Butterfly gardening to attract monarchs- pdf download

Many flowers have additional light patterns in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, which are visible to bees and butterflies but not humans. A significant number of butterfly species are present during late spring in North Dakota.

Spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs, spireas, dogwoods and chokecherries provide good early season sources of nectar.

Also good are allium and chives. Even lawn weeds such as dandelions can be a nutrition source for these early butterflies. In Table 1 , nectar-producing perennials are listed for your garden by season. Native plants usually are preferable because they have evolved in conjunction with native butterflies. However, many non-native plants also will provide much-needed nectar. Midsummer flowering perennials to plant in your garden include blazing stars Figure 6 , Joe Pye weed, black-eyed Susans, phlox, purple coneflower, sunflowers, gaillardia Figure 7 , thistles and milkweeds, especially butterfly weed and bee balm Figure 8.

Butterflies prefer inflorescences that are flat-topped or provide a convenient landing pad, such as purple coneflower Figure 9. Figure 6. Monarchs feeding on Liatris ligulistylis, a blazing star that is native to North Dakota. Both native and ornamental blazing stars will attract butterflies.

Photo by E. Make sure to include some fall-flowering perennials to feed the last of the butterflies. Asters, goldenrod and fall-blooming sedums Table 1 help sustain the last wave of adult butterflies before winter arrives. In addition to perennials, annuals or bedding plants flower for most of the summer and can provide a steady source of nectar through the whole summer.

Favorite annual plants such as zinnia Figure 11 , cosmos and lantana attract butterflies in droves Table 2. Annual sunflowers are also a good choice Figure Figure Zinnia with painted lady. Zinnia is a late-season flower for attracting butterflies. Photo by L. Mance, L. Professional Pest Control Services. A painted lady is perched on a sunflower leaf. No butterfly garden is complete without milkweed. Not only will milkweed provide a nectar source for many adult butterfly species, these plants are also a necessity for monarchs to complete their life cycle.

Adults lay their eggs on the milkweed leaves. The eggs hatch and the larvae consume the leaves as they proceed through five larval stages.

Milkweeds such as Asclepias tuberosa Figure 13 , otherwise known as butterfly weed, are a popular choice because of the bright orange flowers.

Butterfly weed is recommended for the drier, sandier soils of western North Dakota Table 3. Butterfly weed is an orange-flowered milkweed.

Common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, may not be a good choice for a small home garden because it can spread aggressively by rhizomes. Only plant it if you have room for it to spread. Common milkweed is listed as a noxious weed in Cavalier, Renville, Sheridan, Traill and Wells counties.

However, it is not listed on the North Dakota state noxious weed list. Other attractive milkweeds that are less aggressive include prairie milkweed Asclepias sullivantii and swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata. These pink flowering plants are good choices for heavier soils. Flowers are listed roughly in order from earliest to latest flowering dates. This is not an exclusive list and many exotic annual plants are highly attractive to our butterflies. Some flowers may not be suitable for growing in all areas of North Dakota, because of our variable weather or not suitable at a given location every year.

Most butterfly caterpillars feed on plant parts: leaves, flowers, buds or seeds. While nectar sources will attract many species of butterflies, providing larval food sources will augment local populations of widespread butterflies. Host plants of 30 common butterfly caterpillars are listed in Table 5. North Dakota butterflies Figure 14 are placed easily into recognizable groups. For each general group, the following information is given: identification hints, habits, life history data and number of North Dakota species.

Viceroy - Limenitis archippus 2. White admiral - Limenitis arthemis 3. Question-mark - Polygonia interrogationis, winter form 6. Question-mark - Polygonia interrogationis, summer form 7. Monarch - Danaus plexippus 8. Common wood nymph - Cercyonis pegala 9. Mourning cloak - Nymphalis antiopa Red admiral - Vanessa atalanta Painted lady - Vanessa cardui Northern crescent - Phyciodes cocyta Gorgone checkerspot - Charidryas gorgone Variegated fritillary - Euptoieta claudia Canadian tiger swallowtail - Papilio canadensis Black swallowtail - Papilio polyxenes Long-dash skipper - Polites mystic Silver-spotted skipper - Epargyreus clarus Checkered skipper - Pyrgus communis Gray hairstreak - Strymon melinus Coral hairstreak - Satyrium titus Gray copper - Lycaena dione Great spangled fritillary - Speyeria cybele Regal fritillary - Speyeria idalia.

