Butterflies in your Backyard
We will begin shortly Use the “Chat” function if you have questions May 2nd, 2020
1 Kristeen Farlow Manager, Water Use Efficiency/External Affairs San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District
2 Housekeeping •This is being recorded •All attendees are on mute. Use the “chat” function to ask questions. •6 sections of the presentation. Your questions will be addressed at the end of each segment. •You will be receiving a free copy of the So Cal Yard Transformation.
3 So Cal Yard Transformation
4 Jasmine Orozco Clark Education Coordinator Inland Empire Resource Conservation District
5 Maggie O’Neill Program Coordinator UCCE San Bernardino County Master Gardeners and Environmental Education
Executive Director San Bernardino County Farm Bureau
6 Butterflies in your Backyard
Maggie O’Neill May 2nd, 2020
7 San Bernardino County Master Gardeners
❖ Part of Agriculture and Natural Resources Division (UCANR) ❖ Volunteers educating the public by sharing peer reviewed research done by Univ. of Cali and other universities on a wide variety of topics San Bernardino Regional Seed Library(SBRSL) Break from our regularly scheduled program!!! 11 Huanglongbing (HLB) disease Huanglongbing in fruit HLB in trees Asian Citrus Psyllid ACP https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ plant/hlb/regulation.html https://ucanr.edu/sites/ACP/ https://ucanr.edu/hlbapp Ok, back to our Presentation!!!! ‘California Friendly Landscapes’
19 Sustainable Landscaping Leaves a greener footprint for our children’s children Sustainability
“meeting the needs of today’s population without diminishing the ability of future populations to meet their needs.” Why Garden Sustainably?
Save Improve Protect Money Garden Health Water Quality and Wildlife To the Butterflies!!
❖ Section 1: Butterfly biology overview ❖ Section 2: Species common to the Inland Empire ❖ Section 3: Care and Selection of Plants for your Butterfly Garden ❖ Section 4: Search engines to help with selections
23 Section 1: Butterfly biology overview
24 Butterfly Terminology:
❖ Adult: The breeding, final, and most conspicuous stage of the Lepidoptera multistage life cycle. Sometimes called the “imago”. The lifespan of adult butterflies ranges from a few weeks to several months, depending on species and environment.
❖ Caterpillar: The second stage of Lepidoptera metamorphosis. The primary activity in this stage is eating, eating, and eating. In fact, it is only the larval stage of a butterfly or moth that grows and “runt” adults can result from a poor diet as a caterpillar. Synonyms: larva, larvae
❖ Chaparral: A vegetation type characterized by dense, generally evergreen shrubs that usually experience hot dry summers and cool, wet winters. The lower elevations of many California mountain ranges are covered in chaparral, especially on more exposed, south-facing slopes.
❖ Chrysalis: The third stage in Lepidoptera metamorphosis (also called the pupa). The body tissues and organs of the caterpillar are broken down and re-arranged to develop the adult. The chrysalis is the most vulnerable stage because the individual does not have any ability to move if threatened by enemies or adverse environmental conditions
❖ Egg: T he first stage in the metamorphosis of insects. Eggs are normally placed by female Lepidoptera on suitable plants that can provide nutrition for the developing larvae to eat, although chemical cues can be misinterpreted and eggs are sometimes placed on inappropriate substrates.
❖ Eyespot: A ringed pattern present on the wings or bodies of some animals, such as the Buckeye butterfly and most satyr butterflies.
25 Butterfly Terminology:
❖ Host plant: The species or set of species of plants that caterpillars must eat to develop properly. Host plant specificity can vary greatly across butterfly species, ranging from only 1 plant species to dozens of suitable plant species. Host plant specificity can promote speciation between two or more groups of closely related through reproductive isolation. Prime examples of this are Euphilotes blue butterflies and some Apodemia metalmarks that almost exclusively use different species or varieties buckwheats (Eriogonum) as larval hosts. A similar situation has been demonstrated in Mitoura hairstreaks that feed on trees in the family Cupressaceae (junipers, incense-cedar, cypresses)
❖ Instar: The stage between molts in the life of larvae. Butterflies belong to the Phylum Arthropoda (which includes other animals like crustaceans, spiders, millipedes, as well as all other insects), and all Arthropods must molt their external skeleton (a.k.a. exoskeleton) because it does not grow continuously like the internal skeleton (a.k.a. endoskeleton) of vertebrates. Most butterfly larvae molt their exoskeleton about 5 times and therefore have 6 instars, but environmental conditions can alter the number.
