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April 2010

PB1636 Butterfly

The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

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Recommended Citation "PB1636 Butterfly Gardening," The University of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service, 04-0225 W036 , https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_agexgard/89

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Butterfly Gardening Table of Contents Introduction 3 The Butterfl y Life Cycle 3 Butterfl y Habitats 4 Creating a Butterfl y Garden 6 Butterfl y Garden Care 7 Sources of Information about Butterfl ies 8 Appendix A. Tree and Shrub Food Sources and the Butterfl ies They Attract 9 Appendix B. Food Sources and the Butterfl ies They Attract 11 Butterfly Gardening Linda L. Gombert, Graduate Student Susan L. Hamilton, Associate Professor Mindi Coe, Undergraduate Student Plant Sciences

utterfl y gardening has pers are quite easy to tell apart. become a rewarding The wings of true butter fl ies are B outdoor hobby that is larger and fuller by compari- sweeping the country. But what son, while those of skippers are exactly is butterfl y gar dening? smaller and trian gu lar. Butter - Quite simply, it is the practice fl ies often have more brightly of at tracting butterfl ies to your colored wings than skippers, garden by growing common which are gener al ly muted and fl owers that they use. shades of brown and gray. The Butterfl y eggs come in many As de velop ment infringes upon bodies of butter fl ies are also shapes, colors and textures. fi elds and meadows, but terfl ies slender, while skippers have are losing their habi tats to new thick, bulky bodies. Butterfl ies outside cover ing dries and be- subdi visions and shopping malls. may appear to fl y swiftly, but comes solid, the egg can take on By pro viding the right types of they are not strong fl iers—their intri cate textures and become plants, shelter, water and a safe wing strokes are rela tive ly slow. quite color ful. Eggs may ap pear haven for them to lay their eggs, Skippers fl y very swiftly, often smooth and round, like those of you can attract butter fl ies to darting around with wings mov- the Tiger Swallow tail; oblong your garden. You may be able ing so fast they appear to blur. and seg mented, as in the Falcate to witness a truly miraculous Butter fl ies and skippers are only Orangetip; or even vase-shaped process of nature: the trans for- active during the day, while and ribbed, like the ma tion from egg, to cat erpil lar, many moths are active at night. Butter fl y’s. De pending upon to chrysa lis, to adult butterfl y. (Some moths, howev er, are ac- the , eggs may be laid And in the process, you might tive during the day as well.) singly, in rows or in clusters of help ensure the contin ued and anywhere from a few to several increased surviv al of common To have a successful butter fl y hundred. Most butter fl ies need butter fl ies that are threatened garden, you need to under - sunny areas for mating and lay- by the destruc tion of their wild stand the life journey of butter - ing their eggs. habitats. fl ies, skip pers and moths. The beauti ful creatures that fl oat The second stage in the but- through your yard are actually ter fl y life cycle is the larva or The Butterfly Life Cycle the culmi nation of a life cycle cater pil lar. Cater pil lars are, Butterfl ies are mem bers of the that devel ops in four stages. The simply put, very ef fi cient insect order Lepi doptera. The term for this type of life cycle eating machines. word “lepi doptera” is derived involving dramat ic changes in Their mouths from the Greek words lepis, form and function of the insect are equipped which means “scale;” and pteron, from stage to stage, is “complete meaning “wing.” The order Lep- metamor pho sis.” i doptera is com posed of butter - Eastern Black fl ies, skippers and moths. While The fi rst stage is the egg, Swallow tail they may appear very similar at which is laid by the adult caterpillar fi rst glance, butterfl ies and skip- female butter fl y. As the

