10 Native “Weeds” for 20 Butterflies Presented by: Andee Naccarato Naples Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society My Background • President, FNPS Naples Chapter • Environmental Educator • North American Butterfly Association • Volunteer for over a dozen butterfly counts in south Florida Andee Naccarato Outline • What are “native weeds”? • Butterfly conservation & life cycle • 10 native “weeds” for 20 butterflies • Low-maintenance lawns • What you can do at home Tropical checkered skipper Why This Talk? • Think differently about some plants called “weeds” • Chance to highlight lesser-known butterflies & the “weedy” plants that support them • Different way to facilitate butterfly conservation at home For the Love of Butterflies • Butterflies loved by general public • Desire to attract butterflies leads to search for nectar plants & host plants • Begin to understand needs of butterflies in gardens & natural habitats • Our yards can be both! Queen butterflies nectaring on native wildflower What is a Native Plant? • Native plant: A species that occurred within Florida prior to European contact • A plant that is a natural component of native habitats without human introduction or disturbance • ~3,300 species in Florida • ~ 1/3 grown in cultivation Sources: https://www.fnps.org/natives/definition; https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/; https://www.fann.org/plants/filter Non-native Invasive Plants • Invasive Plants = species that take over and disrupt natural ecosystems • ~300 species in Florida • At least $45 million/year spent to manage invasive plants in natural areas • Resource: Center for Aquatic Brazilian pepper, native to Brazil, Argentina, & Paraguay and Invasive Plants Source: https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/ What is a Weed? • Any plant not valued where it is growing • Could be native or non-native • Usually show up “uninvited” Sources: https://www.fnps.org/natives/definition Some “Weedy” Plants are Native • Naturally occur in Florida’s habitats, including those adjacent to human communities • Certain characteristics allow them to thrive in disturbed or dynamic conditions • Appear on roadsides, trail edges, vacant lots Characteristics of “weedy” natives • High germination rate • Quick to bloom & set seed • Large numbers of seeds • Effective seed dispersal Characteristics of “weedy” natives • High germination rate • Quick to bloom & set seed • Large numbers of seeds • Effective seed dispersal • Adaptation to thrive in disturbance • Persistence & dependability (from the butterfly’s perspective) What does this have to do with butterflies? Some lawn “weeds” are also host plants for butterflies! Butterfly Life Cycle Egg Butterfly Caterpillar Chrysalis Butterfly Life Cycle Egg Butterfly Caterpillar Chrysalis Butterfly Life Cycle Egg Butterfly Caterpillar Chrysalis Butterfly Life Cycle Egg Butterfly Caterpillar Chrysalis Butterfly Life Cycle Egg Butterfly Caterpillar Chrysalis Zebra heliconian, Florida’s state butterfly Butterfly Life Cycle Egg Butterfly Caterpillar Chrysalis Passionvine, host plant for zebra heliconian Butterfly Needs Butterflies need host plants & nectar plants to complete their life cycle, and native plants are best! Butterfly Needs Host Plant Nectar Plant • The type of plant the adult • Flowering plant sought out butterfly lays her eggs on & by adult butterflies for nectar the caterpillars eat • Provides energy for flight • E.g. Milkweed for monarchs Butterflies: Specialists vs. Generalists Specialists Generalists • One or few, closely-related • Many, often distantly-related host plants species host plant species Explaining the Plant List Native “Weed” – Type 1 Native “Weed” – Type 2 • Plants with the word “weed” • Native plants often in the common name, but considered lawn weeds, and accepted as a desirable plant not widely known as native or as butterfly host plants 10 Native “Weeds” for 20 Butterflies ● Milkweed ● Hairypod Cowpea ● Blue Porterweed ● Ticktrefoils ● Turkey Tangle Fogfruit ● Purple Thistle ● Virginia Pepperweed ● Common Fanpetals ● Florida Pellitory ● Spanish Needles South Florida focus Milkweed (Asclepias sp.) • Perennial wildflower • 21 native species; 1 non-native • Family Apocynaceae • Native to a variety of habitats • Attracts pollinators • Host for monarch, queen, & soldier FNPS: https://www.fnps.org/plant/asclepias-incarnata Monarch (Danaus plexippus) • Large, bright orange butterfly with black veins and black borders with white spots • Females lay white eggs singly under leaves & on flowers Resource: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Danaus-plexippus Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Monarch (Danaus plexippus) • Large, bright orange butterfly with black veins and black borders with white spots • Females lay white eggs singly under leaves & on flowers • Caterpillar has yellow, white, and black stripes and two pairs of black filaments • Caterpillars sequester plant toxins as protection from predators Resource: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Danaus-plexippus Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Queen (Danaus gilippus) • Close relative of monarch • Chestnut brown wings • Females lay white eggs singly under leaves & on flowers Resource: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Danaus-gilippus Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Queen (Danaus gilippus) • Close relative of monarch • Chestnut brown wings • Females lay white eggs singly under leaves & on flowers • Caterpillar black with white stripes and yellow markings; three pairs of black filaments Resource: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Danaus-gilippus Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Blue Porterweed (Stachytarpeta jamaicensis) • Short-lived perennial; self-seeds • Family Verbenaceae • (1 native species; 2 non-native) • Native to coastal strand, dry mesic hardwood forest • Popular nectar plant • Host for tropical buckeye Photo by Danny Cox Resource: https://www.fnps.org/plant/stachytarpheta-jamaicensis Range maps: Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa. Tropical Buckeye (Junonia evarete) • Brown butterfly with colorful markings & eyespots • Narrow, light-colored line distinctive on hindwing below • Found in extreme south FL • Female lays green eggs on leaves • Caterpillar black & spiny Photo by Holly Salvato, with permission Resource: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Junonia-evarete Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Turkey Tangle Fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) • Short-lived perennial • Creeping groundcover • Family Verbenaceae • (2 native species; 1 non-native) • Occurs in wet prairies across FL • Popular nectar plant • Host for white peacock & phaon crescent (sometimes common buckeye) Resources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/phyla-nodiflora Turkey Tangle Patch in homeowner’s yard White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) • White and tan butterfly with black eye spots • Occurs in peninsular FL • Female lays green eggs singly • Caterpillar black with orange spines • Hide near ground during the day • Also uses herb-of-grace (Bacopa monnieri) as a host plant Resource: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Anartia-jatrophae Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) • Small orange butterfly with yellow bands & black markings • Occurs across FL • Female lays greenish-yellow eggs in clusters under leaves • Caterpillar small, brown with pale stripes • May feed in groups within silk nest Resource: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Phyciodes-phaon Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Virginia Pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum) • Annual wildflower • Also called “poor man’s pepper” • Also 3 non-native • Family Brassicaceae (mustard) • Blooms small white flowers in “bottlebrush” • Host for checkered white & great southern white Resource: https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-lepidium-virginicum/ Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Great Southern White (Ascia monuste) • Medium-sized white butterfly with dark edges • Turquoise antennal clubs • Found in across central & south FL; coastal north FL • Female lays slender, pale eggs singly or in small groups • Caterpillar green with yellow stripes & black spots • Young caterpillars may feed in groups Resource: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Ascia-monuste Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Florida Pellitory (Parietaria floridana) • Annual or short-lived perennial • Family Urticaceae (nettles) • (3 native species; 1 non-native) • Native to moist hammocks • Tends to grow is moist, shady sites • Small, green flowers in leaf axils • Host for red admiral Resources: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/nassauco/2018/02/15/please-identify-weed/ Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and their Host Plants, by Minno, Butler, and Hall (2005) Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta) • Black butterfly with reddish-orange bands and white spots • Occurs across FL • Female lays pale green eggs singly on top of leaves • Caterpillar spiny & dark-colored with