❖ Lepidoptera: The order of insects containing all butterflies and moths under the Linnaean system. It is the second largest order of animals on earth with about 180,000 described species worldwide, although only 10-15% of the Lepidoptera are butterflies. Only the beetles (order Coleoptera) are more speciose with at least 350,000 species (and perhaps 1,000,000!). Lepidoptera translates from ancient Greek as “scaly-wing" (lepido-pteron), referring to the small scales that cover their wings and bodies. Almost all Lepidoptera feed on plants (with varying degrees of specificity) in the larval stage, but a few have become specialist predators on aphids and ant larvae. 26 Butterfly Terminology
❖ Life History: The who, what, when, where, and how of an organism. Life history information relies on detailed observations of the activities and happenings of organisms under “natural” conditions and can be extremely laborious to gather, but is absolutely essential in environmental studies and especially conservation biology
❖ Overwintering stage: The stage (egg, larva, pupa, or adult) in which butterflies hibernate through the winter months. Different species hibernate in different stages, and this affects the timing of activity by adults during the warmer months
❖ Proboscis: The tube-like organ on the head of butterflies and moths that they use to drink fluids, like flower nectar. Lepidoptera do not have chewing mouthparts as adults and consequently do not consume solid food or grow as adults, but they definitely do as larvae!
❖ Puddling: The attraction, and usually concentration, of individual butterflies at wet, muddy spots to drink water and salts. For the most part, only males mudpuddle because they need salts to facilitate sperm production.
❖ Scales: Very small, flattened modified hairs that cover the wings and bodies of butterflies and moths. In butterflies, scales are usually arranged like overlapping shingles on a roof. The different colors and arrangements of these scales are what give butterfly and moth wings their different patterns. Colors are produced through chemical pigments, iridescence, or both. ❖ http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/glossary
27 Stage 1: Egg
❖ This is where our little butterflies begin their journey
❖ If you look closely you can often see the caterpillar inside developing
❖ Can be in many shapes depending on the species
28 Stage 2: Larvae (caterpillar)
❖ Primary goal: eat eat and eat!
❖ Will shed exoskeleton as they grow since their skin does not stretch
29 Stage 3: Pupae (Chrysalis)
❖ When caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis
❖ If you look closely at pupae you can see midline of digestive system, future wing and antennae lines and more!
30 Stage 4: Adult Butterfly
❖ Emerge with soft, folded wings that they need to pump up with a substance called Meconium
❖ Primary focus of this stage is reproduction
31 Section 2: Species Common to the Inland Empire
32 Monarch
33 34 35 Habitat for Monarchs:
❖ Egg Laying, Catepillars, Chrysalis, Nectar: Milkweeds, Asclepias
❖ Note: be careful with nonnative (tropical) milkweeds!!
