butterflies lay their eggs in clusters while others scatter them one-by-one on different host plants. As the eggs leave the female’s body, they are fertilized by the sperm left during mating. For most species, it takes about 1-2 weeks for the eggs to hatch.

Butterfly Larvae

Larvae are about the size of ants when they hatch. In this stage of life, they mainly just stay on the same plant they hatched onto and eat. They start by consuming their eggshell and then begin feeding on the host plant.

As they grow, their exoskeletons become too small and they molt. Each stage between molting is called an “instar.” Immediately after hatching caterpillars are in their first instar. After molting for the first time, they move into their second instar. They continue eating and pooping until it’s time to molt again. Typically, caterpillars have five instars. It is during the fifth instar that caterpillars prepare to pupate.

Butterfly Pupa

Once a caterpillar is ready to pupate (go through metamorphosis to become a butterfly), it often wanders off its host plant, looking for a safe spot where it can form its chrysalis.

At the Gardens with Wings website, Regina Cutter Edwards perfectly explains what happens inside the chrysalis:

The insect’s body basically is liquefied by digestive fluids and the body is restructured using specialized formative cells. This process is called histogenesis, in which undifferentiated cells are used to build different body tissues.

Butterflies don’t always emerge from their chrysalides as soon as metamorphosis is complete. They may instead remain at rest until something triggers them to emerge. As the piece at ThoughtCo points out, triggers include changes in light or temperature as well as chemical or hormonal signals.

Adult Butterflies

After emerging from the chrysalis, a butterfly often perches upside down for a few hours. During this time, the wings dry and are pumped full of hemolymph (the equivalent of blood in invertebrates). As well, the waste products from metamorphosis are discharged. Once this process is complete, the adult butterfly is free to fly off to feed on nectar and to find a mate, so that the butterfly life cycle can continue.

Once they reach the adult stage, some butterflies–like coppers and small blues–will only live for a few days. Others, such as monarchs, may live for 6-12 months.

The life cycle of butterflies is dramatic and fascinating. It is often part of the curriculum in elementary schools, allowing children to become familiar with the wonder of metamorphosis. But, it isn’t difficult to watch that life cycle unfold in your own backyard. All you need to do is plant a butterfly garden that provides food sources for both larvae and adult butterflies. Add in a few other things to make butterflies feel welcome, such as stones to bask on and puddles to soak up nutrients from. With that oasis awaiting them, you may very well have a front-row seat for viewing the butterfly life cycle.

Garden Plants

October 5, 2020 by Butterfly Gardens Leave a Comment

When we visualize a butterfly garden, the first thing that likely springs to mind is masses of colourful blooms. After all, when we spot butterflies, they’re often fluttering around blossoms, drinking nectar.

But the plants in our vegetable gardens are important to butterflies too. Some of those plants act as hosts for larvae. Others have blossoms that are sources of nectar for adult insects. Whatever the reason for butterfly visitors, it’s good news for gardeners. Butterflies have an important role to play as pollinators. You should always welcome butterflies into your vegetable garden. But, you might also consider adding vegetable plants to your butterfly garden. Either way, those stunning insects and vegetable plants go hand in hand.

Garden Host Plants for Butterfly Larvae

Different species of butterflies choose different foodplants for their larvae. Larvae don’t move far from the site where they hatch. Instead, they tend to stay on the same plant, where they eat and grow and move closer to the metamorphosis stage. For this reason, female butterflies will travel long distances to find the right plants to deposit their eggs on. Your vegetable garden may have just those plants a butterfly is looking for.

Brassica Family

Even though they’re beautiful, cabbage white butterflies are the bane of many a gardener’s existence. These butterflies favour plants in the mustard family, also known as Brassicas, as hosts for their larvae. Mustard, cabbage, broccoli, and kale are all members of the Brassica family.

The green cabbage worm, which will go through metamorphosis to become a cabbage white, is highly destructive to Brassicas. To save their produce, vegetable gardeners may resort to chemical pesticides. But, as always, natural pest control methods are much safer. Installing floating row covers is a terrific way to deter cabbage whites from depositing their eggs on young plants. Or, if butterfly eggs and larvae already exist on a plant, those can be picked off. The earlier the eggs and larvae are removed, the less damage will be done to the plants.

Apiaceae Family

According to the Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility website, the Apiaceae family of vegetables and herbs is attractive to swallowtails. Plants such as carrots, parsnips, celery, dill, and fennel are host plants for black swallowtail butterflies in eastern Canada and to anise swallowtail butterflies in western Canada.