3 with a pair of power ful chewing fl y. This is the fi nal stage of the specifi c chemi cals found in cer- mandi bles to help them grind butterfl y’s life. Its mission now tain plants in order to survive. A their food. The spinnerets, or is to mate and produce the next prime ex am ple is the Monarch, silk gland outlets, are locat ed on gener a tion of butterfl ies. whose caterpillars feed on plants the lower lip. in the milkweed fami ly. The Butterfly Habitats milkweed plant contains toxins To insure their surviv al, it is that are transferred to the cater- important to provide the envi - pillar when it eats the milkweed. ronment needed by butter fl ies The adult butterfl y also contains in your region. Differ ent spe- the toxins. A bird attempt ing to cies of butter fl ies have dif ferent eat a brightly-striped Monarch lifestyles, so a good butter fl y cater pil lar or the orange and garden should have a vari ety black butterfl y will regur gi tate of habitats. For exam ple, some them and thus learn that they butter fl ies prefer open mead- are not a suitable food source. ows, while others prefer shady wooded habi tats. The closer your There are no general charac - The chrysalis or pupa of the garden matches their natural teris tics that make rec ogniz ing a Eastern Black Swallowtail. habi tat, the greater your chances good larval food plant easy. You The cat erpil lar spins silk or se- of at tracting butter fl ies and must research and observe the cretes a sticky liquid that it uses convinc ing them to stay. The butter fl ies you hope to attract to to se cure itself as it enters the ele ments of a success ful butter fl y your garden to know what host third stage, the pupa or chrys- garden include nectar sources plants to provide for specifi c but- alis. The chrys alis is a station ary, and larval food plants, ade quate terfl ies. Tables 1 and 2 at the end non-feeding, resting/trans form ing sunlight, shelter and water. of this publication list host plants stage. Inside this shell, the tis- for many common butterfl ies. sues of the larva are broken down and rebuilt into the organs Adult Monarch butter fl y Adult butterfl ies get their nour- of the adult butter fl y. The pupal on swamp milkweed ishment from fl ower nectar, and span is temperature related and they will feed on a variety of usually lasts 7-14 days. When different sources. Unlike cater - this metamor pho sis is com plete, pillars, they will investigate any the skin of the chrysa lis splits likely-looking nectar source. But- open and the adult butterfl y, or terfl ies use foot-like append ag es imago, crawls out. called tarsi to taste possi ble food sources. Adult butter fl ies and moths feed via a probos cis, a long, hollow, tongue-like struc- ture that they coil beneath their Two stages in the butter fl y life head when not feeding. cycle need food, so you need to provide two types of plants: There are three charac ter is tics of larval food and adult food. Lar- fl owers that attract a butter fl y’s val food plants are common ly attention: fl ower shape or ar- referred to as “host plants.” It is rangement, color and fragrance. im portant to have the right kinds Newly emerged Eastern Black of host plants available for the Butterfl ies must land in order Swallow tail. types of butter fl ies you wish to to feed, so the shape of blooms When it fi rst emerges, the but- attract. Most butterfl ies will only or bloom clusters should pro- ter fl y looks wrinkled and mishap- lay eggs on plants that are a suit- vide a “landing pad” for them. en. It must pump haemolymph able food source for their young. Mem bers of the family (insect blood) into its wings and Many cater pil lars are limited to (daisy-type fl owers) are excel- wait for them to spread to their one or a few closely related host lent choices. Other good choices full size and stiffen before it can plants. Some species of butter- are tubular-shaped blooms that fl ies have come to