36 Booklet created by Barbara Layer Photos by Jennifer Sita Whitaker Except cover (Barbara Layer)
“Our favorite butterfly book is An Introduction to Southern California Butterflies By Fred Heath
May 2, 2020 37 38 39 May 2, 2020 40 41 42 43 May 2, 2020 44 45 https://www.butterflyidentification.com
46 University of Florida http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/gulf_fritillary.htm
47 48 https://www.butterflyidentification.com/gray- hairstreak.htm
49 https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/L eptotes-marina 50 https://www.butterflyidentification.com/cabbag e-white.htm 51 52 https://extension.colostate.edu/topic- areas/insects/hornworms-and-hummingbird- moths-5-517/
https://www.hummingbirdsplus.org/hummingbird-moth-facts/ 53 54 Order: Lepidoptera Moth Butterfly
Pupa Makes a cocoon Makes a chrysalis underground or on hanging from a the ground branch or other support
Antennae Short and feathery Long and thin, swell at end
Color Usually less bright Usually bright
Resting posture Wings open, wings closed, held Held to cover vertically abdomen
Active during Nocturnal Diurnal
55 Insect Connect UCANR: https://ucanr.edu/sites/insectcon nect/
56 https://bugguide.net/node /view/57
57 ❖Section 3: Care and Selection of Plants for your Butterfly Garden
58 Select Plants Recommended For Your Sunset Zone
59 USDA Zone 9 (Not As Precise as Sunset Zones) Sunset Zones Are Smaller and More Accurate
2/3: Lake Arrowhead/Big Bear 10: Victorville 11: Barstow 18: San Bernardino, Chino, Ontario, Redlands, Highland 19: Other West End Cities Characteristics of Sunset Zones 18 and 19
❖ Both are Southern California interior climate zones influenced by continental air mass rather than ocean ❖ Zone 19 has milder winters than Zone 18 and has always been a prime citrus growing region ❖ Many (but not all) of the same plants grow in both zones
62 Microclimates (smaller ‘climates’ in different parts of your yard that need to be considered when choosing your plants)
❖ Shade ❖ Poor Soil (high pH, compacted soil with poor drainage) ❖ Too small of space for a large growing tree ❖ Wind tunnel ❖ Others? What are some of the microclimates in your own backyard? How do you think they influence your plant choice?
63 Problem Soils (Poor drainage, Lack of aeration)
64 Oxygen Deprivation/Waterlogging
❖ Many shrubs and tree species decline and eventually die from a lack of oxygen ❖ The majority of roots are in the top few inches of the soil and poor drainage can greatly deplete oxygen levels
65 A Great Way to Determine if Drainage is Adequate for a Tree is to Fill the Planting Hole with Water. It Should Drain Completely Within 8 Hours.
66 Know Your Soil Texture (Type)! Water Moves More Slowly and is Retained Longer in Heavier Soils Plants Growing in Sandier Soils Need to Be Watered More Often Than Plants Growing in Heavier Clay Soils
68 Use the ‘Feel’ Test To Ensure that Water is Reaching the Roots (and Slightly Deeper)
Dry Medium Wet Mix Soil Amendments (compost, etc.) Evenly and Deeply (40% or more by volume) Before Planting Compost Makes an Excellent Soil Amendment
❖ Compost can be made in less than three months while similar quality soil takes hundreds of years to form naturally ❖ Soil just completing its formation today started its journey when Magellan began circumnavigating the earth! ❖ Compost improves drainage in heavy soils and water holding capacity in sandier soils
71 pH and Nutrient Uptake Shade Vs Full Sun Both Native and Well-Adapted Non-native Plants Can be ‘California Friendly’ ❖Due to urban heat islands and nighttime temperatures not cooling down as much as they used to, not all native plants that used to grow well still do ❖Some non-native plants have proven their worthiness as drought-resistant, heat and pest tolerant additions ❖Planting a diversity of plants is recommended to ensure biodiversity and
habitat health 74 All Newly-Planted Landscape Plants Require Irrigation Through Their Establishment Period
❖A common mistake is to plant native and well- adapted non-native plants in the summer and forget to regularly water them ❖A great time to plant is Fall! ❖Ensure that root zones stay moist the first season, then begin to water less often but longer to draw the roots down
