Attracting Butterflies

8 Jun '06 2:28 pm

LOL.... it's it so true! And aside from the home gardeners, I don't think there are any potatoes grown here! And when you tell people that CORN and SOYBEAN are the primary ag crops and that Iowa is the number one corn producing region in the world.... they just look at you like they think you're stupid. LOL. It's really is funny.

My first husband's family was in Northern Minnesota and we visited regularly... Black Duck. Just on the edge of the Chipawa Nationl Forest, and only about 8 miles from Red Lake Indian Reservtion. Beautiful county. I'd drive north and cross into Canada at International Falls for day trips shopping.

HEY!!!! My daughter will be a senior at Drake this fall.... Just finished up her Junior year of pre-law. After graduating she'll be working as a paralegal at a Des Moines firm while attending grad school part time. The best part is they'll be paying half her tuition. And when combined with her scholorships (National College Honor Society member), she'll go to grad school free.... THANK HEAVENS!!!! Rolling Eyes

I was shocked when I down loaded the photos that evening and discovered a MOTH, not a bird! I've lived here my entire life and never seen one.... Had to look it up on the computer to figure out what it was.

I have an incredible number and variety of butterflies in the summer months. I think alot of it is due to migration patterns that just happen to cross the central U.S. But it sure makes it fun to garden.

I haven't had a chance to read your article... but I will... promise.

8 Jun '06 10:53 pm

What great fotos you have! The flowers and the butterflies.
One thing I recall about the U.S. is the variety of moths and butterflies. Some are positively exotic! I have to say that I enjoied seeing the butterflies as much as the flowers...I think it's cos we have such a small variety of butterflies here in Holland...and none of them are big. heh heh.
I also noted that you had some Trilliums and Bloodroot. Aren't these types found in the forest? Do they do well in your garden?
That name "Bloodroot" caught my eye, because I recently downloaded a piccy of the Bloodroot to use as the cover of a cd I made of a collection Bluegrass songs. I called it "Bloodroot Bluegrass". Ha ha ha. Well, it sounded good at the time. That bluegrass music sounds interesting to me, and very different. Such heart-wrenching ballads. I can feel the desperation in them. It seems that the songs come from another time, almost another world...if you know what I mean.

9 Jun '06 1:19 am

CottageGarden, I think corn and soybean are the primary crops grown here, too, but I never knew Iowa was the number one corn producing region in the world! I've gotta remember that; good info to know.

What a small world--my husband and I were both born and grew up in Duluth. The third largest city in MN at the time. It was the wooded trails and creeks and rivers that planted the seed for my love of nature, when I was a child. I fell in love with the flowers and insects and the peaceful, naturally-musical atmosphere they created.

Drake's an esteemed college, and their law school is among the tops in small private colleges, and the fact that your daughter has scholarships--she's off to a great start. Paralegals work their butts off, from what I've learned (I'm a proofreader, and have proofed many legal works, among other types), so she'll really get some good, down-to-earth experience and knowledge at that firm. You've got to be so proud; she's doing all the right things. Good for her! I wish her all my best and congratulations to both of you!

I think you're right--the influx of butterflies must be because you're in a centralized region and they're migrating through there constantly. How lucky! But the fact that you see so many also means you're providing what they want and need to live, and you have the right habitat, because different butterflies have different needs. I'm envious, but thrilled for you. Since I live in the city, there are many I know I can't attract simply because we don't have the entire habitat itself. For those other species, the flowers I grow just aren't enough for them.

On the very last page of my article, at the very end, there's a link where people can click on their state (anywhere in the U.S.), and find out which butterflies thrive in their state. This might help you further identify yours. But butterflies need help from people more and more, as you'll see in the earlier pages. Hope you enjoy it, and hope you learn some fascinating facts. What "bugs" me is that whenever I see ones I don't recognize, by the time I get close enough to take in the details (on the smaller ones), they fly away and I can't! Drats!

9 Jun '06 2:32 am

Sjoerd, great to meet you! You say you have a small variety of butterflies in the Netherlands... I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's because you don't have as many nectar-producing plants, and butterflies go to flowers for their nectar.(Did you mean the fotos of plants and butterflies in my article? If so, thanks so much!)

Trilliuims and bloodroot--yep, they grow in the woods, also along country roads, etc., so they're basically wildflowers (native). I've "rescued" and transplanted so many different kinds, but unless they're endangered or threatened, they're available at plant nurseries now, too. (Because more people have learned to appreciate them.) They don't really have a hard time establishing themselves, either. What's interesting is that they're more self-contained, and don't take over or become as invasive as cultured plants. And they tend to attract more insects and birds and butterflies.

As for Bloodroot, did you get the picture of the flower, too? They look so beautiful when they bloom. They're named bloodroot because their roots are deep red (if cut open), and they're a member of the poppy family (puccoon). American Indians used to use the root's "juice" as a dye, besides putting it on their faces during ceremonies. It was also used as an insect repellent.

"Bloodroot Bluegrass"--I think that's fantastic, because to me bluegrass music brings back a time of simpler, down-to-earth living (albeit hard to scratch a living from the earth), and when you consider the attributes of Bloodroot, the two go together... So your name for the CD actually makes sense! Idea

And yes, I know exactly what you mean about bluegrass songs being haunting.

