Here in zone 6 the butteflies are beginning to appear ?

Appreciate any and all advice .

Butterflies like shallow area's...
Like say a shallow birdbath...
but put in some stones..
#1. For them to land on.
#2. For the sun to warm up the stones.
#3. And the warm rocks, warm the waters..

They also need...
#1. A still air around the landing area..
.....(*a wind break of some sorts to keep the
heavy breezes off of them*)
#2. Quick shelter to go to if something frightens them..

Some ideas for water dishes...
#1. Shallow birdbath.
#2. Saucers from plant pots..
#3. Metal tin pans.

Stones...
#1. Dark colored stones to absorb heat.
#2. Flat.

But for the habitat, they not only need to
have the plants for the nectar.....
But they need to have "host" plants to the
catapillars for them to eat and to turn into
the butterflies....

"Host" plants for catapillars? Care to share?

LMT,

You asked the very question I was about to type. Great Gardeners think alike!! I planted milkweed last spring, didnt do a heck of a lot during the summer , the distributor just told me it comes up late but I think in my area it may be to harsh(upper6) .

I would also like to know what else I can plant too.

Thanks

I like your answer ,Weezie! It's almost zen-like in its beauty and poeticness.

Some host plants are;
Milkweed
Fennel
Dill
Parsley
Carrots,
Parsnips
Anise
Wild mustar
Violets
Red Clover
Woodland Sunflower
Wisteria
Locusts
Asters

Nectar Plants;
Coneflowers
Butterfly milkweed
Coreopsis
Coneflower
Thistle
Ironweed
Mints

There's more, but I've got some gardening I've got to do....NO KIDS TODAY!! YEEEE~HAAAAAAAA!!!

I'll be back tonight with somemore..

I'll let you know which plants for which type of butterfly's...

There's even one who like Manure Piles.

I just wanted to say, how much I love butterflies,
they are so much fun to watch, especially with
the kids.. they just stare in amazement...

And the colors are so pretty, I don't get alottt of them here, but we get some, and that's all that counts...

Remind me to tell you about the MUD and how to make a bird bath.. 2 of them..

BFVISION,
My wild Milkweed is up,
about 12"~18".....

Just remember, milkweed can
become aggressive..
Don't plant it where other
more gentler plants are,
they'll get bullied...

Also, don't plant the milkweed in
the walkway, it needs to be out of
public's way, and passers by that
would hit the plant...

hi weezie,

got any pix of it,i m curious cuz of the name,if not i ll just look it up in the net.

bonne soiree! have a good evening!

Milkweed

When you cut any part of the stem, leaves, etc.
on this plant, it exudes a white, milky, sticky
substance...hence the name, I think, Milkweed..

Okay, I was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too pooped last night to type too much..
**I had no kids, husband or mother...and I weed whacked, push lawn mowed and got out my mini~rototiller.. alllllllllllllll day..
with NO INTERUPTIONS...***

But, I wanted to get to some things..

Butterflies also like mud...
If you've ever watched them out in the wild,
instead of going towards a raging creek to get their water, where they could swept away at any second.. and no real water is around, their next favorite thins is moist mud...they can get their moisture from there, with out feeling threatened.
So, for a variety, you can make a little mud plate for them, and set it out.. and they'll like that too...

And for a couple of homemade birdbaths..

Okay... this takes a bit, and what I wouldn't
give for a pencil and a piece of paper...

Items to get:
#1. metal garage can lid
#2. cement water tile
#3. string or chain
#4. brick/heavy stone.

One, take a cement water tile *it would be laid end to end in the ground for water drainage..*
I don't think I"m usuing the right word for that piece of thing.. but I'll keep thinking..

instead of laying it on the ground, like it would be used, you stand it straight up and down, so the hole is in the air.

You then take your metal garage can lid,
and tie the string/chain to it on the handle, and the other end you tie the brick/heavy stone.

Take the lid, with the string/chain hanging with the heavy object, and place it into the cement tile....

The object is, the garbage can lid is where the bird bath/water is... the heavy weight attached to the handle, holds the garbage can lid to the cement tile..

And then put some rocks in it, and you've got the metal which will heat or warm up the water, and stones for them to land on....

I'll finish up the other one at lunch time..
**Gotta go garden while it's cool out side..**

Weezie,

You are unbelievable!!! Lots of ideas are right in my garage. Based on the photo and the aggressive nature of milkweed, maybe I should be happy I don.t see it popping up.

Thanks

weezie,

thanks for the pix,milk weed seems like a beautiful interresting flower,i guess there s a fat chance of me finding it here is there,well....i look anyway but don t think i ll find any.

Some trivia about milkweed. Native Americans would use the soft down attached to the seeds to make a fine, Cotton-like thread that was woven into a cloth similar to today's T-shirts.

...and more milkweed trivia.

It has several medicinal purposes, one of which is removing warts.

Break the stem and place a drop of the milk on the wart. Do this twice a day for 7 days then leave it alone. Within a week the wart will dry up and disappear.

Cindy

Thankx Thornius,

seems like you ve got an interest in native american history and traditions so here s a link i hope you enjoy:

www.attra.org/attra-pub/complant.html#appcorn


have a good one!

Btw,

Thornius, happy birthday for wednesday the 15 th.

Hello All,

I remember my grandmother picking young milkweed pads to cook. Not sure why because most everyone says that the milky liquid is poisonous. Does anyone have any more info about this????

Also on the subject of milkweeds, if they are used to attract butterflies do the larvae only go on the milkweed plants or do we need to defend against them on other plants?

I'm all for attracting butterflies, but I don't want to be fighting against caterpillars on all my plants all summer long. so if the larvae will leave my other plants alone that's a good thing. I love gardening, but I'm not ready for a full time job in the garden just yet. I still have to work at my job for a few more years. Then I can garden full time. In the meantime I'll compile data and plant things I can handle.
Love one another and Bee happy. mizzeliz