Color Plate of butterflies of North Dakota. Photos by G. Unlike all other butterflies, the antennal club in skippers is about twice as long as wide and narrowed or even hooked at the tip.

Skippers have a more stoutly built body, compared with other butterflies. Larvae feeding on broad-leaved plants construct a silken shelter within a rolled leaf, where they hide in the day. Those feeding on grasses construct a silken tube at the base of the plant.

Resident skippers overwinter as eggs, early stage larvae or chrysalids. At least 42 species of skippers are found in North Dakota. Females have a blue submarginal band or row of spots on hindwings. The same area is largely black in males. Larvae possess an orange or red Y-shaped, reversible structure, the osmeterium, displayed when the caterpillar is threatened. Resident swallowtails overwinter as chrysalids. Nine species of swallowtails occur in North Dakota. Pictured in Figure 14 are the Canadian tiger swallowtail 31 and black swallowtail Most of their caterpillars are green, usually with one or more pale lateral stripes.

Their body surface is covered with minute hairs, which gives them a velvety appearance. Resident species overwinter as chrysalids. At least 14 species of this group occur in North Dakota. Pictured in Figure clouded sulphur , checkered white 24 and 29 , cabbage butterfly 25 and 30 and alfalfa butterfly In the hand, they are recognized by the fact that their eyes touch the bases of the antennae.

Larvae are somewhat sluglike, with a velvety appearance, due to the presence of minute hairs. Larvae of many species are attended to by ants in a symbiotic relationship. Larvae secrete a sugary liquid honeydew , which ants drink. Ants, in turn, protect the caterpillars from insect predators. Many species feed on buds, flowers or seeds.

You can also cover the fruit with a window screen, to block wasps and bees. With their long proboscis, butterflies will still be able to feed. Butterflies seek shallow puddles in the garden not only as a source of drinking water, but also as a way to obtain vital minerals.

In fact, the Cloudless Sulphur and the Sleepy Orange butterfly may congregate en masse in muddy areas or bog gardens. Look for this puddling behavior in the hottest part of the day, and keep your soil free of chemicals that can harm sensitive butterflies. A shallow dish filled with pebbles or sand and water can act as a valuable drinking station on hot days.

When it comes to pest control, butterfly gardeners must tread lightly. Most pesticides will harm or kill butterflies as well as other beneficial pollinators like bees and parasitic wasps. Even organic pest control options like insecticidal soap or neem oil can kill butterflies or disrupt their feeding and mating habits. However, this doesn't mean you have to hand your flowers over to the aphids.

Only use pesticides to treat insect outbreaks, not as a preventative treatment. Finally, try non-pesticide insect controls, like floating row covers , jets of water to blast away small insects, and hand-picking large insects like beetles. Designing and planting a butterfly garden is a fun project for the entire family. Children often enjoy helping out with gardening tasks especially when the reward is a visit from lots of beautifully patterned butterflies. Burris Judy, Richards Wayne.

The Life Cycles of Butterflies. Storey Publishing ISBN Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. One of biggest pollinator draws for North American gardens. More info on Verbena bonariensis Brazilian Verbena.

We grow a dwarf butterfly bush variety that gets lots of monarch and hummingbird visitors, but most varieties are a huge draw for both. If you live in a region where butterfly bush is considered invasive, try a non-invasive or sterile cultivar or look for an alternative butterfly plant. The non-invasive buzz variety has been a huge draw to our northern butterfly garden, and it has never self seeded. It even survived the 10th coldest winter in Minnesota history! Find More Info on Buddleja Buzz and other non-invasive butterfly bushes here.

This Australian native grows well in warm regions of the US attracting monarchs, other butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. The brilliant red blooms are on continuous display from spring through fall. Callistemon species can grow to 10 feet, but smaller cultivars are available.