depend upon contain large amounts of nectar, 4 such as , morning glory, Several things besides plants are honey suck le and spicebush, daylily and trumpet vine. with tantalizing fl owers and hawthorn and hibiscus. Willow, foliage can make your garden poplar and wild cher ry trees Certain colors are more effec tive attrac tive to butterfl ies. Sun- create shelter and are larval food in attracting butter fl ies. They light is important, not only for sources for sever al species. A gravitate towards the colors repro duc tion but for drying wet butter fl y box may also provide pink, red, orange, purple, white wings and raising body temper a- a source of refuge for butter fl ies and yellow. They also see ul- tures for fl ying. To facil i tate this when placed in a shady spot or tra vio let light invis i ble to the process, you can lay light-col- attached to a tree. human eye, which allows them ored stones in your garden for to distin guish patterns in fl owers the butter fl ies to rest upon. To Like all living creatures, but- that we don’t see. These invis- provide sunny locations, leave ter fl ies need water to survive. ible signs direct the butterfl y to part of your garden open and However, they cannot drink sources of nectar. un obstruct ed, which also gives from open water. Instead, pro- butterfl ies room to escape their vide your butterfl ies with a Scent is also an excel lent way predators. Ground covers such mud puddle, from which they to attract butterfl ies into your as alfalfa, clover and other low- will acquire not only moisture, garden. Fragrance permeates the growing host and nectar plants but also vitamins and nutri ents air with signals that butter fl ies combine well with grasses in released in the soil. By simply deci pher with chemical recep tors open areas. Since different spe- letting the hose run on one area in their antennae, their probos cis cies of butter fl ies take nectar at until it is muddy, you provide all and in their tarsi. Strong, sweet- different times of the day, be that a butter fl y needs in the way scented fl owers such as helio - sure to place some nectar plants of wa ter. Another method of pro- trope, spicebush, clethra, but- where they will always be in the viding a butterfl y watering hole ter fl y bush and viburnum seem sun whenever the butter fl ies ar- is to bury a bucket of sand, fi lled to be some of the best butterfl y rive. Rock gardens planted with to within an inch or so from the attrac ta nts. sedum, aubrieta and primrose do top. Place a few rocks and/or well in sunny locations and are sticks on top of the sand to serve Butterfl y plants may be trees, ideal basking spots for warmth- as perches and fi ll the bucket shrubs or herba ceous plants such loving butterfl ies. with water. as an nu als, perennials, grasses and herbs. Many of the best A totally open garden is not an Butterfl ies are sometimes at- butterfl y plants are common ideal habitat, howev er. Since tracted to other, more “earthy” “weeds” and native wildfl ow ers. butterfl ies are such delicate sources of nourish ment, such as When you think about it, this creatures, they tend to be easy urine patches or “doggie-doo,” so makes sense. Butterfl ies are of- victims of strong winds and a spot that is frequently visited ten spe cifi cal ly co-adapted with storms. It is therefore necessary by the family pet may become the native plants of a region, lay- to provide a safe haven for them a favorite butterfl y hangout in ing their eggs on the same tried- to escape harsh weather. A row your garden. Rotting fruit is a and-true plants gener a tion after of shrubs, a large tree or a low special treat for some butterfl ies gener a tion. rock outcropping can break the as well. A plate of fruit juice, force of the wind and provide sugar water or even stale beer safe refuge. Some nectar plants with a sponge fl oating in it will that make excel lent windbreaks also provide them with an ener- gizing treat.

