Keeping Butterflies in Our Communities Ghosts in the Graveyard
Mountainmints are Pollinator Magnets
Butterfly Gardening in Connecticut
Journey from “Green Desert” to Nature Sanctuary
Wanted Alive in Your Garden: Giant Swallowtail Caterpillars
ardening for butter ies need not be a solitary activity n fact, one way to grow more butter ies is to grow more butter y gardeners. Reach out to other potential gardeners by sharing a onarch caterpillar with a local grade school classroom, for example, or proudly display your B certi ed garden sign to let people know that something a little different is going on in your garden, or even take a true walk on the wild side and travel to Tallahassee
B s 1 th Biennial embers eeting will be held eptember 1 -19, 018 in Tallahassee, Florida. This sweet spot of biodiversity boasts an estimated 1 00 plant species, with 1 of them endemic to the palachicola iver Basin, ust west of Tallahassee, including do ens of carnivorous plant species. Best of all, it boasts over 1 0 species of butter ies.
B embers eetings are not ust for expanding your butter y life list although the meetings provide that opportunity in spades . very morning, before heading off for a eld trip of your choosing, there are a series of workshops on topics such as identi cation, photography, butter y gardening, and butter y defense mechanisms. ne eld trip option this year provides an opportunity to see a -acre property that has been converted from a former dairy operation into a haven for do ens of butter y species and native plants. eptember is the peak for wild ower blooms in north Florida.
fter a day interacting with plants and butter ies, you can interface with like-minded butter iers at the social hour and nightly ban uet an after dinner talk each evening by a butter y expert rounds out your day.
egistration, activities, and schedules can be found at http naba.org/meeting.html
Arrange for someone to water your home garden and join us for a butter y- lled break in Florida and connect with a community of butter y enthusiasts
ardening for butter ies is a life-long learning experience that can extend far beyond our garden walls.
We want to hear from you! Please send utter ardener correspondence and submissions to: Jane Hurwit , ditor, B , elaware oad, orristown, J 07960; hurwitz@naba.org
rticles, gardening tips and observations, artwork, digital high resolution photographs, poetry and comments will be considered for publication. Please send self-addressed stamped envelope for items to be returned.
Advertising utter ardener welcomes advertising. Please write us at: utter ardener, elaware oad, orristown, J 0 9 0, or telephone 9 8 -090 or fax 9 8 -09 for current rates and closing dates.
Membership Services
For questions concerning membership issues, maga ines, or changes of address, please write to B embership ervices, elaware oad, orristown, J 0 9 0. ccasionally, members send membership dues in twice. Our policy in such cases, unless instructed otherwise, is to extend membership for an additional year.
Keeping Butterflies in Our Communities
Text and Photos by Julie O’Donald
Do you remember a time when butterflies filled gardens and vacant lots? Perhaps you still live in such a place, but for many of us this lovely vision is only a memory. o matter where we live, natural ecosystems have been disturbed. n farms, in cities, and in suburbs, nature has been marginalized—or obliterated altogether. Our gardens have increasingly become necessary places of sanctuary and support for butterflies and other pollinators.
remember childhood summers brimming with wildflowers and butterflies. atural areas and derelict farms were scattered about the landscape. ven 0 years ago, my neighborhood still included overgrown farms that had become havens for caterpillar food plants. But as the neighborhood has transitioned from farms to suburbs, many of these places have disappeared, or no longer support native plants. till, feel fortunate to live in an area with greenbelts, parks, and riparian areas whose corridors of vegetation allow butterflies to travel between areas of habitat. n order for butterfly populations to remain as healthy as possible, we need to look beyond our gardens and consider where their caterpillar food plants grow.
tart by getting to know the butterflies that are found in your corner of the world and learn about their preferred caterpillar food plants. These are usually native plants, and since they differ by region, it may take a little research to find what caterpillar food plants grow in your location. nce you have that information, look around your community does it include natural areas where these plants occur? Consider how your garden connects to areas with these caterpillar food plants. By planting native trees, shrubs, and flowers that are used by caterpillars, we help provide pesticide-free corridors that support butterfly populations between larger natural areas. ven pots of flowers on apartment balconies can provide a nectar-rich oasis for these local populations.
