Tag Archives: Southwest Florida butterfly garden

Welcome

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I walk my garden daily, more times than not, multiple times a day.

When you plant a butterfly garden your eyes become trained on what to look for – eggs, caterpillars, chrysalis, butterflies – all the stages of life.

Lately I have found a few newly emerged monarch butterflies in the garden, a great surprise, as I never saw the chrysalis. The last few have been on the underside of the giant  milkweed leaves, the monarchs host plant.

Today, I spotted this beauty still drying its leaves.

Another lifecycle has begun. I have begun to spot many monarch caterpillars again. The clues they give make it easy to spot them, such as their frass left on leaves. The size of the frass also lets you know how big the caterpillar may be.

Always seeking more

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I recently added the purpletop vervain, verbena bonariensis, to my garden.

I go to a few different places when seeking additional host plants, as I want to make sure it comes from a reputable place.

Although, this nursery is not local to Southwest Florida, the plants are shipped in amazing condition, and for me have done  really well after planted in the garden. Joyful Butterfly is my online nursery, as it gives great information about the plant, what it attracts, and how you should care for it after delivered.

I love adding additional butterfly host plants to the garden. It is always a thrill when you can attract a new species to your designated space.

This is the host plant for the common buckeye. The nectar is also loved by such species as swallowtails, fritillaries, hairstreaks, painted ladies, queens, commas, sulphurs, and checkerspot butterflies, as well as bees and hummingbirds.

It grows best in zones 7-12, loves full to partial sun, and requires medium to dry moisture. It can grow 5-6 feet tall and should be spaced  1- 1 1/2 feet apart.

The flower is a gorgeous purple and reseeds readily.

Fat caterpillars

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I love watching the polydamas swallowtail caterpillars. The stages they go through and the size they become is fascinating. There are probably two dozen caterpillars on the birthwort eating.

The caterpillars grow up to 2.1″ in length.

A monarch kind of day

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Two monarch butterflies emerged today. One in the garden, and the other in our butterfly house.

Both of them hung out on my zinnia plants, which is a new feature in the garden, a DYI fountain, that has plants surrounding it in a pot.

The monarch butterfly’s scientific name is Danaus Plexippus, which means “sleepy transformation” in Greek. The male has two black spots in the center of its lower wings and are larger in size than the female. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the spots are scent glands, which help the males attract females.

The monarch caterpillars feed solely on milkweed leaves, which produces glycoside toxins, according to the National Wildlife Federation, which deters other animals from eating the caterpillars. The toxins are stored making them taste bad and remains after they emerge into a butterfly, continuing to protect them.

The monarch butterfly will emerge 10 to 12 days after making its chrysalsis. The transformation is incredible to witness as the green chrysalis eventually becomes translucent revealing the beautiful black and orange body within.

The butterfly emerges headfirst with small and shriveled wings. As it pumps body fluid through its wings they grow in size. The butterfly will remain in the same spot for up to two hours drying its wings, hardening them getting ready for flight. According to Arizona State University School of Life Sciences, during the two hours it is also waiting for air to replace some of its fluids.