The sun is beginning to shine again - at least some days. I need to order new plant species to attract butterflies. This article is part one of a series that will only discuss those butterflies in our area, what they use as host and nectar plants, and in what habitats to find them.
Remember that female butterflies usually lay their eggs on or below host plants, so that that when the larvae or caterpillars hatch, they won't have far to go to find food. Also, the adults get nutrition from other sources as well as the host plant.
Swallowtails are large. The flap their wings slowly, compared to other butterflies. When resting, they keep their wings spread open. Unlike others, these continue to flutter their wings when they are sipping nectar from flowers- which all swallowtails do.
The Black Swallowtail male, primarily black, has a row of yellow spots on the hind wings. The female has blue spots. Its larval host plants include Cabbage, Celery, Dill, Fennel, and Parsley. The adult drinks nectar from leaves of herbs like cultivated Carrot, Wild Carrot, and Queen Anne's Lace. Look for it in fields, gardens, waste areas and marshes.
Guess what? The Tiger Swallowtail male is yellow and has tiger-like stripes. Surprise! Its larval host plants include Ash, Basswood, Birch, Black Cherry, Cottonwood, Sassafras, Spicebush, and Yellow Poplar. The adult drinks nectar from Red Clover, Milkweed and Thistle. Look for it in fields, marshes and roadsides.
The Spicebush Swallowtail looks somewhat like the Black, but it has an iridescent bluish-green patch on its hindwing. Usually, it flies low. Guess what again? The Spicebush is its main larval host plant. The adult drinks from the Butterfly Bush, Delphinium, Cosmos, Lantana, Oriental Lily, Phlox, Privet, Wild Bergamot, and Sassafras. Look for it in deciduous woods and woodland swamps.
I bet all you gardeners know the Cabbage White. The male is small, white, and has one black spot. Its flight is fluttery. The larva produces those holes in garden cabbages and Nasturtium. Besides those, the host plants include Mustard, Winter Cress, and Peppergrass. The adult drinks nectar from the Butterfly Bush, Butterfly Weed, Collards, Catnip, Dandelion, Daisy Fleabane, Dame's Rocket, Day Lily, Dogbane, Ground Ivy, Lantana, Boneset, Lavender, Liatris, Marigold, Mint, New England Aster, Oregano, Radish, Red Clover, Salvia, Sedum, Thyme, White Clover, and Zinnia. Now, don't stop growing these plants, because lots of other butterflies like them, too. The Cabbage White has seven or eight generations during the summer. Sorry about that bad news.
There are two sulphurs which are very similar in appearance. The Clouded, or Yellow, has yellow upperwings with black bands on the edges. The Yellow's host plants include Clover and Black Locust. The adult sips nectar from Clover, Milkweed, Goldenrod, Asters, Dandelions, Thistle and Sunflowers. They also obtain moisture from puddles, mud and animal poop. Frequently they will do this in groups, which is called "puddling." Adult
The other similar sulphur is the Alfafa Sulphur, or Orange Sulphur. The male has at least some orange on its upper side. The host plants include Clover and Vetch. The adult sips from Dandelion, Milkweed, Goldenrod, and Asters. Look for both of these sulphurs in open places like fields, lawns and road sides. Last year I saw a small field with lots of Yellows flittering around. Just beautiful!
Fritillaries are medium-sized, many with white or silver spots on their hindwings. Violets are a very common host plant for them. There are three that look similar. The Great Spangled Fritillary male is large, and tawny colored with black lines on its forewings. The female will lay her eggs on dried up Violets, late in the season. Then, the caterpillars will hatch in the spring to feed on young, tender leaves. The adult sips from Milkweed, Thistle, Ironweed, Dogbane, Mountain Laurel, Verbena, Vetch, Beebalm, Clover, Joe-pye Weed, and Purple Coneflower. Look for it in deciduous woods and meadows where it feeds on violets.
It is really quite easy to distinguish the smaller Aphrodite Fritillary male from the Great Spangled - especially when it is sipping on a flower. The Aphrodite's underside is reddish brown. The Great Spangled has a wide band around the whole underside edge of the hind wing. Also, Aphrodite stops often to sip from flowers, but the skittish Great Spangled flies more. Look for the Aphrodite in meadows, too.
The smallest of the three fritillaries is the Atlantis. It can be identified by a light-colored narrow band on the under side. Also, look for it in most meadows and by streams.
The Meadow Fritillary is different from the first three because it has a squared off tip of the forewing. Like the others, its host plant is the Violet. The adult sips from Black-eyed Susan, Dandelion, Ox-eyed Daisy, and sometimes Verbena and Dogbane. It likes moist meadows, too.
We have all the above-mentioned habitats that attract butterflies at the Jamestown Audubon Center and Sanctuary. Later, you can see many plants that attract butterflies in our Herb and Butterfly Garden. We're back to regular hours! Hooray! The trails are open from dawn to dusk daily. The center's hours are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Call 716-569-2345 or visit www.jamestownaudubon.org for more information.
Ann Beebe is the volunteer in charge of the gardens at the Audubon.