Have you heard the music from "Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou?" If you haven't, you've got to! I know you'll love it. And if you get a chance, try to see the movie (it has the same name). I think it's about four years old.

P.S. My tulips didn't bloom this year... Word has it that's because we didn't get enough moisture in the ground during the winter. But they're one of our spring flowers, and I miss them! All my best, Darlene

9 Jun '06 10:29 am

Hiya Darlene,
Nice to meet you too.
What an interesting idea that garden centers sell wildflowers there. There are so many beautiful ones. What a novel idea. Wow.

Well I don't think the reason that there are so few butterflies here is due to a lack of nectar-producing flowers that grow in out country (come for a visit in the spring or summer sometime...you'll see what I mean)-- I personally believe that it's our notorious climate. heh heh Oh well, I just have to be happy with what we DO have. I have seen some remarkable and exotic buterfly specimens in Mexico and some tropical eastern countries though, in fact I visited a "butterfly house" in Kuala Lumpur once and was struck dumb (in a manner of speaking) by what they had there..They were gorgeous. Perhaps Jaqueline will tell us more about this if she reads this posting.

Yes, I did find a picture of the bloodroot and put that on the cover along with my text.It turned out ok, I think. I like designing covers and cards. It's great fun.

The movie(s) that you mentioned: I have seen them on the telly. We have a group that makes TV shows on what you could loosly equate with your "Public Television" channel there. They are always NON-mainstream programs. One evening the the documentary, Down Fom the Mountain was featured. My wife and I just sat and watched, intrigued by the film. A few months later the "Oh Brother" movie was shown. I would have loved to have seen that Down from the Mountain thing live. Although the various types of music featured were not all Bluegrass, I enjoyed all it very much anyway.

Well, I wonder what happened to your tulips. Holland is a moist country, so they always come up unless they´ve been destroyed or they have rotted due to freezing. I suspose the too dry theory could be conceiveably correct. I wonder if you shouldn´t dig up at least one bulb for a `spot check`.

9 Jun '06 7:30 pm

By coincidence,last week I was given some information about Bloodroot from a natural health practitioner .It was in connection with skin problems .Its botanical name is 'sanguinaria canadensis ',and is of the poppy family -'papaveraceae.'
The plant is somewhat toxic ,so uses are mostly external ,and there are claims that it is effective in treatment of skin cancers and other skin problems such as boils,eczema etc.
It is in a compound called 'black salve'which also contains galangal (ginger family)Only tiny applications are recommended ,as it is very potent ,but as with many plants ,may be preferable to chemical products .
Dixie.

12 Jun '06 8:01 am

Liza, I'm going to try to put some pictures of milkweed in here, with the aid of our webmaster's instructions on how to do it. (Thank you, Eggy!) The first will be show what a milkweed plant looks like when it's first coming up, the second after it's matured into a full-grown plant, but not flowering yet. Hope this helps people recognize the plant.

As always, all my best... Darlene

12 Jun '06 12:38 pm

An interesting subject ,and conversation from around our world... I do not know the plant that you call 'milkweed ',but I am posting photos of the NZ milkweed -a swan plant ..this seems to be the only NZ plant that Monarch caterpillars will eat.The eggs are laid under the long ,narrow leaf ,and when they hatch the caterpillars eat voraciously .From time to time you hear people phone up talk -back radio asking 'please ,is there anything else that monarch caterpillars eat ?'as the plant has been stripped ,and the caterpillars are hungry .
My daughter and son-in-law were out fishing at the Mercury islands ,off the East coast of the North Island ,and they witnessed thousands of Monarch butterflies out at sea .Does anyone know where they go ? South America perhaps ?
Dixie

12 Jun '06 1:15 pm

Michoacán, Mexico is the only place that I know of, but there must be more.

12 Jun '06 3:28 pm

Oh, Dixie, thanks so much for your post, because you made me aware of something new!

I never knew such a thing existed--the swan plant (Asclepias Phsocarpa)--or that monarch caterpillars feasted on them so voraciously. I just found out they're in Australia, too, but don't know where else. I really doubt if they exist in North America. Milkweed is the only plant our caterpillars eat, so it's possible your swan plant is the only one the caterpillars will eat on your side of the world. (The seed case on swan plants looks just like a swan.)

Swan plants aren't the same as our milkweed plants, but they're a member of the milkweed family. Their milky sap is toxic to animals, so when your monarch caterpillars eat the leaves from your swan plants, they derive the same defenses as ours do by eating our milkweeds. The monarch butterflies not only taste horrible to their predators, so they'll drop them instead of eating them, but any predator that manages to eat one will be poisoned.

Just in case you're interested in learning more about attracting butterflies, I have an article at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/32344/how_to_attract_butterflies_in_the_city.html

Sjoerd is right, all monarch butterflies migrate back to Mexico for the winter. I just don't know which cities, other than the one he mentioned. Wish I could have been with your daughter and son-in-law when they saw those thousands of monarchs. It must have been glorious!

There are efforts asking people to plant more milkweeds to help the butterflies, because so many regard the plant as weeds and destroy them, besides all the development going on around the world, including in Mexico. Looks like more swan plants need to be grown, too, for the same reason.

Darlene

Attracting Butterflies

Attracting Butterflies

Attracting Butterflies

Bloodroot

milkweed photos, in various stages

milkweed

milkweed/swan plant