75 Useful Websites With Great Plant Selection and Planting Advice
❖https://www.sbvmwd.com/about-us/water- conservation) ❖https://www.socalyardtrans.com/
76 UC Ag/Natural Resources Free Downloadable Publications: https: anrcatalog.ucanr.edu
❖ Sustainable Landscaping in California ❖ Keeping Plants Alive Under Drought And Water Restrictions ❖ Lawn Watering Guide For California ❖ Use Of Graywater In CA Landscapes Hydrozone: Plant Species With Similar Water Needs Together
Apply 3-4 Inches of Mulch (organic preferred!) Around New Transplants
❖Keep it several inches away from tree trunk ❖Remember to water beneath the mulch
82 Benefits of Mulches
❖ Reduce weed seed germination when applied 3-4 inches thick ❖ Add organic matter to soil slowly over time ❖ Buffer soil temperature ❖ Prevent ‘lawn mower blight’ and string-trimmer damage to trees ❖ May reduce severity of diseases from some plant pathogens Avoid Invasives
http://www.cal-ipc.org/paf/
Invasive Plant to Avoid Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) Alternative to Scotch Broom: Cleveland Sage (Salvia clevelandii) Invasive Plant to Avoid: Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana) Alternative to Pampas Grass: Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens) Invasive Plant to Avoid: Green Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum) Alternative to Green Fountain Grass: Oriental Fountain Grass (Pennisetum orientale) Section 4: Search engines to help with selections
92 Searchable Websites to Help you Find the Right Plant for the Right Place
❖ SBVMWD Water Saving. Garden Friendly for the Inland Empire http://www.ie.watersavingplants.com/
❖ CalFlora (California Native Plant Society search engine)/ https://www.calflora.org/
❖ SelecTree (Urban Forest Ecosystem/Cal Poly collaboration)/ https://selectree.calpoly.edu/search/
❖ Inland Valley Garden Planner (Bob Perry, retired Cal Poly Professor of Landscape Architecture)/ /
❖ Water Use Classification of Landscape Species IV (WUCOLS) (UC Davis)/ https://ucanr.edu/sites/WUCOLS/
May 2, 2020 93
Drought Resistant Plants for Small Spaces: Side Yards, Condos, Apartments, etc. ‘Beyond Blue’ Fescue (Festuca glauca)
Intense, powder blue foliage year-round Evergreen or deciduous evergreen Sunset zones 1-24 Drought resistant, low maintenance, deer resistant Border, container, slope, groundcover
Hesperaloe parviflora 'Perpa' Brakelights
❖ 2 feet x 2 feet ❖ Bright red flowers ❖ Flowers Sept – June ❖ Sunset zones 2B, 3, 7-16, 18-24 ❖ Slow growth rate ❖ Full sun Hesperaloe spp. ‘Pink Parade’
❖ 3-4 feet x 3-4 feet ❖ Pink flowers ❖ Flowers spring to fall ❖ Sunset zones 2B, 3, 7-16, 18-24 ❖ Full sun, reflected heat ❖ Slow to moderate growth rate Tecoma hybrid Crimson Flare®
❖ 6-8 feet x 6-8 feet ❖ Red flowers from spring - fall ❖ Attracts hummingbirds ❖ Sunset zones 12, 13, 21-24 ❖ Rapid growth rate Tecoma Hybrid Solar Flare®
❖ 6-8 feet x 6-8 feet ❖ Bright yellow/orange flowers spring - fall ❖ Drought resistant ❖ Sunset zones12-13, 16, 18-24 ❖ Attracts hummingbirds ❖ Rapid growth rate Chef’s Choice® Rosemary (Rosemary officinales)
❖ Violet blue flowers in spring ❖ Evergreen or deciduous evergreen ❖ Sunset zones 4-24 ❖ Drought resistant, aromatic, deer resistant, ❖ food seasoning ❖ Use as landscape plant, border, container, or mass planting ‘Little Kiss’ Salvia (Salvia microphylla)
❖ Feature/red and white bi-color blooms spring to fall ❖ Evergreen or deciduous evergreen ❖ Sunset zones 5, 7-24 ❖ Drought resistant, attracts pollinators, clumping habit, heat tolerant ❖ Use as an accent plant, border, container, or in mass planting ‘Black And Bloom’ Salvia (Salvia guaranitica)
❖ Dark blue flowers mid-spring to mid-fall ❖ Evergreen or deciduous evergreen ❖ Sunset zones 4-7 (with protection), 8-24 ❖ Drought resistant, low maintenance, attracts pollinators, deer resistant ❖ Use as a landscape or container plant Orange Rocket Berberis (Berberis thunbergii 'Orange Rocket')