Bumble Bee on Goldenrod
chools, churches, and libraries often have places where small butterfly gardens can be developed— visible public sites that will introduce the idea of gardening for butterflies to your community. t may be possible to involve students, scouts, or local garden clubs, building community friendships in the process. The reward for the effort spent creating a public butterfly garden can be wonderful. n my small suburban town ust north of eattle, gardeners have become interested in creating pollinator gardens that benefit native bees and butterflies. earning that pollinators are in decline, many people want to do something to help. Creating a public garden is a great way to connect habitats, develop community interest, and share the en oyment of watching butterflies and other pollinators in our neighborhoods. Plants that are important to butterflies are often preferred by other pollinators as well, so while butterflies wait for the sun and you wait for the butterflies you are likely to see native bumble bees, leaf-cutter bees, and other native pollinators busy in the garden.
These photos show the results of creating a pollinator garden at a school. While most of the initial site planning was done by adults, students are learning about native plants and helping to plant seeds and nectar-rich flowers. During the school year a student–teacher garden club meets to participate in these tasks. ssistance with watering and ongoing maintenance is provided by neighborhood volunteers. ne helpful tip is to keep the garden small. t is more rewarding to have a small, well-kept garden than one that looks untended because it s too big to maintain.
August in the Pollinator Garden
t did not take long for birds and pollinators to visit the garden. lmost immediately, small birds arrived to forage. oon bumble bees and other native pollinators, including hummingbirds, came for nectar. lthough it took a little longer for the butterflies to show up which is often the case in our region by late summer oodland kippers came to nectar on the avender. The following year ed dmiral found the Joe Pye eed and the next year a est Coast ady spent a week or more among the asters. The garden is located near a greenbelt where native caterpillar food plants grow.
ow, with the addition of flowers rich in nectar and an area free of chemicals, newfound beauty and activity flourish where before there was only lawn. any neighbors tell us how they en oy walking by to see the flowers, butterflies, and hummingbirds that enrich the neighborhood. ven though it is not a wildflower meadow, this little patch of native plants providing nectar and pollen makes a difference for the butterflies and pollinators that live here and helps keep them in our community. Perhaps your community will find a place to share the reward of gardening for butterflies and enjoy the success of keeping butterflies in your neighborhood.
Julie O’Donald has been a long-time member of NABA and gives presentations in her community on the benefits of creating habitat for butterflies, pollinators, and birds in the Pacific Northwest. Julie is a community wildlife habitat steward with the National Wildlife Federation and a Master Gardener with a focus on native plants and gardening for wildlife. Her garden has attracted a total of 18 species of butterflies. n 01 and 01 Julie s pollinator garden attracted the rare estern Bumble Bee, o bus occidenta is. Once common, this bee is in serious decline in the Pacific orthwest.
West Coast Lady
This long by 1 wide garden, pictured below, features both native and non-native plants, including
Non-native flowers
avender Lavendu a sp.
ew ngland ster ph otrichu novae ang iae
Joe Pye eed utrochiu acu atu
howy tonecrop ote ephiu spectabi e
Native wildflowers
estern Pearly verlasting napha is argariticea
Canada oldenrod o idago canadensis
Bigleaf upine Lupinus po ph us
ouglas ster ph otrichu subspicatus
Common nee eweed e eniu autu na e
Native Shrubs
vergreen Huckleberry acciniu ovatu
hite piraea pirea betu i o ia
regon rape erberis a ui o iu
Western Serviceberry e anchier a ni o ia
Fre uently found growing in shallow, rocky soil on canyon ledges, in fields, and scattered among trees in the dwards Plateau region of Central Texas, Texas or Twistleaf ucca ucca rupico a , is sometimes called ghosts in the graveyard, for when in bloom, the clusters of white flowers on tall, thin stalks appear as apparitions floating above the twisted leaves that form the basal rosette. However, this native plant relatively common in its native range of Texas has a much more uncommon, mysterious association with two rarely seen butterflies, ucca iant- kipper and trecker s iant- kipper.
Flying in the early spring, ucca iant- kipper is a medium-si ed, robust-bodied butterfly with a fast, powerful flight. bove, its dark forewings are elongated with a variable pale yellow outer band, and a yellow marginal border can be seen on the hindwings. Below, the hindwings are a dark blackish brown with violet-white frosting and a prominent triangular white spot along the leading margin. ales and females are similar, but females are generally larger and males have wider,
more rounded forewings. While Twistleaf ucca is the favored caterpillar food plant for this butterfly in Central Texas, it will also utilize other native yucca species present throughout its range across the southern U.S.
