UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail:  dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

June 28, 2006

Feature Article - for release the week of July 2, 2006

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent 

Butterfly Basics  part 1  -  Colorful flowers

Last week our office attended a preview of “Butterfly Haven”, a unique free-range butterfly garden just installed at Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.  Since last fall, many volunteers have caught the bug, and have put in countless hours of work at this unique display garden. 

According to Sue Arnold, the Atala Butterfly Club of South Florida counted 42 different species in just one day last year.  That’s amazing, considering that there are only about 58 butterfly species that are know to flutter around Okeechobee.  

In preparation for their public grand opening on July 22, I took a look at lists of the kinds of flowers and foliage needed for butterfly gardening.  This week’s column will give an overview of the kinds of flowers used by local butterflies, and in next week’s column, I will finish up this story by listing some common plants needed to feed “baby butterflies” – the caterpillar food plants for our local flying jewels. 

Habitat basics are no different for panthers than they are for butterflies – it’s just the forms are different.  To support wildlife, supply food, water, shelter, and the space that a critter needs to live its life.  The forms of these needs will, however, be quite different between wild animals and flitting butterflies.  And, butterfly habitat needs are often more complex because these insects change their life-forms throughout their life. 

Moisture needs of butterflies need to be considered when Florida Yard owners are supplying basic habitat needs for their fluttery friends.  If you can’t depend on regular puddles to appear in your yard, add them. Place stones in a birdbath or coarse sand in a pan, and then keeping it moistened.  The butterflies can then land on sturdy surfaces, unroll their straw-like mouthparts, and take a long cool drink of water. 

Space is often not a limiting factor with butterflies, as successful butterfly gardens can be installed on very small areas.  However in the wild, there are endangered butterflies because habitats have been destroyed through land use changes.  Food is the habitat factor that often keeps the butterfly from appearing in an area, and a loss of critical food plants can spell the end of the line for that colorful critter. 

Why flowers?

A reporter at the preview was not aware of how long an adult butterfly will live.  With a few exceptions, most butterflies emerge from their chrysalis to spend a few short weeks fluttering around.  Their goal is to look for a mate and then find the right place to lay eggs on suitable larval host plant.  These activities use up the food reserves of adult butterflies very quickly. 

Butterflies seek out moisture and high energy liquid food sources to keep them going.  Nectar from flowers often fills this need, much like Gatorade is to athletes.  And for plants, they are more then willing to provide them a sweet drink in return for butterfly pollination services. 

Not all butterflies require flowers as their adult food source.  Emperor, Red Admiral, and Carolina Satyr butterflies are examples: they seek out sap, rotting fruit, dung, or carrion which keeps them moist and energized.  Feeding stations for these critters are a bit more challenging to add to our Yards. 

Look for color

A careful look at the plants in garden center will show many colorful flowers, but the tag can tell if it is a butterfly nectar plant.  Butterfly-flowering plants can be bushes (Hibisicus, Beautyberry); flowering perennials (Pentas, Porterweed, Lantana, Salvia, and Verbenas); wetland plants (Pickerelweed, Canna) or even vines (Honeysuckle or Passionflower vines).

There are also many native wildflowers that can also fill nectar food needs for butterflies just as well as conventional nursery plants.  Learning which flowers attract which species will help make a Florida Yard home to more different kinds of butterflies. 

One group of butterflies is known as the brush-foot butterflies.  While there are some differences, all favor flowers in the Daisy family.  To feed such butterflies as the American Lady, Painted Lady, Common Buckeye or White Peacock butterflies, plant Goldenrod, Marigold, Asters, or Cosmos.  If you want to go native for the same insects, make sure you are not mowing or using weed killers on such “weeds” as Thistles, Blazing star, Ironweed, and Joe-pye weed.

One daisy plant that is very useful to many different kinds of butterflies is a white-flowered weed called Shepherd's needle or Devil’s Beggarsticks (Bidens pilosa). It’s a common roadside plant that appears in the spring in our area.   Clovers and many other flowering legumes are also good choices, and don’t forget the milkweeds and mints to attract more butterflies. 

Don’t go digging on the roadside or some stranger’s woods without permission to get some of these less common wildflowers.  Native nurseries and plant societies are starting to produce these plants for butterfly gardeners.  If you need help finding those nurseries that provide these plants, contact our office and we can help you find sources.  Next week’s column will talk about food for the “baby butterflies”, and after the Independence Day holiday, I’ll be posting a chart on our Internet page listing local butterflies and their favored nectar and larval plants.

I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.   If you need additional information on butterfly gardening, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 5 PM on Tuesday afternoons. 

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean Last update: 07/21/2006 .  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert  

references

 

Internet references:

Butterfly Gardens.  In: Solutions for Your Life website, 2006. http://ics.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/lawn_and_garden/specialty_gardens/butterfly_gardens.html

Cooper, Linda and Byrum. Butterfly Gardening for Central Florida. Haines City: UF/IFAS Polk County Extension Service, February 2002.   http://polkhort.ifas.ufl.edu/Featured_Articles/Butterfly%20Gardening%20for%20Central%20FL.pdf

Culbert, Daniel F.  Butterfly Gardening.  Okeechobee:  UF/IFAS County Extension Service, April 27, 2003. http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/News%20columns/Butterfly.Month.htm  

Daniels, Jaret C.   Butterfly Gardening Basics"  In Gator Gardening for Kids website.  Gainesville: UF/IFAS Department of Environmental Horticulture, 2006.  http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/ggk/butterfly.htm

Edwards, Gayle & Brown, Stephen H.  Butterfly Gardening With Florida Native Plants. Fort Myers:  Lee County Extension Service, undated.  http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/Butterfly%20Gardening%20W%20Native%20Plants1.pdf

Neal, Anita & Brodeur, Susan.  Gardening for Butterflies. Lake Alfred: Proc. Fla. State Hort. Society, 118:298-301.  2005.   http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/academics/faculty/burns/pdf/298-301.pdf

Opler, Paul A., Harry Pavulaan, Ray E. Stanford, Michael Pogue, coordinators. 2006. Butterflies and Moths of North America. Bozeman, MT: Mountain Prairie Information Node. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org  (Version 06/30/2006) 

Simmonsen, Rachel  "Butterflies float to new garden."  Palm Beach Post, July 4, 2006.  http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/local_news/epaper/2006/07/04/m1c_obutterfly_0704.html 

Watkins, Theresa.  Butterfly Gardening with Florida Yards & Neighborhoods.  Orlando: Florida Cooperative Extension Service, 2006. http://cfyn.ifas.ufl.edu/butterfly.html

Suggested Florida Butterfly Books

Daniels, Jaret.  Your Florida Guide to Butterfly Gardening.    Gainesville: University Presses of Florida, 2000.  $14.95

Glassberg, Jeffrey Minno, Marc and Calhoun, John V.  Butterflies through Binoculars: A Field, Finding, and Gardening Guide to Butterflies in Florida.  Oxford University Press, 2000. $24.95

Minno, Marc and Maria. Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies  Gainesville: University Presses of Florida,1999  $34.95

Minno, Marc, Butler, Jerry, and Hall, Don. Florida Butterfly Caterpillars & their Host Plants.  Gainesville: University Presses of Florida, 2005.  $34.95.

Traas, Pamela F.   Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. St. Petersburg: Great Outdoors Publishing Co, 1999. $16.95