butterfly gardening 2009

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© Project SOUND Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Project SOUND - 2009

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This lecture was given in July, 2009 as part of the California native plant gardening series ‘Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden’

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Page 1: Butterfly Gardening   2009

© Project SOUND

Out of the Wilds and Into Your Garden

Gardening with Western L.A. County Native Plants Project SOUND - 2009

Page 2: Butterfly Gardening   2009

© Project SOUND

Butterfly Flights in

Your Yard

C.M. Vadheim and T. Drake

CSUDH & Madrona Marsh Preserve

Madrona Marsh Preserve

July 7 & 11, 2009

Page 3: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Our assignment: get rid of lawn & create butterfly habitat

Page 4: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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First Question: What are our assets?

Well-draining loam soil – can plant most native plants

Already have some good ‘heritage plants’ Several small citrus trees Catalina Island Cherry

hedge/screen nearby Dense non-native screen

provides shelter, perches

Flexible watering system: grass area somewhat dry in summer

Page 5: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Location is key for butterfly gardens

In a sunny protected area of your yard – we need to check the sun/shade patterns

Away from traffic - not a good choice for parking strips.

Out of heavy winds. Butterflies won't stay where they are being blown around. Dense screen is perfect for this.

Page 6: Butterfly Gardening   2009

© Project SOUND Winter sun & shade pattern – about 11:00 a.m.

Page 7: Butterfly Gardening   2009

© Project SOUND Summer sun & shade pattern – about 11:00 a.m.

Page 8: Butterfly Gardening   2009

© Project SOUND Water Zones – the challenge of ‘heritage plants’

Roses & existing screen

are Zone 3

Citrus –

Zone 2

Page 9: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Zone 3 in winter/

Zone 2/3 summer Zone 2/3

Page 10: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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What do we need for a Butterfly Garden?

Checkered Skipper

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Two important first questions

What butterfly species do I want to attract? Are there particular

butterflies we really want to attract?

What butterflies occur commonly in my area?

Do I want to just attract adult butterflies, or do I want to create true butterfly habitat (provide everything the butterflies need to live in my yard)?

Page 12: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Participating in the annual July Butterfly Count is a

great way to learn about butterflies

Page 13: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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The ‘S. Bay Butterflies & Their Native

Food Sources’ list is another place to start

Page 14: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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We’ll be e-mailing you some other

resources

Nectar Sources list

Larval Food Sources list

List of good butterfly resources Books focused on our

area

Internet resources

Page 15: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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We decide we really want to attract the following

butterflies – and we want them to stay

Swallowtails

Monarchs

Ladies

Blue Butterflies

Skippers (several species already found in the garden)

Page 16: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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First we need to understand the life

cycle of butterflies

http://basrelief.org/NewFiles/lifecyc.html

If we want to provide habitat, we’ll have to provide for all stages of the life cycle

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What butterflies need: keys to providing

butterfly habitat

Adult food: nectar plants, fruit, sap

Larval food plants: often quite specific

Water

Minerals and salt (mud)

Perching/sunning places; protection from wind

Hiding places for larvae (caterpillars) & pupae (cocoons)

Page 18: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Butterflies need sunlight. They are cold-blooded, so they use the sun to warm up their bodies. Pick a sunny spot for your garden and place a few flat stones around so the butterflies can rest while warming up.

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Butterflies need shelter from wind and rain, and a place to rest at night. Planting your garden near shrubs and trees will give them the shelter they need.

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Butterflies also need a source of water

Butterflies cannot drink from deep water sources such as a birdbath

Provide water as:

Damp or muddy areas of the garden – around the roses

A shallow dish filled with sand or gravel & refilled each morning – on a post or hung from a tree

A birdbath or fountain with gravel/rocks to provide shallow water

Page 21: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Confusion about

‘butterfly plants’

Many ‘butterfly plants’ and ‘butterfly bushes’ are from other parts of the country:

May not grow so well here

May not be appropriate for our local butterflies

http://butterflybush.net/blog/

http://www.evelynsgardens.net/Gardens/Garden_Hummingbird_Butterfly.htm

http://www.soonerplantfarm.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=158

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The delicate dance between food plants

and butterflies Co-evolution of plants and

insects ‘food’ is specially formulated for

our species – and for our climate

Some non-native ‘butterfly plants’ don’t provide all the requirements – native vs. non-native Milkweeds

Impact of non-native horticultural plants – all show and no nutrition

Impact of loss of habitat – our yards are important habitat

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If you were a butterfly, what kind of plant

would you like?

