1 / 52

Butterfly Gardening

Butterfly Gardening. Written and Presented by: Cathy LeVahn Anoka County Master Gardener, Minnesota Tree Care Advisor. Butterfly Gardening. Introduction Behaviors to Watch Creating a Butterfly Garden. Introduction. Wildlife habitat is being destroyed Commercial development

elvis
Download Presentation

Butterfly Gardening

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Butterfly Gardening Written and Presented by: Cathy LeVahn Anoka County Master Gardener, Minnesota Tree Care Advisor

  2. ButterflyGardening Introduction Behaviors to Watch Creating a Butterfly Garden

  3. Introduction • Wildlife habitat is being destroyed • Commercial development • Residential development • Butterfly gardening encourages habitat restoration

  4. Introduction Freedigitalphotos.net Minnesota – 200 species Adult lifespan – 2 weeks Several generations each season Some hibernate, others migrate

  5. Butterfly Gardening Can Be Easy! • Provides host plant for larval growth and adult feeding • Uses native and horticultural cultivars of annuals and perennials • Sip nectar • Lay eggs • Source of food

  6. Why? Encourages the establishment of butterfly populations Butterflies return year after year Environmental stewardship Personal enjoyment!

  7. Butterfly or Moth? • The insect order Lepidoptera consists of butterflies and moths • Butterflies – 8% of species • Moths – 92% of species

  8. Butterfly or Moth? Peacock Butterfly photograph by Leon Truscott • Butterflies are brightly colored • Advertises distastefulness to predators • Females look for noxious host plants to lay their eggs • Distasteful to birds

  9. Butterfly or Moth? US Forest Service Moths are dully colored Lack functional mouth parts Highly palatable to birds Most are active after dusk

  10. Key Distinctions

  11. Key Distinctions

  12. Key Distinctions

  13. Key Distinctions

  14. Black Swallowtail www.genehanson.com

  15. Spicebush Swallowtail www.genehanson.com

  16. Checkered White www.genehanson.com

  17. Small Copper www.genehanson.com

  18. Variegated Fritillary birdsbeesandbutterflies.com

  19. Great Spangled Fritillary www.simplybutterflies.com

  20. American Copper www.simplybutterflies.com

  21. American Painted Lady New Mexico State University

  22. Monarch Texas Parks and Wildlife

  23. Checkered Skipper www.genehanson.com

  24. Red Admiral Discover butterflies.com

  25. Behaviors to Watch • Feeding • Use flower nector as primary food source • Required for energy/flight bugs.bio.usyd.edu.au

  26. Behaviors to Watch • Feeding • Some suggested nectar plants for adult butterflies :

  27. Blueberries (Vaccinium) bartlettsblueberryfarm.com

  28. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) Photographer: Marie

  29. Lilac (Syringa) www.mountainspringscentre

  30. Coneflowers (Echinacea)

  31. Impatiens (Impatiens) M. Myers

  32. Marigolds (Tagetes) Gardening Paradise

  33. Phlox (Paniculata) GardenWeb.com

  34. Sunflower (Helianthus) gpenviro@boreal.org

  35. Aster (Aster) Ark Master Gardeners

  36. Bee Balm (Monarda) Photograph by G. Fauske

  37. Sedum (Sedum) DailyEncouragement.net

  38. Behaviors to Watch • Basking • Butterflies are cold-blooded • They fly best when air temperatures range from 75-90º • Basks in sun to warm up static.flickr.com

  39. Behaviors to Watch • Puddling • Congregate at wet edge of mud puddles or wet sandy areas • Fluids rich in salts and nutrients • Required to mate successfully www.learner.org/

  40. Behaviors to Watch • Patrolling and Perching • Males search out females for mating • Fly over areas where females are laying eggs • Perch on tall plants for lookout Photo by Alice Russell

  41. Behaviors to Watch • Mating • Flight patterns differ in courtship • Males fly behind female • Flutter wings more than usual aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu

  42. Behaviors to Watch • Egg Laying • Female flying over plants • Touches down quickly • May drum on leaf surface with feet aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu

  43. Creating a Butterfly Garden • Host Plants • Group flowers of similar color together • Select nectar producing plants • Provide flowers that bloom throughout season • More active mid to late summer

  44. Cathy LeVahn

  45. Creating a Butterfly Garden • Host Plants (continued) • Supplement with home-made feeders • Must provide for caterpillars • Milkweed • Butterfly weed • Dill • Parsley • Nettles

  46. USDA Forest Service

  47. Creating a Butterfly Garden • Habitat • Shelter (protection) • Lay eggs • Predators • Wind • Don’t plant near birdhouses or feeders

  48. Creating a Butterfly Garden • Habitat • Water Source • Wet Sand • Mud Puddle i.ehow.com

  49. picasaweb.google.com

  50. Creating a Butterfly Garden • Eliminate the use of pesticides • Kills larvae and butterflies • Kills beneficial insects • Kills birds • Use oils, soaps and microbial insecticides only if necessary

More Related