Winter butterfly garden planning

Here in Virginia, it's the middle of winter with the temps in the low 20s and not much higher during the day. It's too cold to even go outside, but I can plan for those warmer months just by looking through the seed catalogs that have been delivered lately. A good one is Wildseed Farms from Fredericksburg, TX. Besides offering a very good selection of butterfly plants and flowers, they give a lot of good information, including the percentage of average planting success with a certain species, the soil temp, germination time, blooming period, how many seeds are in a pound, and suggested uses. For example, Yellow Cosmos (Asteraceae) is an annnual, good for the entire United States, with an average success rate of 80%. I know this is a good butterfly attractant and it's easy to grow. You can buy it by the pound, 1/4 lb., 1 oz., or packet. There are also mixtures designed for specific areas of the country, each containing about 24 different seeds. These wildflower mixes may be good for meadows (and for people with patience), but I'd recommend instead purchasing seeds in packets. If you know which flowers would attract butterflies, buy those seeds and then they can be planted in groups which is important if you want to see butterflies this summer. A grouping of the same flower will more likely attract the winged ones instead of an assortment of 20 different ones scattered over an area. If you are looking for a mixture, Wildseed Farms is the place to buy one. There are no fillers in the mix; they are pure seeds. If you go into one of the big box stores, pick up a wildflower (or butterfly) mix. Look at the back of the can and you'll see most of the contents are filler. Many do not include that many butterfly flowers, either. So, happy planning!

The Association For Butterflies

Are you interested in the welfare of butterflies? Do you want to learn about butterfly releases, gardening for butterflies or the conservation of butterflies? You might consider joining the Association For Butterflies - www.forbutterflies.org. This group has been in existence for close to 2 years. Founded by several butterfly breeders, it is open to hobbiests, those who just like butterflies, those who breed and sell butterflies and others. The nominal dues are used for conservation projects, to promote the study of butterfly diseases and butterfly releases. A membership application is available on the site. Check it out!

How do butterflies get their names?

Have you ever wondered why certain butterflies have such unusual names? In looking through my field guide, here are a few that seem to defy explanation: Broken Silverdrop, Creole Pearly-Eye, California Sister, Fatal Metalmark, Hoary Elfin, Southern Dogface, Cobweb Skipper, Mexican Eighty-Eight, Painted Lady, Mourning Cloak, Frosted Flasher and Blue-Eyed Sailor. Where do these names come from?

Well, some are named after what the caterpillars eat. For example, the Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar eats the leaves of the Spicebush plant. A Cabbage White eats leaves of the cabbage plant and those of the same "family".

Some are named for their behavior. For example the large family of "Skippers" are small and for the most part, non-descript. When in flight, they tend to skip from flower to flower.

Some are named for their appearance. The Painted Lady derived its name from ladies of the evening in Victorian times, who painted their cheeks with rouge and their lips with bright lipstick. The undersides of the Painted Lady's wings have bright pink spots that reminded people of these ladies. The Zebra Longwing has elongated wings with zebra-like black and white stripes running across them. The Baltimore Checkerspot is a beautiful butterfly with orange and black checkered markings, named after Lord Baltimore, whose colors were orange and black. A Mourning Cloak has beautiful almost-black wings with a fringe of off-white around the perimeter. It resembles a cloak that may have been worn by someone in mourning.

Butterfly in December in Virginia!

On the 30th day of December, 2007 in Central Virginia, I saw a cabbage white flying in the yard! The temperature was almost 60 degrees and I was astonished to see a butterfly in winter. Cabbage whites are very widespread throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its Latin name is Pieris rapae and they are very easy to raise. They are supposed to spend the cold winter months in the chrysalis form and emerge early in the spring. It has not been especially warm this past December and very rarely did the temps reach into the 50s. Some people think of them as a pest, as they eat cabbage, broccoli and some other cole crops, but I always like to see them in the spring. They are cheerful and flighty little butterflies.