Lots of little flowers filled with nectar

Sunflower family (Asteraceae)

Buckwheat genus (Eriogonum )

Milkweed genus (Asclepias )

Fiddleneck genus (Phacelia)

Pea family (Fabaceae)

Grasses

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Caterpillars are born to eat….

It takes a huge amount of energy (food) to grow & metamorphose into a butterfly

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Decide what your gardening philosophy is

Remember that providing larval food is more important (for survival of a species) than providing nectar plants

Page 26: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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If you were a caterpillar what would you

like to eat?

Readily accessible

Succulent

Easy to digest

Non-toxic

Not too protected: hairs, secretions, etc.

Larval (caterpillar) food plants are often very

specific – you need to plant the larval food plants

for the species you want to attract

Page 27: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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You become fascinated with the Fatal Metalmark Butterfly - Calephelis nemesis

Habitat: brushy or weedy areas along roadsides, washes, ditches, and streams

Adult food – any nectar plant

Larval food – very specific

Mule Fat – Baccharis salicifolia

? Virgin’s Bower – native Clematis species

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1637

Page 28: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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First, draw a base map

Page 29: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Then add the large plants

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Mule Fat – Baccharis salicifolia

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Mule Fat – Baccharis salicifolia

Western Hemisphere Ca to S. America, Texas Much of CA: Northwestern

California, Cascade Range Foothills, Sierra Nevada Foothills, Great Central Valley, Tehachapi Mountain Area, Central Western California, Southwestern California, Desert

Canyon bottoms, moist streamsides, irrigation ditches, often forming thickets

Common name: Mule Fat; Mulefat; Mule-fat; Mule’s Fat; Water-Willy; Sticky Baccharis

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?609,781,789

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Mule Fat – a large bush sunflower!

Size:

8-10 ft tall

8-10 ft wide

Growth form: Shrubby; many stems

Evergreen to drought deciduous

Can be pruned and shaped to fit needs

Foliage: Shiny green leaves, becoming

darker with age

Characteristic scent

Food for Fatal Metalmark larva

Roots: Netlike – very good for erosion

control

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Mule Fat’s “Willow-like” Leaves

An example of “convergent evolution”

Leaf shape helps protect riparian plants from water damage

http://wc.pima.edu/Bfiero/tucsonecology/plants/shrubs_sewi.htm

Page 34: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Flowers are definitely

Sunflower

Blooms: Long bloom season

Year-round, but most heavy bloom periods spring and fall in western L.A. Co.

Flowers: Separate male & female plants

Nectar attracts many insects, including butterflies

Seeds: Small seeds with fluffy

‘parachute’

Vegetative reproduction: common and easy

Page 35: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Mule Fat flowers are clearly sunflowers – even

without the ray flowers

Willow “catkin” for comparison

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Mule Fat provides important

resources to the community

Habitat considerations

Butterfly and bee nectar plant

Browse for deer and elk

Shelter/nest site for birds, small mammals and reptiles

Human uses

Young shoots – famine food

Stem - charcoal (gun power and fire starting)

Stems – arrow shafts, paint brushes and building material (sturdy but bend)

http://www.fireflyforest.com/flowers/whites/white21.html

Page 37: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Mule Fat is Adaptable Soils:

Texture: any

pH: any local

Light:

Full sun to light shade

Water: Winter: flooding to fairly dry

Summer: Fine with Zone 1-3 once

established (after first summer)

Will grow faster with more water

Fertilizer: adaptable; fine with an organic mulch, light fertilizer

Can be pruned – even radically – to shape or renew

Page 38: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Mule Fat: one of our

best habitat plants

Hedges & screens

Trained as a small tree

Espaliered along a wall

Always good habitat for insects, birds

http://www.flickr.com/photo

s/pcoin/99549969/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73431753@N00/278039992