Flying in late spring or early summer, trecker s iant- kipper is a similarly robust but more western species, paler and grayer below than ucca iant- kipper, with the hindwing exhibiting more white spots and a pale margin below, and large yellow and white spots on the forewing above. t is often found at higher elevations, including sand hills, short-grass prairie, rocky buffs, shrubland, and open woodlands that support native yucca species. Females make clicking noises during flight, and adults often perch on old yucca flower stalks with their hindwings spread, mimicking old seedpods in order to bask safely in the sun.
lthough fairly common, these giantskippers are like ghosts in the butterfly world, as adults are rarely sighted. The most fascinating aspect of these butterflies is how they depend on their caterpillar food plants to carry out their unique life cycle. Males
Below: Twistleaf
Previous page: The tall flowering stalk of Twistleaf ucca is often referred to as a ghost
Left: Yucca GiantSkipper
Yucca grows in rocky soil
Top: Strecker’s Giant-Skipper
Middle: Strecker’s Giant-Skipper caterpillar
Below: Yucca Giant-Skipper chrysalis
perch low on yuccas or on the ground near yuccas, awaiting passing females. Beginning the cycle that produces only one generation per year from February to ay for ucca iant- kipper and ay to July for trecker s iant- kipper , the mated female butterfly lays eggs singly on the leaves of a host plant. The young caterpillars typically feed on the plant s leaves, but the older caterpillars are large enough to bore deep into the yucca’s crown and feed within the root, constructing a prominent, tentlike shelter made of silk, soil, and plant debris at the opening of the burrow. Tents that are active can be distinguished from inactive ones by looking at the base of the yucca for caterpillar excrement or frass, which is pushed out of the tent opening before the caterpillar pupates. Fully-grown caterpillars overwinter in these burrows and are able to move up and down in them once they pupate.
n the spring, the adult butterfly emerges from the tent opening and allows its wings to dry before taking flight to begin the search for a mate. Adult giantskippers do not feed although males often sip moisture from mud , and their lifespan is unknown. Consider planting native yuccas in your own garden, and look closely as you encounter them in the wild, as these plant ghosts in the graveyard may just be harboring some magnificent butterfly ghosts of their own
Above:
e ale Strecker’s Giant-Skipper lays eggs singly on the leaves of its host plant ’
Left: The silken tent formed by a Yucca GiantSkipper caterpillar
Twistleaf ucca has ornamental value in gardens as an accent plant. t can be sited in full sun to part shade and its water requirements are low. Bearing fragrant flowers on five-foot-tall stems in the summer, the plant is hardy to one -10 F .
Jim ynne eber are certi ed Texas aster aturalists, published authors, and nature photographers residing in ustin, Texas. Their recent retirements from long careers in the tech industry have enabled them to focus more fully on their life-long interest in several aspects of natural history. The Webers’ blog can be found at https://naturewatchaustin.blogspot.com and their third book, ative ost ants or e as utter ies ie d uide, will be published by Texas University Press in summer of 2018.
For the ove of Butterflies
Please photocopy this membership application form and pass it along to friends and acquaintances who might be interested in NABA. www.naba.org
es want to oin B and receive erican utter ies and utter ardener and/or contribute to the creation of the premier butterfly garden in the world, B s ational Butterfly Center. The Center, located on approximately 100 acres of land fronting the io rande in ission, Texas, uses native trees, shrubs and wildflowers to create a spectacular natural butterfly garden that significantly benefits butterflies, an endangered ecosystem, and the people of the io rande alley.
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rticles, gardening tips and observations, artwork, digital high resolution photographs, poetry and comments will be considered for publication. Contact Jane Hurwit , ditor, hurwit naba.org
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f you have uestions about duplicate maga ines, missing maga ines, membership expiration date, change of address, etc., please write to B embership ervices, elaware d., orristown, J 0 9 0. ccasionally, members send membership dues twice. ur policy in such cases, unless instructed differently, is to extend membership for an additional year. B sometimes exchanges or sells its membership list to like-minded organi ations that supply services or products that might be of interest to members. f you would like your name deleted from membership lists we supply to others, please write and inform us at B embership ervices, elaware d., orristown, J 07960.
