Native Plants and Lepidoptera Imperial County California Compiled by Jeffrey Caldwell
[email protected] 1-925-949-8696 Abronia gracilis. Graceful Sand Verbena. Nyctaginaceae. Likely nectar plant. Abronia umbellata. Pink Sand Verbena. Nyctaginaceae. Nectar: Western Tiger Swallowtail, Painted Lady, California Tortoiseshell, Fiery Skipper. Moths visiting flowers include Sphingidae: White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata). Noctuidae: Cabbage Looper (Trichoplusia ni). (Moth flower visitors from Doubleday, 2012). Small white moths at night. Nursery owner Patti Kreiberg says it is “incredibly more fragrant at night than during the day” – thus quite attractive to moths. Flowers all year. Abronia villosa var. villosa. Desert Sand Verbena. Nyctaginaceae. Flower visitors include the Sleepy Orange, Painted Lady, West Coast Lady, White Checkered-Skipper, Fiery Skipper and White-lined Sphinx. February - July. Sphingidae: A major host for the White-lined Sphinx (Hyles lineata). Its caterpillars, at times extremely abundant, were food for the aboriginal Cahuilla people. Acamptopappus sphaerocephalus. Desert Goldenhead. Rayless Goldenhead. Asteraceae. Astereae. Nectar source for the Chalcedon Checkerspot. March - June. Desert Goldenhead is a hostplant for Sagebrush Checkerspot in eastern San Diego County (Monroes). Acmispon glaber was Lotus scoparius. Chaparral Broom. Deerweed. Fabaceae. Loteae. Nectar: Black Swallowtail, Whites, Sleepy Orange, Orange Sulphur, Harford’s Sulphur, Painted Lady, Brown Elfin, Coastal Green Hairstreak, Gray Hairstreak, Acmon