❖ Deciduous ❖ Sunset zones 2B, 3-24 ❖ Drought resistant, low maintenance ❖ Heat tolerant ❖ Beautiful foliage ❖ Use as a landscape, border, container, slope, or rock garden plant Leucophyllum frutescens Texas Ranger
❖ Low water use ❖ Evergreen ❖ Small/compact shrubs ❖ Purple flowers summer - fall Leucophyllum zygophyllum Cimarron™ and Rio Bravo™
❖ Low water use ❖ Evergreen ❖ Small/compact shrubs ❖ Purple flowers summer - fall Achillea spp (Yarrow)
❖ 6 in. – 4 ft tall ❖ Up to 2 ft wide ❖ Sunset Zones 1-24, 26, 28-45 ❖ Evergreen ❖ Low water use and low fire hazard ❖ White, yellow or pink flowers Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Electric Blue’ Penstemon
❖ 1-1/2 ft tall x 2 ft wide ❖ Hardy to 5,500 ft ❖ Sunset Zones 7-24 ❖ Deciduous ❖ Low water use ❖ Low fire hazard Atriplex canescens Four Wing Saltbush ❖ 3-4 ft tall x 6-8 ft wide ❖ Evergreen ❖ Very low water use ❖ Low fire hazard ❖ Prune or leave natural Drought Tolerant, Hardy Trees That Withstand Poor Soil, Slow Drainage and High pH
Plant list for Butterflies:
❖ Flowers and Bushes: ❖ Passionflowers ❖ Eriogonums, buckwheats ❖ Nettles ❖ Wild Tarragon ❖ Thistles ❖ Violets ❖ Fiddlenecks ❖ Pipevine ❖ Hollyhocks ❖ Ceanothus ❖ Amaranths ❖ Locoweeds ❖ Currents ❖ Mustards ❖ Monkeyflowers ❖ Pea families, lupines etc ❖ Lantana ❖ Clovers ❖ Geraniums ❖ Encelia ❖ Alyssum ❖ Saltbush ❖ …and more….so many more!!! ❖ Mallows ❖ Agaves and Yuccas ❖ Milkweeds
145 More plants for butterflies!!
❖ Grasses: ❖ Trees:
❖ Salt grasses ❖ Sycamore
❖ And many more! ❖ Oaks
❖ Hackberry
❖ Citrus
❖ Fruit trees
❖ Elms
Cottonwoods
146 Theodore Payne Foundation’s info sheet
May 2, 2020 147 Don’t forget your herbs too!
148 What can we do? The Four Basic Wildlife Needs: Food, Water, Cover and Space Tips for Landscaping for Wildlife Limit the Amount of Lawn because grass offers less food and cover for most wildlife than other plants
Increase Vertical Layering between the ground and the tree canopy Plant Native Vegetation whenever possible because it will attract indigenous wildlife species Provide Water because it is essential for wildlife survival Provide Bird/Bat Houses and Bird Feeders to increase the diversity of wildlife attracted to your yard Remove Invasive Exotic Plants that take over natural habitats and can replace all the native vegetation
Scotch broom (rgt) is beautiful but highly invasive and should not be planted http://www.plantright.org/ http://www.cal-ipc.org/ Manage Pets to protect wildlife and themselves. Cats are good hunters and kill millions of birds and other small animals each year Reduce Pesticide Use to prevent unnecessary wildlife illness, deaths, and lack of diversity Expand the Scale of Habitat by working with your neighbors to create larger wildlife habitat patches Butterfly Success tips:
❖ Reduce the use of pesticides in your yard ❖ Include a diverse mix of plants that can include native and nonnatives ❖ Provide water (in a shallow dish or add pebbles to prevent drowning) ❖ Can create feeding stations, but limited use is better for overall health ❖ Keep plants healthy throughout the year ❖ Provide a selection of plants and trees that flower throughout the year ❖ If focusing on specific species attraction research those species
❖ Diversity diversity diversity!!!!! Did I say that already?!?!
156 Butterfly Resource List:
Insect order connect: https://ucanr.edu/sites/insectconnect/Identification_information/Ide ntify_to_Order/
Bug Guide: https://bugguide.net/node/view/57
UCANR butterflies and pollinators https://ucanr.edu/sites/PollenNation/Meet_The_Pollinators/Butterf lies/
Theodore Payne Foundation: http://theodorepayne.org/learn/guides/
Great guide to find plants and more! http://socalbutterflies.com/resources.htm
157 Contact a UCCE Master Gardener for More Help With Your Gardening Questions:
[email protected] or (909)387-2182
158 Website for classes and more: http://mgsb.ucanr.edu/
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
159 Questions? Use the chat feature to ask any questions
160 161 Thank you for attending!
Kristeen Farlow [email protected]
Jasmine Orozco Clark [email protected]
Maggie O’Neill [email protected]
162