The only plant that remained in my front yard as we began to make over the front space for my butterfly garden was the jasmine tree. This tree blooms a few times a year and when it does the aroma is intoxicating. As soon as you walk out the front door the sweet smell attacks your senses in such a beautiful way.
A wonderful perk, the butterflies seem to enjoy the jasmine nectar as well. This great southern white butterfly spent a great deal of time drinking to its hearts content. It was not bothered by me standing nearby at all.
There are so many things to love about a butterfly garden – tending to plants, attracting the butterfly lifecycle, being outdoors, and a favorite – having my entire family involved – my husband, and soon to be 9-year -old daughter.
My daughter has been involved since we first began our butterfly garden in May 2020. Still to this day if we go to a store, or nursery, with plants, she too has to pick one out to add to the garden. It’s been such a great joy to bring her along on this journey as she too can name plants, and identify the butterflies and caterpillars.
Well, as my garden continues to transform and take on a new look, my husband helped my daughter and I created stepping stones to finish my stone pathway.
I only found a few flower and circle shapped molds from the store for an affordable price, but needed more, so we could use the entire bag of concrete mix. My husband was able to create additional molds, by tracing my plastic molds, with material we had laying around. It worked brilliantly.
Although my daughter decorated almost all of the stones, my husband and I added some decoration as well with some beautifully colored stones. We now know to push those decorative stones into the concrete a little more, so it will not chip off.
We still have more stepping stones to make, and I have more walkway to complete, but I am loving what has transpired so far. I have found additional ideas for stepping stones that I am excited to create.
Once the walkway is complete, we will be able to walk through the entire garden on a path, something I have been wanting to do since the garden continued to grow.
My butterfly garden is located right outside my front door and goes along the pathway to the driveway and then extends the length of the house. I have said this multiple times, it was a great placement, as I can watch the butterflies from my couch. The best, though, is catepillars love the little nook by my front door to create its chrysalis.
My Bahama Cassia tree is the “it” place for chrysalis.
Today while searching the tree for caterpillars, I spotted yet another chrysalis, this time a gulf fritillary. The foliage of the tree must be a great hiding place for them to safely emerge.
One of the gulf fritillary butterfly’s host plants is the maypop passionvine. This plant I stopped buying as it shoots up everywhere in the garden and has been quite invasive.
According to the Flordia Native Plant Society, it has a “stoloniferous rhizome root system,” which allows new plants to grow from suckers all over the garden.
To be honest, I do not remember where the original plant was planted in the garden. Now I have it growing in probably more than a dozen places, all over my extensive garden space. It has grown through dense mulch I just put down, too.
For the most part, I have put up stakes where it is growing and just let it be, while in other places I pull the plant. It definitely provides an abundance of food for the gulf fritillary caterpillars.