While swallowtails are more colourful and less common than cabbage whites, gardeners may still be loath to share produce with swallowtail larvae. As with cabbage whites, natural pest control methods–like floating row covers or simply picking off eggs and/or larvae–are safe and effective.

Fabaceae or Leguminosae Family

The long-tailed skipper favours plants in the Fabaceae family–particularly peas and beans–as a larval food source. These larvae fold themselves into the leaves of these plants as they eat and grow. Long-tailed skipper larvae would rarely do so much damage to the leaves that the produce itself would be affected. But, if your garden becomes overwhelmed with long-tailed skipper larvae, just remove them by hand.

Cucurbitaceae Family

The Cucurbitaceae family includes cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, and various squashes (winter, summer, zucchini, pumpkins, gourds). Gray hairstreak butterflies particularly favour cucumber plants as a food source for their larvae. As with long-tailed skippers and legume plants, it’s rare for gray hairstreak larvae to do so much damage to cucumber leaves that the produce is affected.

Garden Nectar Sources for Adult Butterflies

Butterflies don’t visit vegetable gardens only to deposit eggs on larval foodplants. Herbs and vegetables go through flowering stages, providing precious nectar to butterflies. In addition to radishes, butterflies will seek nectar from various herbs (garlic chives, oregano, mint, sage, rosemary, and thyme). As they flutter through your garden, they will help with the pollination of all plants. And pollination, of course, is vital to the success of your garden.

Vegetables in the Butterfly Garden

In an interesting piece at growjourney.com, April Gordon explains that she initially kept her butterfly garden separate from her vegetable garden. But, she is now thoroughly integrating the two. And, there is no reason to keep them separate. Many vegetables have ornamental properties and would look stunning planted among flowers. Many herbs grow low to the ground and would make excellent border plantings.

In most cases, butterfly larvae do not do so much damage that the plants’ produce is affected. The one exception is with plants in the Brassica family. It would be easy enough to plant your Brassicas separately and keep them safe with row covers. Or, if you were feeling generous, you could plant a few Brassicas out solely for butterfly larvae to enjoy.

As pointed out at the Vegetable Matter blog, the key is to maintain a healthy balance between caterpillars and plants. That way, you can have your veggies–and you and the butterfly larvae can eat them too.

Flowering Bushes

September 28, 2020 by Butterfly Gardens Leave a Comment

Flowering shrubs and bushes are a terrific way to entice butterflies to your garden. While they may be more expensive to buy than annuals or perennials, they’re worth it. Flowering bushes require only a little care each season, such as fertilizing and pruning. In return, they may bloom for decades, attracting butterflies to your yard for all that time.

When choosing a flowering bush for your garden, you should consider:

your yard’s growing conditions and hardiness zone;
your available space;
which butterflies you’re hoping to attract; and
whether to choose native or non-native bushes.

Hardiness Zone, Growing Conditions & Space

As with all plants, one of the first things to consider is your hardiness zone. Choose bushes that will survive in your region’s climate. If you’re unsure which zone you live in, check the hardiness maps available on the Canadian and American government websites.

You should also take note of your yard’s growing conditions. If you have a lot of shade, don’t choose a shrub that requires full sun. If you have an incline, shrubs that prefer moist soils would do well at the bottom where water collects.

Some shrubs become quite large in terms of height and/or girth. Make sure your new shrub will have the space it requires to grow happily for many years to come.

Your Region’s Butterflies

If you’re new to butterfly gardening, you might not know which butterfly species live in your region. Different species prefer different plants. To choose the best host plants for butterflies that inhabit your area, do a little research. The Butterflies of Ontario website is a terrific resource, as is the Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility website.

Native vs Non-Native Flowering Bushes

Native plants develop over millennia as part of a region’s ecosystem. As they evolve together, a region’s flora and fauna create a symbiotic relationship. Native plants often fulfill multiple wildlife needs. For instance, milkweed provides greenery for butterfly larvae to eat and nectar for adult butterflies to drink.

Non-native plants are those that were introduced into a region from another geographic area. Even if that took place a few hundred years ago, they’re still considered non-native (sometimes, they’re called “exotic”). A few hundred years is just a drop in the evolutionary bucket, after all.

Non-native plants are often introduced to a region because they have desirable characteristics, like beautiful blooms or vigour. But because they haven’t evolved within the region, there are no natural checks and balances in place for their growth. As a result, they don’t integrate well into the existing ecosystem and often become problematic. One example of an exotic plant that hasn’t integrated well is butterfly bush.