A Red-spotted purple butterfl y takes a drink from a puddle in a gravel drive.

Buckeye butterfl y on Joe-Pye weed, a native plant. 5 Many butterfl ies are residents of specifi c habitat types, such as deep forests, grassy prairies or mountain meadows. Consider whether your garden can imitate the habitats of the butterfl ies you observe locally. Butter fl ies also live within specifi c temper a ture ranges: tropical vs. temper ate, for example. It won’t do you any good to provide the ideal habitat for Zebra Longwings (a tropical species) if you live in East Ten- nes see, because we simply don’t have the proper temper a ture range here for their survival. Field guides will provide much infor ma tion about the habitat needs of your local butterfl ies. Luna moth. It is also important to realize that In addition to the butter fl ies and for humming birds as they fl it some butter fl ies are more plen- skippers you may attract, there from fl ower to fl ower, thereby ti ful at certain times of the year, are many beauti ful and fasci - earning them the im proper name so your butterfl y popu la tion will nating moths that may visit your of “humming bird moth.” It’s well probably change throughout the garden. You may see several worth making a night-time visit season. Observe the local butter - large and colorful moths in your to the garden to observe these fl ies through out the seasons to garden be tween dusk and dawn, color ful creatures in action. learn what they feed on at differ- includ ing Polyphemus, Prometheus, ent times. Luna and Cecro pia moths. Who can forget the haunting ly beauti ful sight Creating a Butterfly The second step in creat ing a of the ice-green Luna moth wing- Garden butterfl y habitat is research ing ing through the garden on a warm The fi rst step to cre ating a but- potential garden plants. Chances summer’s night? terfl y garden is observation and are, you can grow the right plants identi fi ca tion. Determine what if you’ve seen these plants fl our- While the details of creat ing types of butterfl ies reside in your ishing in your neighbor hood, but an ideal “moth garden” are area. Observe them in your own it’s a good idea to educate your- beyond the scope of this publi - backyard, in parks and in the self on new plants before making cation, here are some quick tips gardens of others. Identi fy ing large fi nancial invest ments. Use that may help you attract these your local butter fl ies can be chal- caution when adding “weedy” amazing creatures. Noctur nal lenging, but several resources moths locate food sources pri- are avail able to you. Visit local ma ri ly by scent, so fl owers that librar ies and bookstores for fi eld are fra grant at night, such as guides. The Internet is a wonder- moonfl ow er or tall white nico- ful source of infor ma tion on but- tiana, will get their atten tion. ter fl ies and but terfl y garden ing. In gen eral, white or pale-color You may also be able to contact fl owers are better moth attrac - the en tomol o gy depart ment tants because in the dark these at local colleg es and uni- fl owers re fl ect moon light (or any ver sities for help. If there available light) better, thereby is a natural histo ry muse um making a fragrant target a little in your area, it may have a easier to spot by a hungry moth butter fl y collec tion that can searching for a meal. Some of help you identi fy your neigh- Red Admiral butterfl y on purple these moths have been mistak en bor hood butter fl ies. conefl ower.