Page 39: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Inspiration from the pros:

butterfly gardens

Provide easy access

Provide places to sit and enjoy the butterflies & other wildlife

The garden can be either formal or informal in style

The garden should look pretty – at least much of the year

http://backtonatives.blogspot.com/2008/03/bird-of-prey-talk-hike.html

http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/48550aea-257e-4adf-83e6-d2548e740dea.jpg

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When you replace a lawn, access becomes an issue

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Additional inspiration

Mass plantings – pretty & affective

Provide some grass areas

? Signage (if you wanted your garden to serve an educational role)

‘functional art’ – butterfly water source

http://www.uky.edu/Arboretum/membership.html

http://www.yerbabuenagardens.com/features/gardens.html

http://a2zhomeschool.com/homeschoolmouse/category/events/

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How to attract more Skippers

Sandhill Skipper

Wandering Skipper

http://www.bixby.org/parkside/multimedia/butterflies/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9428166@N03/2687279040/

Several native species of Skippers we might attract – see the list

Need all the normal amenities: Water Perching places Etc.

Adult (nectar) sources: Milkweeds Clovers Plants in Sunflower family (Yarrow;

Asters; many others) Buckwheats

Larval food sources: Native and non-native grasses – no

wonder we already have Skippers

Page 43: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Let’s add a little grass for Skippers…

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Saltgrass – Distichlis spicata

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Widely distributed – western North America

Found through much of CA in

Coastal salt marshes

Moist alkaline areas

Vernal alkaline areas

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Saltgrass

Stiff perennial grass with numerous long stems

Warm-season grass

Sod-forming – spreads by rhizomes

May grow flat or more erect (4-16 inches tall)

Looks somewhat like Bermuda Grass

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Pretty left to grow – or can be mowed

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Benefits of Saltgrass

Can withstand harsh conditions – salt/alkali soils, seasonal flooding, seasonal drought

Good habitat for birds (seeds and cover) and butterflies (Skippers)

Good for controlling wind or water erosion

Highly resistant to trampling –even for playing fields, golf courses

Looks like Bermuda Grass – and can be treated like it

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Keys to a successful Saltgrass lawn

Lawns usually started from plugs or cut sections of rhizomes

Best done in winter

Bury rhizomes 1-2 inches

Keep ground moist until established

Needs full sun

Needs winter moisture; can water in summer to keep green

Mow infrequently

Needs no/little added fertilizer

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Saltgrass at end of dry season – no water

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Now let’s add a little color…

Flowering perennials and sub-shrubs make sense in a small garden

Choose wisely:

Some plants provide both adult and larval food

Some plants are showier than others

Some plants are better suited to our local conditions

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Sticky Monkeyflowers – like a little shade

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Sticky (Bush) Monkey Flower -Mimulus/Diplacus aurantiacus

http://www.baynatives.com/plants/Mimulus-aurantiacus/

Page 54: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Sticky (Bush) Monkey Flower -Mimulus/Diplacus aurantiacus

Much debate about what genus it should belong to

Much debate about how many species – may just be a few with much variability

Much of western & southern CA to Baja

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?7177,7386,7390

Page 55: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Sticky Monkeyflower in the wild

rocky hillsides

cliffs

canyon slopes

disturbed areas

borders of coastal sage scrub, chaparral, open forest

http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/monkeyb2.htm

Dry, open areas with poor soils

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/diplacus-aurantiacus

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Growth habit and other characteristics

Size: 2-4 ft tall and wide

Narrow glossy sticky dark green leaves

Summer-deciduous in hot climates/gardens

Attractive mounding to sprawling shape

Lives to 10 years – slightly less in gardens, particularly if given summer water

Young leaves can be eaten (a bit bitter, tho’) and were used as an antiseptic for cuts, rope burns, etc.

Page 57: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Many uses for Sticky Monkeyflower in

the garden

On hillsides or banks

In rock gardens

In garden beds with other native plants that thrive on a dry period

In large pots or planters

As an accent plant – showy flowers

In a “hummingbird” or “butterfly garden”

Page 58: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Succeeding with Sticky Monkeyflower

Does best in sandy or rocky soils – soil needs to be well-drained; too much water, particularly in winter leads to fungal disease, short life

Full sun to part-shade (best for most gardens)

Give plants a dormant period at the end of summer – no water; can give some summer water before that

Prune back each fall to 18 inches or so; or prune back to ground every third year. Can also prune after spring bloom to encourage fall blooms

Propagate new plants from cuttings to replace old plants

http://www.elnativogrowers.com/Photographs_page/miau.htm

Page 59: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Fantastic flower colors

Blooms: year-round in S. Bay; most profuse in summer

Flowers: Clusters of small tubular flowers

with the usual monkey face appearance.