Non-Native Flowering Bush: Butterfly Bush

Also known as buddleja, butterfly bush originated in China. These deciduous shrubs grow to about 2-3m tall. They are extremely hardy and drought-tolerant, even thriving in poor growing conditions. Butterfly bush produces masses of tiny flowers in spike or cone shapes, much like lilacs. Their highly-fragrant and pollen-rich flowers attract tiger swallowtails, monarchs, and other butterflies and moths.

Sounds like the perfect shrub for your butterfly garden, right? As it turns out–it’s not.

Due to its vigour and the massive number of seeds each bush produces (up to three million per year!), butterfly bush is now considered an invasive species in some areas and a noxious weed in others. It has taken root in established ecosystems, crowding out native plants and altering soil properties.

Although butterfly bush provides nectar for adult butterflies, it is not a food source for butterfly larvae. For that reason, female butterflies seeking a place to lay their eggs will bypass butterfly bush. This becomes problematic when that shrub crowds out native plants that DO host larvae.

Because butterfly bush is a gorgeous plant, many gardeners are loathe to give up on it. As a result, horticulturalists developed sterile cultivars of the plant. These cultivars are considered non-invasive. They’re a great choice for those who want to plant a flowering bush that attracts butterflies. Keep in mind, though, that along with butterfly bush, you should also establish plants that host larvae, such as milkweed, hollyhocks, and sunflowers.

Native Flowering Bushes

Although a sterile butterfly bush is a better choice than an invasive variety, native plants are by far the best choice for your garden. There are several different flowering bushes that produce beautiful blooms and attract butterflies. The Canadian-based Evergreen website suggests these five:

1 – Red flowering currant/Redflower currant/Blood currant/Winter currant/Pink flowering currant (Ribes sanquineum)

The United States Department of Agriculture explains that, beginning in early spring, red flowering currant produces abundant and showy blossoms. These blossoms provide nectar for butterflies emerging from hibernation. The bush is also a food source for the larvae of more than two dozen different species of moths and butterflies. The shrub grows at a moderate rate and may reach up to 4m tall. Red flowering currant is hardy in Zones 5-10.

2 – Ninebark/Common ninebark/Atlantic ninebark/eastern ninebark (Physocarpus capitatus)

Ninebark is extremely easy to grow, being both hardy and drought-resistant. It’s found growing in the wild in Zones 2 to 7. It can grow up to 4m high and should be given space for its long arching branches. Ninebark produces beautiful round clusters of small white or pink blossoms. These clusters are similar in shape to hydrangea flowers. It blooms in spring and early summer and is attractive to butterflies.

3 – Common lilac (Syringa spp.)

Lilac bushes produce masses of incredibly fragrant flowers in late spring. According to the Canadian Forestry Association website, the flowers are particularly attractive to tiger swallowtail butterflies. Lilac bushes may grow anywhere between 2 to 5 metres tall. They have a substantial girth as well, growing 2.5 to 3.5 metres wide. Lilacs do best in cooler climates and are hardy in Zones 3 to 7. There are many different varieties and cultivars, making it easy to choose one that will suit your garden’s aesthetic and growing conditions.

4 – Red elderberry/Red-berried elder/Bunchberry elder/Red elder/ Scarlet elder (Sambucus racemosa)

Red elderberry is one of the tallest flowering shrubs that is attractive to butterflies. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, this bush typically grows 3-6 metres tall. A member of the honeysuckle family, it produces abundant clusters of small white flowers between April and July. It is extremely cold hardy, growing best in Zones 0-5. (Yes, you read that correctly: Zone Zero!)

5 – Oceanspray/Mountain spray/Cream bush/Ironwood (Holodiscus discolor)

Oceanspray normally grows to about 1-1.5 metres in height, but may grow a little taller. It is a deciduous shrub that flowers May to August. Its tiny white flowers cluster together as plumes. Native to western North America, it is hardy from Zones 4-8. The Mount Pisgah Arboretum website states that oceanspray’s nectar attracts many types of adult butterflies. As well, it is “a favored larval host plant for specific butterfly species including Spring Azures, Pale Swallowtails, Lorquin’s Admirals, and Gray Hairstreaks.”

Flowering bushes are a terrific investment for any garden, and especially for butterfly gardens. While bushes are more expensive to purchase than annuals or perennials, they will last considerably longer. As well, many will bloom earlier in the season than seeded or hothouse flowers. Those earlier blooms will provide needed sustenance to butterflies coming out of hibernation. And then, with a little thought and planning, you can choose bushes that will attract and nourish butterflies throughout the flight season.

Flower Garden Tips

September 21, 2020 by Butterfly Gardens Leave a Comment

Flower gardens are a beautiful addition to any yard. Not only do the colourful blooms add visual interest but the plants attract a variety of wildlife, including birds, bees, and butterflies. Whether your flower garden is just a small plot or has taken over your entire yard, it’s sure to bring you joy.