6 plants like morning glories and the gar den is half the fun. Re- er pil lars. Hungry cater pil lars thistles. If they are allowed to go mem ber, a good garden is never are an unavoid able fact of life to seed, your neighbors may not totally fi nished. if you are going to have beau- appre ci ate the added work they ti ful butter fl ies in your gar den. have to do to keep their gardens As you become more “advanced” If the little critters seem to be weed-free. in your new hobby, you may devas tat ing one partic u lar plant, want to add special features that gently relocate some of them to The third step in creat ing a but- may draw less common spe- anoth er, less-damaged plant of terfl y habitat is design. Evalu ate cies into your garden. A small the same species to spread the your current garden. This could wooded area may entice satyrs damage over a larger area. Un- be a good time to renovate and and mourning cloaks in from the less they are totally defo li at ed, evaluate the vantage points and wilds so that you can observe plants will recover surpris ing ly desired focal points of the gar- them from a conve nient stump quickly. den. The ideal site is undis turbed or bench. Buckeyes and red-spot- by people and pets, yet open to ted purples, which are fond of Keep fl owers blooming as long your view. open trails, may be attracted to a as possible to accommodate the patch of bare ground in a sun- succeed ing generations of butter - Learn where a partic u lar but- dappled glade. fl ies by deadheading wither ing ter fl y species likes to lay eggs, blooms to stimulate the produc - whether it be sun, dappled tion of new fl owers. shade, etc., and place appro - Butterfly Garden Care priate host plants in the desired There are some precau tion ary It’s important to remem ber that sites in your garden. actions you can take to insure you can’t control butterfl ies.You the butter fl ies you have attracted can’t make them come to your Hanging baskets and other con- will remain a part of your garden. garden and you can’t make them tainers can also be used to create stay. You can only encourage a but terfl y garden in an area you in your butter fl y them and hope they will. If you might not have thought would garden can poison what you’re fi nd you are having trouble at- support one, such as urban areas trying to attract. If you feel you tracting butter fl ies or you want and small balconies in apart- must use some form of , a specifi c variety that you don’t ments. Window boxes or hang- use it very carefully and only on have and you are providing the ing baskets on a fence may make the problem insect. Some organic proper food plants, you might it easier for you to see your products are just as devas tat ing fi nd eggs, larvae and chrysalides butterfl ies. to butter fl ies and other benefi cial in the wild and transplant them insects as they are to target ed to your garden. Don’t detach The fourth step in creat ing a insect pests. For exam ple, Bt butterfl y habitat is construc tion. (Bacillus thuringiensis) won’t just Modify your site if necessary get rid of the cabbage white and plant all the wonderful new butterfl ies on your broccoli and plants you’ve decided to include. cabbage—it kills all lepi dopteran Be aware that your butterfl y larvae! Instead of a chemical, try garden proba bly isn’t going to the option of releasing lady bug be per fect the fi rst year. Your beetles or other preda to ry bene- knowledge will change, so you fi cial insects that naturally feed may realize that you should have upon unwanted visitors like done some things differently. . There is, in fact, one And just because the books say species of butterfl y that you may a given butter fl y species uses a fi nd in your garden that feeds on certain plant in your area doesn’t insect pests. The Harvest er is the mean the butter fl ies have read only North American member of that book. They may thrive on a family of tropical carniv o rous something entirely differ ent butter fl ies. It feeds on woolly in your neighbor hood. Watch aphids and their honey dew. Two Tiger Swallowtails take nectar what’s happening in your garden Don’t fret over plants that have from a butterfl y bush. and bear in mind that changing been munched upon by cat- 7 eggs or chrysal i des from the Mortimer, Senga. “The Lure of The Insect Zoo at the leaf or branch they are on—just the Butterfl y.” Traditional Home, Smithsonian Institution careful ly cut the part of the plant July 1995, p. 22 (2). they are on and take that back Butterfl y World at Coco nut to your garden (after obtain ing Potter-Springer, Wendy. Grow Creek, FL permis sion from the owner of a Butterfl y Garden. 1990. Storey the plant, of course). Communications, Inc: Pownal, Ijams Nature Center, Knox- Vermont. ville, TN Exotic species should never be introduced outside their natural Schneck, Marcus. Butterfl ies: Cincinnati Zoo’s Insect Zoo, home range. They may have no How to Identify and Attract them Cincinnati, OH natural enemies in the new area, to Your Garden. 1990. Rodale and could therefore multiply to Press: Emmaus, Pennsylvania. (Also see the WWW listing of the point of becom ing serious butterfl y gardens on the pests. The Cabbage White (also Shreet, Sharon. “Attracting But- Internet) known as the Import ed Cabbage terfl ies to Your Garden.” Flower Butter fl y) is a very common but- and Garden Magazine v. 36, Web Sites terfl y and a serious ag ricul tur al April-May 1992, p. 34(4). The Butterfl y WebSite (http:// pest in North Ameri ca that was www.butterfl ywebsite.com) acci den tal ly intro duced from Stein, Sara. Noah’s Garden: Europe in 1860. Many state and Restoring the Ecology of Our Own The Butterfl y Zone (http:// local agencies, as well as the US Backyards. 1993. Houghton Mif- www.butterfl ies.com) Department of , have fl in Company: New York, New strict regu la tions on the import York. International Federation of and inter state transport of poten - Butterfl y Enthu si asts (http:// tial pest species. Still, Steven M. Manual of Herba - ifbe.org/ifbe.htm) ceous Ornamental Plants. 1994.

