RAISING BUTTERFLIES
"Butterflies", Let's face it, we love butterflies!
We have at least 10 varities of butterfly in our yard. These various butterflies have decided to inhabit our yard mainly because we ( mainly my wife Patricia) have planted an propagated the plants, vines and herbs that these butterflies like to feed, lay eggs on, and then support the caterpillars that become the mature, beautiful butterfly.
The list of type of butterfly and the plants they prefere I will list here. the name of the specific butterfly will be underlined and represent a link to which you can go and learn more about that type of butterfly if you are interested.
The Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly, which is the subject of these photos and videos, lays eggs that become the caterpillars on my Parsley plants. They lay many eggs that survice that they can lay waste to a potted parsley or dill plant in a single day. Thus we need to buy nursery plants to feed them to maturity after all of my parsley plants are gone from the garden. As you can see by the photos and videos here we enjoy raising and releasing the new butterflies and watching as they fly away to begin their life cycle all over again. I know they are hoping that I can raise more parsley by the time they are ready for it.
The Monarch butterfly is another one that we cultivate. Their life cycle depends a lage part on the common milkeweed plant. These plants mature and their seeds spread and create more plants for the butterflies. Currentl we have milkweed everywhere around our entire yard. They pop up everwhere! We have raised many Monarch butterflies in the same cages as are in these photos over the years.
The Yellow Sulphur butterfly prefers the Cassia plant. We have them in bothe the front and back yards. We see these butterflies all the time flying around the flowering Cassia plants.
The Queen butterfly is often mistaken for a Monarch butterfly as they appear similar. They also feen on the milkweed plants
The Gold Rim Butterfly prefers a vine that is called a Pipevine. This vine, which grows on our back fence has a flower that is shaped like a common smoking pipe. This butterfly is fairly large and quite beautiful to see.
One of our variety is the Cassius Blue butterfly. This butterfly preferes a plant called the Plumbago. It is a bushy plant that has copius amounts of light blue flowers. We have to keep this one trimmed or it will take over a large are of the landscaping.
The Zebra Longwing butterfly is a large one that prefers the Passion Vine that grows on our side fence area. They are easy to spot flying back and forth along and over the fence.This butterfly eats nectar and pollen from variious plants including the Firebush. They lay eggs on the Passion Vine and the caterpillars eat the passion flower leaves.
The Gulf Fritillary butterfly is another one that prefers feeding on the flowering Passion Vine.
The White peacock butterfly is quite small and prefers many types of tiny wilde flowers that naturally grow on the ground in and among the grass in the yard.
Finally, the Atala Butterfly, commonly refered to as the Coontie butterfly because the Coonti plant is it's preferred plant for repriduction. We have the Coontie plant along the back fence and can often find the Atala caterpillar on them. This butterfly is small, black and red and cand be found flying all along the shaded part of our back yard.
We hope you enjoy reading about and seeing what we get to enjoy in our very own yard here in Florida.