Mountainmints Are Pollinator Magnets
Text and photos by Mary Anne Borge
ooking for deer-resistant plants that pollinators can t resist ountainmints are your answer
sually blooming from late June through ugust, mountainmints attract a spectacular assortment of butterflies, bees, moths, and other pollinators such as wasps, flies, and beetles. These beneficial insects forage amiably together for nectar, since the profusion of tiny blossoms offered by these plants provides enough food for everyone to dine in harmony for many weeks throughout the summer. From morning until evening, mountainmints are alive with the dance of pollinators.
Among the several species of mountainmints my favorites are Clustered Mountainmint cnanthe u uticu and Hoary ountainmint incanu . The genus name, cnanthe u , means densely flowered, hinting at how these plants can accommodate so many hungry visitors simultaneously. The foliage of these two species is as showy as the flowers, enhancing their visual appeal.
Common Buckeye on Clustered Mountainmint
Plants are all about surviving and reproducing, and mountainmints are among the plant species whose reproductive strategy is to produce numerous clusters of diminutive flowers, together forming a showy inflorescence. This approach has evolved to attract insects as assistants in the pollination process. ndividual flowers in each cluster bloom progressively over many weeks, increasing each plant s chances for successful reproduction. This prolonged flowering period also works out really well for their pollinator partners, who are looking for a continuing, reliable source of food.
Clustered ountainmint grows to a maximum height of about three feet, topped with round heads of tiny white flowers smudged with bright magenta. The plants are truly densely flowered. soft, velvety bed of pale blue-green foliage frames the blossoms. Rub or crush the leaves and you’ll be rewarded with a scent that confirms that mountainmints belong to the Mint Family. Clustered
Hoary Mountainmint
Top Photo: Eastern Tailed-Blue on Clustered Mountainmint
Middle Photo: Hoary Mountainmint with Northern Broken-Dash
Bottom Photo: Narrowleaf Mountainmint with Common Buckeye
Mountainmint can tolerate part shade to full sun, and likes moist but well-drained, average soil.
Hoary
ountainmint, as the name implies, has foliage very similar to Clustered ountain int, with the leaves just below the flower heads looking as if they had been lightly but evenly dusted with powdered sugar. ach delicate flower is white with a sprinkling of tiny purple spots. The flowers grow in rounded heads much like Clustered ountainmint, but the blossoms are somewhat larger, and grow in multiple tiers on each stem. The branching habit is open and graceful, showing off the layers of flowers, and providing easy access to their many visitors. This species grows to a height of two to four feet, and prefers full sun and average to dry soil.
irginia virginianu and arrowleaf tenui o iu Mountainmints are also good garden candidates. arrowleaf ountainmint grows to a height of one to three feet, while irginia ountainmint may achieve a slightly taller stature, depending on growing conditions.
Their seemingly endless supply of nectar makes mountainmints a great option for attracting butterflies. Clustered, arrowleaf, and irginia ountainmints all attract small to medium-si e butterflies. xpect to see hairstreaks, blues, Common Buckeyes, ladies, and smaller fritillaries. Hoary ountainmint flowers are large enough to also accommodate larger butterflies, like some of the swallowtails.
f you have a vegetable garden, you might consider planting some mountainmint nearby. ood nectar-producing plants like these attract many bee species that will help increase your garden s yield.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Because of their strongly fragrant foliage, mountainmints are rejected by foraging deer. n fall the flower heads dry to a dramatic steel gray, and in winter they can be an eyecatching addition to a garden.
ike virtually all int Family plants, mountainmints spread enthusiastically, but fortunately they are shallow rooted, and can easily be pulled out for sharing with other gardeners.
The mountainmints have adapted to thrive in a fairly broad range of climatic conditions. They hold their own very well even during hot, dry summers. ll of these species are native to much of the eastern half of the nited tates, some to as far west as Texas and as far north as the eastern Canadian provinces. Nineteen species of Mountainmints are native in orth merica, so you can likely find at least one that is just right for your garden. To discover additional mountainmint species, and to find out whether a particular species is native in your area, check the USDA NRCS Plant Database: http://plants.usda.gov/java/ profile symbol P C
American Snout on Clustered Mountainmint
Spicebush Swallowtail on Hoary Mountainmint
ary nne Borge is a naturalist, writer, photographer, and educator, based in ew Jersey. he is a naturalist and instructor at Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in ew Hope, Pennsylvania, a Pennsylvania aster aturalist, and ssociate ditor of utter ardener magazine. Her photographs have been featured in numerous publications. She enjoys sharing her love of nature through her writing and photography at her blog, the-natural-web.org.