There is a great deal to be Stipes Publishing Compa ny: Smithsonian Butterfl y Habi- learned about butter fl ies and you Champaign, Illinois. can spend a lifetime doing it. tat Garden Site (http:// There is also a great deal about Tufts, Craig and Peter Loewer. www.si.edu/resource/tours/ butterfl ies and their behav ior Gardening for Wildlife. 1995. gardens/butterfl y) that is still unknown, and, who Rodale Press: Emmaus, Pennsyl - knows, you could contrib ute vania. Societies/Clubs signifi cant ly to our under stand ing The Lepidopterists Soci ety of them with careful obser va tion The Audubon Society Field Guide and note-taking. Wherever your to North American Butterfl ies. Xerces Society personal feelings for butter fl ies fall, Robert Michael Pyle, Consulting and howev er deeply you choose Lepidopterist. Alfred A. Knoph, North American Butterfl y Asso - to involve yourself in the hobby of Inc., Chanticleer Press, Inc. 1981. cia tion butterfl y garden ing, you are sure to enjoy a butterfl y garden. Wright, Amy Bartlett. Peterson Southern Lepidopterists’ Society First Guide to Caterpillars of North America. 1993. Houghton Mif- National Wildlife Feder a tion fl in Company: New York, New Sources of Information Habitat Gardening York. about Butterflies Other local orga ni za tions (En- Public Butterfl y Gardens Books Day Butterfl y Con serva to ry to mo logi cal asso ci a tions are Cox, Jeff. Landscaping with at Callaway Gardens, Pine more common than lepi dopteran Nature. 1991. Rodale Press: Mountain, GA societies. If there are none avail- Emmaus, Penn sylva nia. able in your local area, you can always form one.)

8 Appendix A. Tree and shrub food sources and the butter fl ies they attract. Sci. Name Common Name Larval Food Adult Food* Aesculus spp. Buckeye Amelanchier spp. Servi ce ber ry Coral Hairstreak Asimina triloba Pawpaw Zebra Swallowtail Betula spp. Birch Compton Tortoiseshell, Dreamy Duskywing, Tiger Swallow tail, Mourning Cloak Buddleia spp. Butterfl y Bush Swallowtails, Comma, Mourning Cloak, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Painted Lady, Amer. Painted Lady, Red Admiral Callicarpa americana Beauty Berry Giant Swallowtail Carpinus caroliniana American Hornbeam Red-spotted Purple Ceanothus spp. New Jersey Tea, Wild Mottled Duskywing Lilac, Buckbrush Celtis occidentalis Hackber ry Question Mark, Mourning Cloak, Hackberry Butterfl y, American Snout Butterfl y, Tawny Emperor Cephalanthus spp. Button bush Tiger Swallowtail, Amer. Painted Lady, Monarch Clethra spp. Summersweet Spicebush Swallowtail, Question Mark, Amer. Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Red-spotted Purple Cornus fl orida Dogwood Spring Azure Crataegus spp. Hawthorn Northern Hairstreak, Red-spotted Purple Fraxinus spp. Ash Tiger Swallowtail, Baltimore Kolkwitzia amabilis Beauty Bush Lindera benzoin Spice bush Spice bush Swallowtail Ligustrum spp. Privet Spring Azure, Painted Lady, Amer. Painted Lady, Red-spotted Purple Philadelphus coronarius Mock Orange

*Note: Plants which are not listed as attracting a specifi c type of butterfl y are often general sources of food for a variety of adult butterfl ies. Also, don’t be surprised to see butterfl ies on plants that aren’t listed as being attractants for that particular species. Many butterfl ies will feed on any available nectar source.

9 .Appendix A. Tree and shrub food sources and the butterfl ies they attract (continued.) Sci. Name Common Name Larval Food Adult Food Populus spp. Aspen, Cottonwood, Mourning Cloak, Poplar Red-spotted Purple, Viceroy, Tiger Swallowtail, Compton Tortoiseshell, Dreamy Duskywing Prunus spp. Plum, Cherry Spring Azure, Red-spotted Purple, Viceroy, Tiger Swallow tail Ptelea trifoliata Hoptree Giant Swallowtail Quercus spp. Oak Hairstreaks, Sleepy Duskywing Rhamnus crocea Buckthorn spp. Azalea, Rhododendron Rhus aromatica Sumac Red-banded Hairstreak Salix spp. Willow Swallowtails, Brown Elfi n Red-spotted Purple, Viceroy, Mourning Cloak Sassafras albidum Sassa fras Spice bush Swallowtail, Palamedes Swallow tail Spirea spp. Spirea Spring Azure Tilia americana Ameri can Linden Question Mark Ulmus pp. Elm Comma, Mourning Cloak, Question Mark Vaccinium spp. Blueber ry Spring Azure Viburnum spp. Viburnum Spring Azure Weigela fl orida Weigela

