Seeds for next year's butterfly garden

I was packing some seeds I collected this fall. These are host and nectar plant seeds that I sell to my customers. I found out the hard way that it is best to let them dry thoroughly before sealing them in small bags. The fennel seeds had mildewed and I had to throw them out. I also have seeds from Black-eyed Susans, Cosmos, Coreopsis, Verbena, Marigold, Crocosmia, Hop tree, Tropical and Common Milkweed, Oregano, Mexican Sunflower, and Catnip.

An "apple" butterfly

http://md15.embarq.synacor.com/service/home/~/image0011.jpg?auth=co&id=20700&part=1.2

Have you ever seen an "apple" butterfly?

Monarch is driven from NY to FL by trucker

Check this out:
http://www.syracuse.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-28/1227192556280920.xml&storylist=state

This is a hearwarming tale of how some Good Samaritans fixed a monarch's broken wing, nursed it back to health, and found it a ride to warmer climes.

Social Butterflies loves stories like this one!

Wishing for butterflies?

Is it cold where you are now? Here in Central Virginia, a big cold front will be pushing through in a day or so and we're in for some abnormally cold temperatures for the next week.
Are you wishing that it was spring and that your flowers were starting to bloom? You would like to see some early spring butterflies? Well, here are a few suggestions on how to get through the winter, even though the snow may be deep and the ice on your windshield tells you something different.
Visit a butterfly exhibit. Search for one on the internet close to you. Many stay open year-round and you will appreciate the warm temperatures inside, along with the tropical atmosphere and of course, all those beautiful butterflies flying around. My first experience years ago in a butterfly exhibit was at Callaway Gardens in Georgia. It was like a wonderland! I could have spent hours there. Since they are so popular, many are opening all the time.
Buy a field guide to butterflies. Filled with valuable information, as well as stunning photos of butterflies, you will almost feel like you are outside, with your camera, searching for native butterflies in your yard or the nearest park. A terrific book for all ages is The Family Butterfly Book, by Rick Mikula. I use mine all the time. It costs approx. $15, plus shipping. Buy one now through Social Butterflies' website: www.socialbtrflies.com.
Start planning for next year's butterfly garden. Think about adding another butterfly bush and appropriate host plants to your yard. Host plants are those that butterfly caterpillars eat. You will be able to observe the entire lifecycle many times if you have a garden filled with host and nectar plants.
Use your computer to search for butterflies and butterfly information. Learn something new about those butterflies in your area so you will be able to identify them next year.
Think warm! Enjoy the quietness of winter's beauty. Observe the birds. Look for tracks in the snow. Make a snow butterfly!

Association For Butterflies symposium

The Association For Butterflies will hold a symposium for butterfly farmers and butterfly enthusiasts this coming December in Gainesville, Florida. Held December 5~7, please see www.forbutterflies.org for more information. A wide variety of workshops will be held for beginning farmers and experienced ones. On Sunday, a time will be dedicated to event planners/wedding and funeral professionals to help them understand how to conduct a butterfly release. A live butterfly release will follow. An optional tour of a working butterfly farm and the Rainforest at the McGuire Center at the University of Florida will be available.

Butterfly flowers are still blooming

Since we haven't had a freeze yet, there are still flowers on a few butterfly bushes, many zinnias, Mexican sunflowers and cosmos that were planted late, aster, some tropical milkweed, lantana and pincushion flower. Those late-season butterflies like the Variegated Fritillaries, Buckeyes, Skippers, Whites and Sulphurs and a few assorted others at least have something to nectar on. I've been raising a few Variegated Frits and releasing them, but I'm not seeing any more laying eggs on the passionvine. About a week ago, I did see one Black Swallowtail in the garden. I also saw a Long-tailed skipper about 2 weeks ago, which I tried to net, but it was too fast for me. The migrating monarchs have left the area on their way south now. It helps to plant seeds later in the season (July) so there are flowers for the fall winged ones. I have been gathering seeds to sell in Social Butterflies Wing It! kits, such as fennel, Queen Anne's Lace, marigolds, verbena and Black-eyed Susan. We now have about four months of winter weather ahead of us, which is a good time to recoup and assess how things went this past butterfly season.

End of the season butterflies

The butterfly season has almost come to an end for this year. I still have a few monarch caterpillars I'm raising. The milkweed looks bad, but it's come back somewhat since we've had some rain. I have a few black swallowtail caterpillars left, but most have pupated and will spend the winter in the refrigerator. The variegated fritillaries are still plentiful. I've sleeved about a dozen on the passionvine. I remember that last year, we still were seeing them into the first of November.

I've taught several monarch tagging programs, including an online one for the Association For Butterflies. Last week I did one for a home-schooled group. Everyone had a great time, learning about monarch migration and then individually tagging their butterflies. Some purchased monarch chrysalises in pupae pyramids to take home. We always wish them well on their long journey to Mexico before we release them. Maybe one day a butterfly that we've tagged will be found and reported to Monarch Watch!