Butterfly Diary
2005
This summer I ordered all my butterfly eggs from butterfly farms in Florida and Pennsylvania rather than collecting eggs from the wild. This gave me the opportunity to rear two other species native to New England, the (eastern) black swallowtail and the spicebush swallowtail. I've also expanded my butterfly garden by adding several swamp milkweed plants and more irresistable nectar sources to my already prolific butterfly bushes. I was thrilled to see a remarkable increase of both butterfly species and butterfly activity! Not only did my garden attract the usual tiger swallowtails, whites and an occasional monarch, but I observed painted lady, black swallowtail, numerous skippers and in early spring, mourning cloak. These are "common" to my region, but I've never seen such a profusion in my small neighborhood garden before.
Better yet, the butterflies hung around the yard for several days nectaring, "puddling" on my driveway and chasing intruders. A mother monarch even laid eggs on my milkweeds and a couple weeks later I observed some newly emerged males patrolling the yard for females, sprialling up with candidates. I know males were "patrolling" because they'd fly in large circles around my garden without seeming interested in the nectar plants, diving or darting at bees and skippers. I never knew a butterfly could fly so fast!
Painted Ladies
Where the aren't any nectar plants I can place potted favorite annuals- pentas, tropical milkweed, lantana.
Over the dreary days of winter I bought several books and did lots of research online on the topics of butterfly watching and identification of the sexes, larva and pupa; butterfly rearing and OE a condition which can destroy monarch in all stages of development (I had a problem with this last year). I also bought a portable microscope to get a closer look at eggs, wing scales, etc...and a luna moth cocoon- boy that was cool! Guess I'm hooked huh?
I have the most ordinary backyard, that I've filled with inexpensive, no-fuss annuals and perenials. My only jewel is a hosta of the "Sum & Substance" variety and half a dozen aged dogwoods most of which I planted as foot tall sprouted berries. A 90 year old wild cherry that my grammy planted as a seedling grows on my neighbors' property line. I can watch the bug "action" from a second floor porch. A couple years ago a handy friend of mine constructed a set of "lanai" as a feature. Hog-nosed skunks prowl for grubs at sundown and the neighborhood feline community stop by to bask and chase. I wet the pavement down to encourage "puddlers". Allowing the flora to approach the "overgrown" stage seems to encourage wildlife. I plant a lot of smelly white specimens (moonflowers, hosta, casablanca lily, phlox) because they are luminous and smell heady at night.