10 Appendix B. Herbaceous plant food sources and the butterfl ies they attract. Sci. Name Common Name Larval Food Adult Food* Yarrow Amer. Painted Lady, Amer. Copper Alcea rosea Holly hock Painted Lady, Common Checkered Skipper Alternanthera fi coidea Ama ranth Scalloped Sootywing Amaranthus tricolor Fountain Plant Sootywings (Skippers) Amorpha spp. False Indigo Dogface Anaphalis triplinervis Pearly Everlasting Painted Lady, E. Pine Elfi n Amer. Painted Lady Anethum graveolens Dill E. Black Swallowtail Antennaria dioica Pussy toes Ameri can Painted Lady Antirrhinum majus Snapdrag on Buckeye Armeria maritima Thrift Artemisia spp. Wormwood Painted Lady Tiger Swallowtail, Great Spangled Frit., Monarch, Fiery Skipper Aruncus dioicus Goat’s Beard spp. Milkweed, Butterfl y Swallowtails, Sulphurs, Hair Weed Monarch streaks, Blues, Mourning Cloak, etc. Aster spp. Aster Pearly Crescentspot Whites and Sulphurs, Question Mark, Painted Lady, Red Admi- ral, Buckeye, Checkered Skipper Aubrieta deltoidea False Rock Cress Aureolaria pedicularia False Foxglove Buckeye Aurinia saxatilis Basket of Gold Calendula offi cinalis Pot Marigold Cardiospermum Balloon Vine Silver-banded Hairstreak halicacabum Cassia marilandica Wild Senna Sulphurs, Mercurial Skipper, Blue-banded Skipper Cassia obtusifolia Sicklepod Sulphurs, Mercurial Skipper, Blue-banded Skipper Centaurea cyanus Bachelor Button Centranthus ruber Jupiter’s Beard Chamaecrista cinerea Partridge Pea Antillean Blue, Cloudless Giant Sulphur, Little Yellow *Note: Plants which are not listed as attracting a specifi c type of butterfl y are often general sources of food for a variety of adult butter fl ies. Also, don’t be surprised to see butterfl ies on plants that aren’t listed as being attrac ta nts for that particular species. Many butterfl ies will feed on any available nectar source. 11 Appendix B. Herbaceous plant food sources and the butter fl ies they attract (continued.)