Butter y Gardening in Connecticut
Text and Photos by Pamm Cooper
hile most of us are familiar with the butterflies we see gracing the flowers in our gardens, many people do not consider that these winged adults have already spent most of their life as a caterpillar feeding on some plant nearby. henever see a butterfly, try to identify it and then research its caterpillar food plants. hen return to that area, check out those plants to see if the caterpillars are there. n my own property, many species of butterflies visit the flowers on offer from spring through early fall, and have planted a ban uet for their caterpillars. For instance, grow Black Cherry for astern Tiger wallowtail, assafras for picebush wallowtail, and blueberries for feeding Spring Azures.
Photo top of page: Eastern Tiger and Spicbush swallowtails puddling
Photo otto o pa e Eastern P ne El n caterp llar
ne of the most common butterflies in the ortheast is merican ady. This butterfly most likely migrates northward every year, as winter survival in Connecticut is unlikely. n the wild, merican ady caterpillars feed on pussytoes, and estern Pearly verlasting. By day, caterpillars rest inside a shelter they make by tying together several leaves of the food plant.
Some butterflies are becoming threatened as habitats are lost and suitable caterpillar food plants become less available. ne such species in Connecticut is the beautiful Baltimore Checkerspot. This butterfly is active in June and its early-stage caterpillars have limited food-plant preferences. Before hibernation, they eat mainly hite Turtlehead, where they feed in communal webs near the tops of their food plants. fter overwintering in other silk webs in the leaf litter, caterpillars may wander to other food plants such as arrowleaf Plantain, Hairy Beardtongue, reen sh, outhern rrowwood, or honeysuckles.
ures and hairstreaks are very small, fast-flying butterflies that may be found in a variety of open areas including woodland edges, power line rights-of-way, fields, and roadsides, and each species uses only certain caterpillar food plants. The early-flying Spring Azure flashes bright blue on the upper sides of its wings. ts caterpillars can be found on buds of blueberry, Flowering ogwood, and viburnums. astern Pine lfin is a handsome, brown-banded hairstreak whose caterpillars as its name suggests eat the needles of astern hite Pine. The dapper brown underwings of Coral Hairstreak, one of my favorite butterflies, are edged with coral spots. ts caterpillars feed on wild runus species such as Black Cherry and Chokecherry, and are attended by ants.
American Lady
Brushfooted butterflies include reat pangled Fritillary, uestion ark, astern Comma, ourning Cloak, merican and Painted ladies, ed dmiral, Common Buckeye, and onarch, among others. any caterpillars of this group have stiff, branched spines over the body and head, although some have no spines. ed dmiral and astern Comma caterpillars are common on tinging ettle, where they fold the leaves in half lengthwise and hide inside during the day. Red Admiral caterpillars sometimes pupate within the shelter or attached to a nettle leaf, and if you look carefully inside a folded nettle leaf, you may find either the caterpillar or the chrysalis.
ourning Cloaks overwinter as adult butterflies and may be seen flying about on warm winter days. Just before trees leaf out in early spring, females lay a ring of eggs on a twig of one of their caterpillar host plants, which include a wide variety of tree species, but mainly willows, poplars, and birches. hen young, the caterpillars feed together in a group. The adult butterflies seldom visit flowers, but instead obtain nutrients from sap flows on tree trunks, or from dung piles or fermenting fruit.
The swallowtail butterflies are large, graceful fliers with tails on the hindwings. astern Tiger wallowtail caterpillars feed on foliage of Black Cherry, weetbay, and Tuliptree, as well as that of other trees. The butterfly prefers to lay her eggs on small trees, or even saplings. The caterpillars feed at night and rest by day on the upper sides of leaves. Spicebush Swallowtail lays her eggs on Sassafras or Northern picebush, where the caterpillars hide inside a leaf they have tied together lengthwise. Peek inside a assafras or Northern Spicebush leaf that is folded lengthwise and see if a Spicebush caterpillar is inside, looking at you with snakelike eyes meant to scare away predatory birds.
kippers are small to medium-si ed butterflies that visit many flowers in many types of habitats. any skippers, such as Peck s kipper and Black ash, use grasses or sedges as caterpillar food plants, and most of these grass-skippers overwinter as caterpillars. The caterpillars of spreadwing skippers, however, feed on broad-leaved plants rather than grasses. any such as ilver-spotted kipper use legumes, while others such as Juvenal s uskywing feed on oak foliage. ome of these caterpillars make shelters by tying a pair of leaves together.
