There are many different varieties of lantana, running the gamut of colors. Unfortunately there are non-native and native varieties.
According to the University of Florida the native lantana are sterile-in other words cannot produce viable seeds and pollen. The one pictured below is called a lantana depressa.
The lantana loves full sun and prefers well-drained soils. They tolerate both heat and salt.
The butterflies love the nectar.
Graceful comes to mind when I see the giant swallowtail glide through the garden. This butterfly grabbed my attention immediately and held it as it fluttered throughout the garden, landing on my wild lime to deposit eggs, as well as nectar from my red penta flower.
The giant swallowtail’s forewing spans 11.7 to 17.5 cm for males and a span of 13.5 to 18.8 cm for females. The demand your attention when they flutter in the garden, just for the pure size of them.
The females tend to lay single eggs, cream to brown, on the upper surface of leaves – citrus plants – that are 1 to 1.5 mm in size. The larval, caterpillars, will go through five instars (stages) and they mainly eat at night.
It’s not often the white penta’s have visitors, but this male monarch butterfly was going to town on sipping tons of nectar. It gathered some pollen through his travels too.
An adventurous hike with my family led me to loving this plant and wanting to add it to the garden.
The golden rod is a stunning plant. It’s first growth spurt rose much higher than me. The new growth hasn’t reached such heights yet, but it has flowered something fierce.
There’s just something about adding new plants to the garden and watching them thrive that only deepens the love of butterfly gardening.
This monarch butterfly, I believe, agrees with my additon.
A while ago I purchased zinnia seeds from the Dollar Tree and was pleasantly surprised on how easy they were to grow and how many butterflies the flower attracted. After reading up on the zinnia, I found out that there are certain types you should plant in your butterfly garden. That type has yellow disk florets in the center, as the butterfly can sip nectar from this area.
I found a great website, Joyful Butterfly, that sells both plants and seeds. This is where I purchased my last batch of zinnias, zinnia elegans seeds, and they continue to reseed themselves quite a few times, and not in the same spot. They are now volunteering in other areas of the garden. It is definitely a plant that keeps giving.
It’s best if they grow in full sun, and really in any type of soil, as long as it is well drained. I have some in pots, and some in the ground. The one’s in the ground do much better.
