The female Black Swallowtail
flew about the yard.
.
She spotted the parsley in the vegetable garden.flew about the yard.
.
I have parsley growing in three locations. Two already have caterpillars.
This is Italian Broad Leaf.
It still needs it's herb.
The Black Swallowtails will also lay eggs in Fennel, mine is full of caterpillars.
They also will use dill.
I need more host plants.
This is the host plant for the Monarchs.
16 comments:
I wanted to plant some milkweed and forgot so next year for sure!I think I need to plant more parsley and spread it around like you did! Great photo of the swallowtail! hugs NG
how wonderful and without a doubt the milkweed is a fave plant of mine! This is a great site, I must save your RSS feed!
Wow...I am speechless each time I visit your blog. The pics are amazing...we just wish we could get the variety of butterflies to our yard! Keep em coming! Thanks
Ron
I'm learning a lot from you, Sherry. Do you know I have sat here and made notes from your posts? I titled it, "Sherry's Butterfly Museum - hopes for next Spring" LOL! Seriously, I am doing this.
Dear Naturegirl,
The milkweed is very pretty and is a perennial. The Monarchs must have it for their eggs. There are three types. The orange blooming one is also called butterfly weed.
I read to be sure and get organic plants. I also read many of the nursery plants are nectarless!
I do like Milkweed it is also a nectar plant for the black Swallowtails. Duel purpose plant!
The Swallowtails are very lovely. They are big and the camera sees them easily. Once they settle in on a garden to nectar they are very docile.
I was pleased to get the photo of Black Swallowtail laying her eggs.
I grow many nectar plants the Black Swallowtails like. Now for more host plants!
I like feeding the butterflies.
Sherry
Hi Mon@rch,
I enjoy your New York butterflies so very much. You get different ones than I do and some of the same.
It is wonderful to see all the butterflies being cared for. I just read an article that said the state of the enviroment can be judged by the number of varities of butterflies in it.
Spraying lawns and roadways with pesticides is so harmful for our winged friends.
I will just keep planting wild!
Sherry
Hi Abq-b-fly-guy,
I am reading and researching the 200 different varities of butterflies that are in my area and trying to learn what each needs for host and nectar. I may not be able to feed them all but I will try. There is the cemetary across the street! Maybe they would have room for a few must have trees or bushes. I could talk with them when I run out of room!
I can still see lawn so I have a ways to go!
I like seeing new varities too.
Sherry
Dear Mary,
Blush.....
I could write a bit more about each butterfly.
I just started working on the Grossamers! These include the Coppers and Hairstreaks. I saw my first Hairstreak this year on the onions I let go to flower. I was rather flowerless so I figured anything was better than nothing.
The Hairstreak liked it so I am leaving more to go to flower and on to seed. I also made sugar water and spraye dit on green leaves just in case a butterfly was hungry! I have flowers now so I do not need the sugar water.
My favorite book for beginning butterfly gardening is The Gardener's Butterfly Book by Alan Branhagen. I have three field guides and still there are times I do not know the butterfly! There are many Dusky Wings and Skippers!
I will try to be better on giving information. I could at least tell the flower the butterfly is nectaring on!
You will enjoy having them about. They are as much fun as the birds with out the mess but no singing...
the crickets, locust and tree frogs do that.
Sherry
Hello Q. You are inspiring me to plant! I am looking for milkweed, perhaps it has a different name here? A friend has given me fennel, and I have bought Rudbeckia :-) I love your butterflies, I saw 3 in our garden yesterday :-)
Dear Chris,
When I was so despondant over all the plants that had died, you wrote that Mother Nature would plant. It got me thinking about how last year I had gone to the Prairie and Wetland Center and had started to plant a few native plants. They did fine.
I had wanted to do more host and nectar plants so I just decided to do it!
It is so fun to see the butterflies. I bet there is a native guide for butterflies that are in your area. It would be not only a way to id them but you could plant for themm too!
I bet you already have many of their favorite plants and being organic is necessary for a good butterfly enviroment!
Can't wait to see what you plant and your winged friends that come to call.
I do not know what milkweed is called in England. I don't know if it is native to your area or not.
hummm...
Thank you, I am so pleased I inspired you. Please send a bit of your rains, Mary needs them.
Sherry
Dear Q, I keep on asking the same question. I just want a response.If you capture a butterfly will it HARM it?
Mary great idea about taking notes :-). I just want to say that the pictures are great. What are some flowers butterflies like to lay on and get nectar from?
Dear Anonymous,
You could harm them. Just enjoy them. I do not know the area in the country you live in but most butterflies enjoy the native to your area flowering wild flowers. Zinnias are a great choice for annuals. Butterflies like a rich nectar plant so be sure and plant organic and non-gentically altered plants. Some nuseries offer lovely flowers but they are sterile.
Hope this helps.
Don't capture them, just enjoy them.
Sherry
Thanks Q . when my cousins come to visit we use to go in the garden and and catch the butterflies. That was a few years ago so I'll tell them not to because they are all younger than me so I can tell them to do it and they will.LOL
Q I am in Georgia sorry i din't say that earlier.I just went on GOFBOT.com. Have you seen the commercial? Any way I just want to say visit it I was the first person ever. On the commercial It said 3 visits when I went on it was 4 so.By the way I'm ASH.
Hi Ash,
Glad to met you!
Georgia! A great state. Do enjoy the butterflies and maybe plant some flowers for them.
I will visit the web site and see what it is all about.
Thanks,
Sherry
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