The woodland butterflies may be less familiar to many of us. ome of these, like orthern Pearlyeye, are very particular in their habitat preference. lthough it generally flies beneath shady forest
Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar
canopies, this pearly-eye needs enough sunlight to allow plants such as astern Bottlebrush rass, one of its caterpillar hosts, to grow in the understory. ittle ood atyr is not as fussy, and can be found in brushy open areas and along woodland edges. ts caterpillars also feed on grasses.
Common Buckeye migrates to Connecticut, as succeeding generations move north from overwintering areas in the Deep South. While unable to survive the free ing winters in the north, this beautiful butterfly can recolonize its northern summer range each year. ts caterpillar food plants include toadflax, plantain, and snapdragon.
As you plan on improving your gardens and landscapes with new plants, consider providing not only nectar flowers for adult butterflies, but also food plants that support the caterpillars that become butterflies.
Common Buckeye
Baltimore Checkerspot
Pamm Cooper works at the niversity of Connecticut Home and arden ducation Center office as a public service specialist answering questions from the public on gardening problems. She also teaches the entomology portion of the University of Connecticut Master Gardener Program. She has teamed with Jane Seymour from the P to provide programs on using native plants in the backyard to support native pollinators and wildlife. She is also an avid nature photographer.
Common and Scienti c Plant Names found in Butter y Gardening in Connecticut
Black Cherry runus serotina
Sassafras assa ras a bidu
Pussytoes ntennaria spp.
Blueberries acciniu spp.
Western Pearly napha is verlasting argaritacea
Wormwoods rte isia spp.
Honeysuckles Lonicera spp.
Crab Apples a us spp.
Charlock inapis arvensis
Narrowleaf antago anceo ata
Plantain
White Turtlehead Che one g abra
Green Ash ra inus penns vanica
Southern iburnu recognitu
Arrowwood
Hairy Beardtongue enste on hirsutus
Flowering Cornus orida
Dogwood
Viburnums iburnu spp.
astern hite Pine inus strobus
Chokecherry runus virginiana
Black Cherry runus serotina
Stinging Nettle rtica dioica
astern Cottonwood opu us de toides
Willows a i spp.
Common Hackberry Ce tis occidenta is
Sweetbay agno ia virginiana
Tuliptree Liriodendron tu ipi era
Northern Spicebush Lindera benzoin
Sassafras assa ras a bidu
Eastern Bottlebrush Grass Elymus hystrix
Toadflaxes Linaria spp.
Snapdragon Antirrhinum majus
Plantains Plantago spp.
Our Journey from “Green Desert” to Nature Sanctuary
Text and photos by
Joe Falconi
n 198 , we bought a home in eastern Pennsylvania that was surrounded by a few patches of weedinfested lawn but sited on nine acres of woodlands crossed by seasonal streams. The house was in great need of repair and the fields and woodland understory were choked with ambler ose. But the topography and vistas were promising.
We set about turning weeds into lawns for our dogs and children. To build gardens we brought in soil by the truckload, hacking away at the fractured shale that lay beneath a thin layer of topsoil surrounding the house. Those early beds were dominated by exotic ornamentals, with only a few native species.
Not until we had spent a few years visiting nearby Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve did we understand that we had created several acres of green desert where only the native dogwoods, oaks, and hickories were supporting meaningful insect and bird life. o in 01 1 , we set about planning and preparing to change that with our first pocket meadows.
Meadow Planting Therapy
For years our dogs and children had thrived on running and playing in a large area of lawn bordered by upland woods. ot wishing to completely forego its appeal as a play area, we designed two large pocket meadows as wood-edge plantings. ach meadow would be anchored with a sprinkling of astern edbud Cercis canadensis , astern edcedar Juniperus virginiana , hite Fringetree Chionanthus virginicus , and orthern picebush Lindera benzoin , to provide shelter and shade as well as habitat. Beginning early in the spring of 01 , we set about killing the lawn in these areas to prepare for planting.