Sci. Name Common Name Larval Food Adult Food Chrysanthemum spp. Daisy Cloudless Giant Sulphur, Pearly Crescentspot, Red Admi ral Cimicifuga spp. Bugbane Spring Azure Cleome hasslerana Cleome Checkered White spp. Coreopsis Sulphurs, Pearly Crescentspot, Buckeye, Monarch Cosmos spp. Cosmos Daucus carota var. sativus Carrot, Queen E. Black Swallowtail E. Black Swallowtail, Ann’s Lace Gray Hairstreak Dendranthema x Hardy Mum morifolium Dianthus barbatus Sweet William Dicentra spp. Bleeding Heart Dictamnus albus Gas Plant Echinops spp. Globe Thistle Ecinacea spp. Conefl ower, Purple Silvery Blue, Great Spangled (especially E. purpurea) Conefl ower Fritillary, Tawny-edged Skipper, Silvery Crescentspot Erigeron hybrids Fleabane Checkerspots Eupatorium coelestinum Mist-Flower Metalmarks Eupatorium purpureum Joe-Pye Weed Metalmarks Spice bush Swallowtail Foeniculum vulgare Fennel E. Black Swallowtail Gaillardia spp. Blanket Flower Geranium spp. Geranium Gomphrena globosa Gomphrena Helenium autumnale Sneezeweed spp. Sunfl ower Crescentspots Tiger Swallowtail, Silvery Crescentspot arborescens He liotrope Orange Sulphur, Amer. Painted Lady Hemerocallis spp. Daylily Hesperis matronalis Dame’s Rocket Hibiscus spp. Mallow, Hairstreaks Hibiscus Iberis sempervirens Candytuft Impatiens capensis, I. Jewelweed Spicebush Swallowtail pallida Ipomoea purpurea Morning Glory Cloudless Giant Sulphur spp. Lantana Swallowtails, Cabbage White, Gulf Fritillary, Fiery Skipper Lathyrus latifolius Perennial Sweet Pea Gray Hairstreak, Blues Gray Hairstreak 12 Appendix B. Herbaceous plant food sources and the butterfl ies they attract (continued.) Sci. Name Common Name Larval Food Adult Food angustifolia Laven der Leucanthemum x Shasta Daisy superbum spp. Gayfeather Linum perenne Flax Variegated Fritillary Lobelia spp. Lobelia Cloudless Giant Sulphur Lobularia maritima Sweet Alyssum Lonicera spp. Honey suck le Checkerspots Swallow tails Lupinus spp. Lupine Blues Common Blue, Silvery Blue, E. Pine Elfi n Malva moschata Musk Mallow Gray Hairstreak, Painted Lady, Amer. Painted Lady Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Monarch Marrubium vulgare Horehound Matthiola incana ‘Annua’ Stock Mentha spp. Mint Swallowtails, Whites, Hairstreaks, Painted Lady, Amer. Painted Lady, Red Admi ral, Monarch, Large Wood Nymph Monarda spp. Beebalm, Bergamot, Hairstreaks Horsemint Nepeta x faassenii Catmint Opuntia humifusa Prickly Pear Cactus Panicum virgatum Switchgrass Skippers Passifl ora spp. Passion fl ower, Maypop Gulf Fritillary Gulf Fritillary Petroselinum crispum Parsley Swallowtails Phlox paniculata Phlox Common Sulphur Polygonum sp. Knotweed, Coppers, Blues, Fleecefl ower Fritillaries Polygonum capitatum Pinkhead Knotweed Coppers, Blues, ‘Magic Carpet’ Fritillaries Pontederia cordata Picker el weed Palamedes Swallowtail Ratibida columnifera Mexican Hat Rubus spp. Brambles Meadow Fritillary Golden-banded Skipper Rudbeckia spp. (except Black Eyed Susan Great Spangled Fritillary, Pearly R. fulgida ‘Goldsturm’) Crescentspot Ruellia pedunculata Wild Petunia White Peacock, Crescentspots Ruta graveolens Rue Swallowtails Salvia spp. Sages Scabiosa spp. Pincush ion Flower Amer. Painted Lady

13 Appendix B. Herbaceous plant food sources and the butterfl ies they attract (continued.) Sci. Name Common Name Larval Food Adult Food Sedum spp. (except S. Sedum, Houseleek Buckeye Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Painted ‘Autumn Joy’) Lady, Red Admiral, Comma Solidago spp. Golden rod Sulphurs, Gray Hairstreak, Painted Lady, Amer. Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Vice roy, Giant Swallowtial Symphytum spp. Comfrey spp. (especially Marigold Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Painted single-fl owered varieties) Lady, Amer. Painted Lady Thymus spp. Thyme Trifolium pratense Red Clover Clouded Sulphur, Cabbage White, Great Spangled Alfalfa Butterfl y Frit., Painted Lady, Amer. Painted Lady, Red Admiral, Skippers Tropaeolum majus Nastur tium Whites Whites Urtica spp. Nettle Question Mark, Swallowtails Comma, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Mourning Cloak Vaccinium spp. Blueberry Spring Azure spp. Verbena Buckeye Great Spangled Fritillary Vernonia Ironweed Amer. Painted Lady Tiger Swallowtail, Great noveboracensis Spangled Fritillary, Monarch, Fiery Skipper spp. Violet, Pansy Great Spangled Spring Azure, Falcate Fritillary, Meadow Orangewing Frittilary spp. Zinnia Painted Lady, Amer. Painted Lady

14 Visit the UT Extension Web site at http://www.utextension.utk.edu/

05-0195 PB1636-3M-1/05 (Rep) E12-5115-00-004-05

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