Flower color range is salmon to brick-red to crimson.

Good nectar source: Hummingbird pollinated; but also

attracts bees, butterflies (esp. Checkerspots & Buckeyes)

Seeds: many small, in dry capsule

Easy to grow from seed

© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College

You can also grow Shrubby

Monkeyflowers from tip cuttings

Page 60: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Buckwheats like sun – and are great habitat plants

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California Buckwheat - Eriogonum fasciculatum

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California Buckwheat - Eriogonum fasciculatum

Southwestern U.S.

to Utah, Arizona, nw Mexico

s Sierra Nevada, Central Western California, Southwestern California, East of Sierra Nevada, Desert

Common. Dry slopes, washes, canyons in scrub < 2300 m.

fasciculatum : derived from a Latin word meaning "bundles" and describing the way the leaves are attached to the leaf stem in little bunches or 'fascicles'

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/Syllab

us2/factsheet.cfm?ID=639

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?5936,5994,6045

var. fasciculatum

var. foliolosum

Page 63: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Characteristics of California Buckwheat

Size: similar to Dune Buckwheat

2-5 ft tall

3-5 ft wide

Growth form: low mounded semi-evergreen

shrub

Many-branched

http://www.newportbay.org/plants/index.html

Foliage: Leave alternate, but densely clustered

at nodes, evergreen, narrow lanceolate (nearly needle-like)

http://www.birdmom.net/wildflowerspink.html

Page 64: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Dune Buckwheat – E. parvifolium CA Buckwheat – E. fasciculatum

http://www.newportbay.org/plants/index.html

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CA Buckwheat:

showy for months Great for summer color: May-

Nov. possible

As an alternative to the non-native Rosemary

In perennial beds

On parking strips & bordering paths and driveways

For erosion control

Larval foodsource for Morman

Metalmark, Bramble Hairstreak,

Common Hairstreak, Avalon Hairstreak

Shrubby Buckwheats can even be

sheared to shape for a more formal

look

Page 66: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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CA Buckwheat cultivars make good

groundcovers ‘Dana Point’ - brighter green leaf, more

mounding than species 'Bruce Dickinson' – good for

groundcover; stays close to the ground, spreads nicely, and holds good form throughout the year.

‘Dana Point’

‘Bruce Dickinson’

http://www.elnativogrowers.com/Photographs_page/erfabd.htm

Page 67: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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CA Buckwheat cultivars make good

groundcovers

‘Theodore Payne' – low groundcover (1 ft high; 1-3 ft spread)

'Warriner Lytle' - A sprawling low growing California buckwheat; can grow to 2 feet tall but is often more prostrate, hugging the ground like a mat

‘Theodore Payne’

‘Warriner Lytle’

http://www.theodorepayne.org/gallery/pages/E/Eriogonum_fasciculatum_Th

eodorePayne.htm

http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=3070

‘Warriner Lytle’

Page 68: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Cultivars & species: choose carefully..

Buckwheats produce hybrids readily; plant only locally obtained plants if you live near natural stands

‘Warriner Lytle’

http://www.letsgoseeit.com/index/county/la/claremont/loc01/cultivar/cultivar.htm

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CA Buckwheat looks its best in full sun Occasional summer water to keep it looking good – but

very drought tolerant

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Managing shrubby

buckwheats

Most are low maintenance

By fall, the flowers turn a reddish-brown Easily deadheaded, if desired

Or (better) retained for the change of color and for bird habitat.

Cut back in late fall to mid-winter to encourage herbaceous growth over woody look Leave several inches of woody

growth

Cutting it back to 6” in late fall keeps the woody growth to a minimum and the plant looking its best the year round.

When the shrub is becoming too leggy, it needs to be replaced.

