How to Attract Butterflies to your South Florida Garden ... · Attracting Hummingbirds and...
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Introduction Attracting butterflies into your yard by incorporating specific plants into your landscape will benefit nature and bring you hours of pleasure. Not all flowers are attractive to butterflies, nor can their larvae eat the leaves of just any plant. The flowers of Florida native plants are often not as showy as some of the exotic plants sold to attract butterflies, but many of our native plants are rich in nectar and are preferred by many species of butterflies. To establish a successful butterfly garden you should consider several factors including site lo- cation, plant selection, and the availability of water. Site Location Most butterflies are short-lived so they are very busy nectaring, looking for mates, and laying eggs to produce the next generation. Most prefer open, sunny locations, but Florida’s official state butterfly, the zebra longwing, is often seen flying in shady locations. Plant Selection Many butterfly gardening books for Florida recommend plants that are more suited for North or Central Florida, but many of those plants do not fare well in South Florida. To create a success- ful butterfly garden, be sure to only purchase plants suited for your area. Butterflies in a dry inland area are often different than butterflies in coastal locations or wet sites. These differences in locations should influence your plant selection. In addition, soil type, and plant sensitivity to summer heat, rain and humidity, and to cool winter temperatures should affect plant selection. Larval Plants Larval plants are those the female butterflies use to deposit their eggs. These plants are typically very specific to each species of butterfly so it is important to know which butterflies are in your neighborhood, and then plant accordingly. Larval plants are food for caterpillars and are often heavily damaged by the feeding of caterpillars. Larval host plants may be trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous species, and groundcovers, and some double as nectar sources. Nectar Plants Butterflies feed from nectar, water and even liquids from some of the fruits we eat. To drink from the nectar, a butterfly has a long slender tube coiled under its head known as a ‘proboscis’. Each species of butterflies has a nectar plant that is preferred but many butterflies will drink from a wide variety of nectar sources. In other words, nectar plants are not as specific as larval host plants. How to Attract Butterflies to your South Florida Garden Stephen H. Brown, Lee County Horticulture Agent [email protected] Gayle Edwards, Lee County Master Gardener
Transcript of How to Attract Butterflies to your South Florida Garden ... · Attracting Hummingbirds and...
Introduction Attracting butterflies into your yard by incorporating specific plants into your landscape will benefit nature and bring you hours of pleasure. Not all flowers are attractive to butterflies, nor can their larvae eat the leaves of just any plant. The flowers of Florida native plants are often not as showy as some of the exotic plants sold to attract butterflies, but many of our native plants are rich in nectar and are preferred by many species of butterflies. To establish a successful butterfly garden you should consider several factors including site lo-cation, plant selection, and the availability of water. Site Location Most butterflies are short-lived so they are very busy nectaring, looking for mates, and laying eggs to produce the next generation. Most prefer open, sunny locations, but Florida’s official state butterfly, the zebra longwing, is often seen flying in shady locations. Plant Selection Many butterfly gardening books for Florida recommend plants that are more suited for North or Central Florida, but many of those plants do not fare well in South Florida. To create a success-ful butterfly garden, be sure to only purchase plants suited for your area. Butterflies in a dry inland area are often different than butterflies in coastal locations or wet sites. These differences in locations should influence your plant selection. In addition, soil type, and plant sensitivity to summer heat, rain and humidity, and to cool winter temperatures should affect plant selection. Larval Plants Larval plants are those the female butterflies use to deposit their eggs. These plants are typically very specific to each species of butterfly so it is important to know which butterflies are in your neighborhood, and then plant accordingly. Larval plants are food for caterpillars and are often heavily damaged by the feeding of caterpillars. Larval host plants may be trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous species, and groundcovers, and some double as nectar sources. Nectar Plants Butterflies feed from nectar, water and even liquids from some of the fruits we eat. To drink from the nectar, a butterfly has a long slender tube coiled under its head known as a ‘proboscis’. Each species of butterflies has a nectar plant that is preferred but many butterflies will drink from a wide variety of nectar sources. In other words, nectar plants are not as specific as larval host plants.
How to Attract Butterflies to your South Florida Garden Stephen H. Brown, Lee County Horticulture Agent [email protected] Gayle Edwards, Lee County Master Gardener
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Cover Plants When caterpillars are ready to pupate, they usually leave their host plant and attach their chrysalis to a nearby tree, shrub, or vine. Butterflies use cover plants to roost at night, hide from predators, and to shelter from foul weather. Cover plants need not differ from larval and nectar plants and can be a combination of both types of plants. Water Caterpillars sole diet are leaves and sometimes stems of plants. It is the butterflies that seek wa-ter. Butterflies cannot drink from a direct water source such as a river, birdbath or saucer of wa-ter. Most of their liquid requirements are met by nectar and dew but some do obtain water by “sipping” or “pebbling” from wet sand or mud. An easy way to supply water for butterflies is to place rocks in a birdbath, or fill a birdbath with sand. Click on the blue highlighted word or phrase to be taken to the picture or information described.