Monarch on Eastern Purple Coneflower
few weeks into this process, on a perfectly clear afternoon, a truck skidded out of control, crossed lanes, and collided head-on with my car. iraculously, though badly bruised and concussed, was otherwise unharmed, and resolved that my recovery therapy would center on the preparation and seeding of our new pocket meadows. Painful and slow at first, the light tilling of the meadow areas did in fact prove therapeutic, as a combination of fresh air, sunshine, and physical effort healed the bruising of both mind and body. Thoughts of attracting Monarchs and swallowtails became a compelling motivation to power through the bed-prep that precedes any planting. n late ay, we added about an inch of leaf compost, mixed the tiny wildflower and grass seeds with planting soil, sowed the meadows as evenly as possible, then embarked on a season of watering, weeding, and hoping for the best.
The Next Year
The following season wildly exceeded our most optimistic expectations, in terms of both plant growth and insect response. Prior to this time, we hadn t seen a single onarch in several seasons. ow and then we were treated to the sight of an astern Tiger wallowtail, and an occasional Cabbage hite. Honeybees had not been in much evidence either, a fact we attributed to possible colony collapse in our area. When we did catch a glimpse of any of the large charismatic butterflies, it was almost invariably a single individual.
Spicebush Swallowtail nectaring from Wild Bergamot
e were therefore unprepared for the sheer numbers, or the variety of species, that began to appear in late June and early July of that first year of plant growth. The meadows became our outdoor nature show, up and running when the sun had risen high enough to take the dew off the flower heads, which were now well over feet in height and literally towering over some of the shrubs and young Pawpaws planted among the flowering plants and tall grasses.
n June we began to spot pring ures, fritillaries, skippers, and ed dmirals. The astern Tiger wallowtails arrived, but instead of one or two, we saw almost too many to count. elatively unac uainted with Black wallowtails, we were enchanted by their appearance and by the contrast between them and the more commonplace astern Tigers. ultiple individuals of both species flitted around and between the two meadows, stopping midway to nectar on the Joe Pye eed surrounding portions of our vegetable garden.
e were fortunate enough to attract both picebush and Pipevine swallowtails, the latter in apparent response to our years-long effort to coax its caterpillar food plant, a utchman s Pipevine risto ochia acroph a , into robust health. The pipevine grows on a nearby arbor that also supports merican isteria isteria rutescens and Trumpet Honeysuckle Lonicera se pervirens .
Finally, one late-July afternoon, the onarchs began to appear. e were stunned by the response to those first meadows, and are gratified that it has continued through successive seasons and additional meadows. Complementing the silent flutter of butterflies, we are now greeted by the constant drone of honeybees, hundreds of bumblebees, and scores of hummingbird moths that provide a soundtrack to the daily spectacle that literally hums with life during June, July, and much of August.
Lessons Learned
1. The experience has transformed the way we think about gardens. e now look at all our gardens in terms of how much support they offer pollinators, and we maintain them accordingly. e leave plant matter on the ground for the winter, and we are gradually removing plants that don t support our local insect and bird populations.
2. The meadows have transformed our pollinator population, from occasionally seeing spectacular butterflies and other insects to seeing them pretty much all the time. n the first growing season, we began encountering onarch caterpillars on our milkweeds.
. ur bird population has also multiplied. e have flocks of finches in the meadows throughout the growing season and into the fall. e ve seen a really noticeable uptick in species like Brown Thrashers, ray Catbirds, orthern ockingbirds, and others.
4. e do much less mowing of the upland wooded areas, leading in turn to the appearance of large patches of violets, sedges, tall bunch grasses and more native understory.
Our whole relationship to this small parcel of land has changed. As we see its return to nature we are beginning to understand the rewards, in the words of ouglas Tallamy, of Bringing ature Home.
Joe Falconi is a retired financial executive who, together with his wife and children, lived and worked internationally until moving to a semi-rural property in southern Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the late 1980s. His grandparents on both sides owned farms with large forested tracts, and he grew up around animals, gardens, fields, and wildlife. Those childhood and teenage experiences have helped inform and inspire his devotion to causes related to conservation, biodiversity, and habitat restoration.
