This summer we have frequently seen common wood-nymph butterflies in the landscape. Until I was able to get a positive identification, I wondered if they might be Carolina satyr butterflies (which turns out to be a wood-nymph cousin). Unfortunately, the frequent sightings have not yielded many photos because they are constantly moving (unless of course…
Tag: butterflies
Host Plants for Caterpillars
There’s a good reason to choose keystone plants for the landscape – they are crucial to the foodweb in an ecosystem. The foliage (for caterpillars) or pollen (for bees) support the largest number of these insect species, creating the best chance of high biodiversity in our gardens. Keystone Plants The top keystone genera (closely related…
Native Grasses
Grasses are important plants to include in native landscape plantings. They can provide structure in a design and can provide beauty with their foliage and blooms. Functionally, grasses can support other plants, fill gaps between plants thus suppressing “weeds,” host Lepidoptera, and provide wildlife shelter. (1) Native grasses are either “warm-season” or “cool season.” Most…
Welcome, Monarch Butterflies!
Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) attract monarchs to the garden because they are the host plants for the caterpillars. Females lay eggs on the underside of milkweed leaves, which appear as very small white dots. The caterpillars evolved with milkweeds and are adapted to eat the foliage, which is distasteful and toxic to many other insects. Once…
Catchfly Commons 