Tables The native Florida plants listed in these tables are a fraction of the many native plants that pro-vide food and shelter to many butterflies and skippers. Table 1. Florida native trees used as larval food. Table 2. Florida native shrubs used as larval food. Table 3. Florida native vines used as larval food. Table 4. Florida native wildflowers and weeds used as larval food. Table 5. Florida native plants used as larval plants.
Butterfly Pictures Black Swallowtail Buckeye (Common) Cassius Blue Ceraunus Blue Cloudless Sulphur Dainty Sulphur Giant Swallowtail Gray Ministreak Great Southern White Gulf Fritillary Julia
Malachite Monarch Phaon Crescent Polydamas Swallowtail Queen Ruddy Daggerwing Soldier Viceroy White Peacock Zebra Longwing
Skipper Pictures Dorantes Longtail Longtailed Skipper Mangrove Skipper References Butterfly Links Butterfly Gardening Podcast
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Table 1. Florida native trees used as larval food.
Common Names Botanical Names Butterflies
Black Mangrove Avicennia germinans Mangrove Buckeye
Blackbead Pithecellobium keyense Large Orange Sulphur
Cat’s Claw Pithecellobium unguis-cati Large Orange Sulphur
Hercules Club Zanthoxylum clava-hercules Giant Swallowtail
Limber Caper Capparis flexuosa Florida White
Red Mangrove Rhizophora mangle Mangrove Skipper
Strangler Fig Ficus aurea Ruddy Daggerwing
Torchwood Amyris elemifera Giant Swallowtail
Wild Lime Zanthoxylum fagara Giant Swallowtail
Wild Tamarind Lysiloma latisiliquum Cassius Blue, Large Orange Sulphur
Willow Salix caroliniana Viceroy
Table 2. Florida native shrubs used as larval food.
Common Names Botanical Names Butterflies
Bahama Senna Senna mexicana var. chapmanii
Cloudless Sulphur, Orange-Barred Sulphur, Sleepy Orange
Carolina Aster Ampelaster carolinianus Pearl Crescent
Coontie Zamia pumila Atala
Doctorbush Plumbago zeylanica Cassius Blue
Netted Pawpaw Asimina reticulata Zebra Swallowtail
Privet Senna Senna ligustrina Cloudless Sulphur, Orange-Barred Sulphur, Sleepy Orange
Water Hemlock Cicuta maculata Eastern Black Swallowtail
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Common Names Botanical Names Butterflies
Corkystem Passionflower Passiflora suberosa Variegated Fritillary, Gulf Frit-illary, Julia, Zebra Heliconian, Zebra longwing
Maypop Passiflora incarnata Gulf Fritillary, Julia, Zebra Longwing
White Vine Sarcostemma clausum Queen, Soldier, Monarch
Table 3. Florida native vines used as larval food.
Table 4. Florida native wildflowers and weeds used as larval food.
Common Names Botanical Names Butterflies
Alligator Flag Thalia geniculata Brazilian Skipper
Beggarweeds Desmodium sp. Gray Hairstreak, Dorantes Longtail Skipper
Creeping Charlie (Fog Fruit)
Phyla nodiflora Common Buckeye, Cuban Crescent,
False Nettle Boehmeria cylindrica Red Admiral
Green Shrimp Plant Ruellia blechum Malachite
Partridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculata Ceraunus Blue, Gray Hairstreak, Cloudless Sulphur, Little Sulphur
Pencil Flower Stylosanthes hamata Barred Yellow
Peppergrass Lepidium virginicum Checkered White, Great Southern White
Purple Thistle Cirsium horridulum Little Metalamark, Painted Lady
Saltwort Batis maritima Great Southern White
Sixangle Foldwing Dicliptera sexangularis Cuban Crescent
Spanish Needle Bidens alba Dainty Sulphur
Twinflower Dyschoriste oblongifolia Common Buckeye, Little Sulphur
Water Dropwort Tiedemannia filiformis Eastern Black Swallowtail
Water Hyssop Bacopa monnieri White Peacock
Wild Petunia Ruellia caroliniensis Common Buckeye, Malachite
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Common Names Botanical Names
Beach Verbena Glandularia maritima
Black-Eyed Susan Rubeckia hirta
Bloodberry Cordia globosa
Blue Porterweed Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
Bushy Aster Symphyotrichum dumosum
Coral Honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens
Dotted Horsemint Monarda punctata
Dune/Beach Sunflower Helianthus debilis
False Dragonhead Physostegia purpurea
Fiddlewood Citharexylum spinosum
Gaillardia Gaillardia pulchella
Ironweed Vernonia blodgettii
Leavenworth’s Tickseed Coreopsis leavenworthii
Mist Flower Conoclinium coelestinum
Necklace Pod Sophora tomentosa
Skyblue Clustervine Jacquemontia pentanthos
Scorpion Tail Heliotropium angiospermum
Sea Oxeye Daisy Borrichia frutescens
Seaside Goldenrod Solidago sempervirens
Silk Grass Pityopsis graminifolia
Tropical Sage Salvia coccinea
Wild Coffee Psychotria spp.