Planting a Flower Garden

When you’re planning or expanding your flower garden, it’s important to pick the best plants for your growing conditions and your region’s ecosystem. Other than that, focus on having fun and creating a garden space that you love.

Cornell University has a terrific guide to help design your flower garden. The tips below are taken from their site but visit their page for more ideas and details.

Sunshine

Most flowering plants need full sun to flourish. They may tolerate shade or partial shade, but they will likely produce more blooms if they get at least 6 hours of direct sun daily. Read the plant information tags or seed packets to determine how much sun your flowers need. Then, scope out your yard to determine the best spots for your flowers.

Soil

Most plants prefer loose, well-drained soil. A low-lying area where standing water collects isn’t a good spot for a flower garden. But many other soil issues can be addressed. Heavy clay soils, for instance, can be worked and amended with organic matter like compost or manure to loosen them and improve drainage. An easy work-around for any trouble spots, though, is to install raised beds or use pots and planters.

Avoid Trees

Very few plants grow well under large trees. Trees cast shade and their large root systems greedily soak up the moisture and nutrients in the soil.

Choices

Pretty much everything else is up to you!

Do you want to create something new every year from scratch with annuals or do you want to put in some perennials that you can count on to bloom in the years to come?
Flower beds can be more visually interesting if there are a variety of plants with differing heights. Remember that different species or cultivars of the same plant may grow to very different heights. Take some time to figure which plants would complement each other best in terms of how tall they grow.
Visual interest can also be created by choosing blooms of varying shades or contrasting colours.
Create beds where the plants will flower from spring through to fall frosts. Use spring-flowering bulbs like tulips and daffodils to kick things off. Then also choose a variety of other flowers that will bloom throughout the season.
Are there certain types of wildlife (honey bees, hummingbirds, particular butterfly species) that you want to attract to your garden? If so, do some research into the best plants for both your region and the critters you wish to attract.

Remember that most plants transplant well. If you find that a certain flower isn’t performing well or if you decide that you no longer want to care for a certain plant (perhaps you’re tired of deadheading?), it’s perfectly okay to move your plants around. Do a little research beforehand, though, as some transplant better at certain times in the season.

Choosing Native Plants

It’s also important to consider whether the plants you choose for your flower garden are native to the area.

Native plants are those that have evolved within a region’s ecosystem. Because they’ve evolved in tandem with other plants and animals in the area, they have an important role in supporting biodiversity.

Non-native plants (also called “alien” or “exotic” plants) were introduced into an area, either on purpose or by accident. Daylilies, for example, were introduced to North America from eastern Asia in the 1600s as ornamental flowers. Because they are hardy, vigourous, and highly adaptable, they migrated into the wild. They now grow as wildflowers across North America, but they are not native to the continent. Other non-native plant species may have been introduced by accident when seeds were inadvertently carried into an area.

The Ontario Invasive Plant Council points out that invasive plants negatively impact an area’s biodiversity and habitats. In fact, invasive exotic plants can “permanently [alter] landscapes and ecosystem functions … costing economies millions of dollars each year.” Seeds from non-native plants are easily dispersed by wind, water, and wildlife. A single butterfly bush can produce three million seeds within just one season! In that way, even exotic plants confined to your backyard can affect an area’s entire ecosystem.

Choosing Plants for a Butterfly Garden

Butterflies are one of those sure signs of summer that we all love to see. Not only are they awe-inspiring and beautiful to look at but they have a vital role in our planet’s ecosystem. They are part of the natural food chain as prey to birds, bats, and other insects. More importantly, they are crucial pollinators. As the Centre for Biological Diversity points out, as human beings our own food sources are dependent on pollinators.

It’s easy to attract butterflies to your garden. You just need to establish the plants that butterflies and their larvae use as food sources. Adult butterflies will seek out two types of plants. They feed on nectar and are particularly drawn to phlox, asters, coneflowers, lilacs, and butterfly weed. Adult female butterflies also seek out different types of plants: those that are good food sources for larvae. Once they hatch from butterfly eggs, larvae don’t move around much. They need to be located right on their food source from the time they hatch. Different species of butterflies have different preferences for this food source. Monarchs, for example, seek out milkweed. Painted ladies prefer thistles, hollyhocks, and sunflowers.

By planting native plants to attract butterflies and support larvae, your garden becomes more vibrant and interesting to visit. But it also helps to support both your region’s fragile ecosystem and our own lives, since we depend on pollinators for the production of the fruits and vegetables we need to survive.

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