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail where the meadow meets the woods
Joe Falconi’s Meadow Plants
We worked with a landscape designer who visited our site to get a sense of how much sun, shade, and moisture were available. Soil tests were also performed. The designer then developed a list of plants and the quantity of seed needed for each species. The following seed list resulted.
Blue Giant Hyssop a ta e en u u
Common Milkweed e a yr a a
Butterfly Milkweed e a tu er a
Smooth Blue Aster
American Bellflower
( y y tr u ae e)
( a anu a tru a er anu )
Eastern Purple Coneflower ( na ea ur urea)
Joe Pye Weed ( utr u sp.)
Flowering Spurge
( u r a r ata)
Closed Bottle Gentian (Gent ana andre )
Spotted Geranium (Geran u a u atu )
Common Sneezeweed
( e en u autu na e)
Smooth Oxeye or False Sunflower ( e e ant de )
Tall Blazing Star ( atr a era)
Sundial or Wild Lupine
( u nu erenn )
Wild Bergamot ( narda tu a)
Wild Quinine
( art en u nte r u )
Foxglove Beardtongue ( en te n d ta )
Hairy Beardtongue ( en te n r utu )
Fall or Garden Phlox
Narrowleaf Mountainmint
( an u ata)
( y nant e u tenu u )
Pinnate Prairie Coneflower ( at da nnata)
Orange Coneflower
Sweet Coneflower
( ud e a u da)
( ud e a u t ent a)
Maryland Senna ( enna ar and a)
Whorled Rosinweed
( u tr atu )
Flat-top Goldentop ( ut a a ra n a ar ra n a)
Blue Grama
(B ute ua ra )
Canada Wildrye ( y u anaden )
Purple Lovegrass ( ra r t e ta )
Foxtail Barley ( rdeu u atu )
Little Bluestem
Indiangrass
Prairie Dropseed
( a yr u ar u )
( r a tru nutan )
( r u eter e )
Purpletop Tridens or Purpletop ( r den a u )
New England Aster
( y y tr u n ae an ae)
Text and
Photos by Jan Dixon
Giant Swallowtail Caterpillar
Known disguises: This caterpillar has two excellent disguises. The markings on the caterpillar’s shiny skin resemble a very convincing fresh bird-dropping look. In later instars, when viewed headon, some believe the caterpillar passes as a credible snake, with scale-like markings on the head and thorax; two front-facing, dark, eyelike spots; and the tongue-like red osmeterium that can be protruded like a forked tongue.
Known food preferences: Plants in the Citrus Family (Rutaceae), including Common Hoptree or Wafer-ash (Ptelea trifoliata), Common Pricklyash (Zanthoxylum americanum), Lime Pricklyash (Zanthoxylum fagara), Sea Torchwood (Amyris elemifera), Hercules’ Club (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis), Common Rue (Ruta graveolens), and cultivated citrus.
Alias: Giant Swallowtail caterpillars are often called “orange dogs” by citrus growers, not for their color, but because their general shape resembles a dog’s head, and because they are common on orange trees.
Special weaponry: This caterpillar deploys a bright red osmeterium when threatened. The osmeterium helps the caterpillar appear snakelike, a deception aimed at startling potential bird predators. The deterrent effect is enhanced by a foul-smelling odor that is projected from this organ, which also helps to repel insect and mammal predators.
Reward offered: The enjoyment of one of our most spectacular butterflies!
Winter hide-out: As unsavory as this critter appears, it forms a beautiful chrysalis and spins a silk attachment thread. The chrysalis makes a perfect winter retreat, its mottled grayand-brown surface blending with the plant twig to which it is usually attached. This camouflage helps prevent detection by birds and predatory insects.
If capture is avoided: A Giant Swallowtail butterfly will emerge from the chrysalis. Giant Swallowtails may have three or more broods in the far southeastern United States, and even more in southern Florida, where this species is active all year long. Farther north and west, Giant Swallowtails usually have two broods, with adults emerging in May through June, and again in July through early September.
Jan Dixon enjoys observing caterpillars, almost as much as adult butterflies, and has raised ten species from her gardens. She volunteers as a butterfly monitor at the Nature Conservancy's Kitty Todd Preserve in Northwest Ohio and is on the board of the Oak Openings Region Wild Ones chapter. She also enjoys teaching about butterfly gardening.