Wild Sage Lantana involucrata
Yellowtop Flaveria linearis
Firebush Hamelia patens var. patens
Table 5. Florida native plants used as nectar plants.
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Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Butterflies
Gayle Edwards Gayle Edwards
Buckeye (Junonia coenia)
On Spanish needle, Bidens alba. Trudi
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Cassius Blue (Cassius leptotes)
On necklace pod, Sophora tomentosa. Gayle Edwards
Ceraunus Blue (Hemiargus ceraunus)
Gayle Edwards
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Gayle Edwards
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Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)
On blue mistflower, Conoclinium coelestinum, S. H. Brown
On firebush, Hamelia patens var. patens. S. H. Brown
Great Southern White (Ascia monuste)
S. H. Brown Carol McDonald
Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole)
On Spanish needle, Bidens alba. S.H. Brown S.H. Brown
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Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)
Newly emerged gulf fritillary and chrysalis. Gayle Edwards
On slender grayfeather, Liatris gracilis. S. H. Brown
On slender grayfeather, L. gracilis. S. H. Brown
Two gulf fritillaries mating. Gayle Edwards On Zinnia, Zinnia sp. S. H. Brown
Gray Ministreak (Ministrymon azia) Julia (Dryas julia)
Gayle Edwards Gayle Edwards
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Monarch (Danaus plexippus)
On golden dewdrop, Duranta repens. Gayle Edwards On Mexican flame vine, Senecio confuses. Gayle Edwards
On beach verbena, Glandularia maritima. Gayle Edwards
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Malachite (Siproeta stelenes)
On grass. Gayle Edwards. Gayle Edwards
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Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon)
On creeping Charlie, Phyla nodiflora. Gayle Edwards
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Polydamas Swallowtail (Battus polydamas)
Newly emerging on Dutchman’s pipe, Aristolochia grandiflora. Gayle Edwards
On nettleleaf vervain, Stachytarpheta cayennensis. S. H. Brown
Queen (Danaus gilippus) Ruddy Daggerwing (Marpesia petreus)
Queen and monarch caterpillar on milkweed. Gayle Edwards
Gayle Edwards
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Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
On Lavenworth’s tickseed, Coreopsis leavenworthii. Sally Watson.
Soldier (Danus erisimus)
On mist flower. Gayle Edwards On mist flower. Gayle Edwards
Gayle Edwards
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Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
Tom Allen
White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae)
On milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, S. H. Brown
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Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides Marcellus)
Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius)
Newly emerged. Gayle Edwards On firebush, Hamelia patens var. patens. S. H. Brown
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Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
On Bougainvillea. Kitty Tyler Gayle Edwards
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Skippers
Dorantes Longtail (Urbanus dorantes)
S.H. Brown S.H. Brown
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Longtailed Skipper (Urbanus proteus)
S.H. Brown S.H. Brown
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Mangrove Skipper (Phocides pigmalion)
On Mexican flame vine, Senecio confusus. Gayle Edwards.
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This fact sheet was reviewed by Roger Hammer, Naturalist, Miami-Dade County; Peggy Cruz, Lee County Extension; Pat Rooney, Kim Cooprider and Kitty Tyler, Lee County Master Gardeners.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational informa-tion and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, martial status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. 6/2016
References Daniels, J.C. 2015. Ceranunus Blue Butterfly, Hemiargus ceraunus. UF/IFAS, Gainesville, Florida
Daniels, J.C. et al. 2014. Butterfly Gardening in Florida. UF/IFAS, Gainesville, Florida
Hammer, R. 2015. Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies in Tropical Florida: A Companion for Gardeners. University of Florida Press, Gainesville, Florida
Malone, K.C. et al. 2010. Community ButteflyScaping: How to Move Beyond Butterfly Gardening to Create a Large-Scale Butterfly Habitat. UF/IFAS, Gainesville, Florida
Butterfly Links
Butterflies
Butterfly Plants
Order: Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths)
Butterfly Gardening Podcast
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Send me an email to request Brown’s Plant File. Include your first and last names and your general location. The plant file is emailed at no cost to you about every six weeks.