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http://lobojosden.blogspot.com/2007/12/butterfly-garden.html

http://www.dunedingov.com/home.aspx?page=departments/library/library

Make sure you can enjoy your butterfly

garden

Comfortable seating, strategically placed

Plan your planting based on your most likely views

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Many butterflies use CA native

Milkweeds

Tiger swallowtail

Acmon Blue

Monarch

http://www.gardeningwithnatives.com/articles/su

mmerplants.html

http://www.laspilitas.com/butterfl_files/Acmon_blue

_on_narrow-leaf_milkweed.jpg

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-

california/plants/asclepias-fascicularis

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Place milkweeds in a slightly shadier area

grass

Buckwheats

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The Milkweed family (Asclepidaceae)

Very large family - ~ 2,000 species

Includes perennial herbs, vines, shrubs

The common name "milkweed" refers to the milky, white sap produced when the stem is broken.

Many are poisonous if eaten by humans/animals

The term "weed" refers to the fact that milkweed grows in poor soil

The principal genus in California is Asclepias, of which there are 11 species.

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Narrow-leaf Milkweed - Asclepias fascicularis

http://www.insectnet.com/photos/flora1/milkweed1.htm

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Showy Milkweed – Asclepias speciosa

© 2004 George W. Hartwell

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Milkweeds

Milkweeds are found in many areas of CA

In the South Bay, Narrow-leaf Milkweed found only in S. Channel Islands

Sites are typically

Winter wet/summer dry

Sunny to light shade

Barren soil (bare areas in chaparral/Oak woodlands; streambeds; alluvial areas)

Narrow-leaf Milkweed

Showy Milkweed

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Milkweed family has unusual flowers

and seeds

The petals of the 5-parted

flowers are reflexed and the

anthers unite to the stigma in

the form of a crown with 5

hood-like appendages.

The numerous seeds bear tufts

of silky hairs at their tips for

efficient wind dispersal.

http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/pictures/a100.jpg

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Milkweed pods and seeds

http://www.keiriosity.com/asclepiadaceae/asclepias_f

ascicularis02.jpg http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/biodiv/PLANTS2/A

sclepiadaceae/Asclepias_fascicularis.htm

How do you think these seeds are dispersed?

seeds

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Consider Using Milkweeds

For butterfly gardens: nectar source for many species; larval food for Monarchs

For showy white-pink flowers in summer

Along paths and walkways

In mid-beds – would look nice with brighter pinks and purple flowers

Page 81: Butterfly Gardening   2009

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Tricks to gardening with Milkweeds

Easy to grow

Plant (seeds) in place if possible

Does best in well-drained soil – but can tolerate clay if not over-watered

Full to part sun

Average water needs – keep somewhat dry. Can tolerate winter flooding

Cut back to ground in winter (native Californians burned it to encourage healthy growth)

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Let’s add some other flowering plants for interest

grass

Buckwheats Perennials & annuals

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Common Sandaster - Corethrogyne filaginifolia vars. californica and filaginifolia

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/californiaaster.html

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common and widespread plant in coastal sage scrub, southern oak woodlands and grasslands, and on dry, brushy chaparral slopes

Taxonomy is confusing:

Many still use the old name for the species: Lessingia filaginifolia

Highly variable species; now lumped them all together under variant filaginifolia - variants need further research

var. californica – adapted to slightly wetter, ocean-influenced habitats

var. filaginifolia – adapted to slightly drier habitats

Common Sandaster - Corethrogyne filaginifolia vars. californica and filaginifolia

http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?Lessingia+filaginifolia+var.+filaginifolia

var. filaginifolia

var. californica

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Common Sandaster varies greatly depending on the amount of water it gets

http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/californiaaster.html

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Common Sandaster is typical of plants in

the sunflower family (Asteraceae)

Compound floral heads

Ray flowers (outer)

Brightly colored (usually yellow (bee pollinated) or blue-purple

Serve to direct the pollinator to the nectar

Disk flowers (central)

Small; often yellow or dark-colored

Make nectar to attract pollinators

Form the seeds

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Growing native perennial sunflowers is

usually easy

Choose a sunny location: most need full or near-full sun

Plant seed in place in fall Prepare soil; lightly rake seed

in use fresh, locally-collected

seed if possible

Insure adequate winter/spring rain

Withhold water after flowering to promote seed production

Many will self-seed; or collect and store the seed in a cool dry place

http://www.coestatepark.com/lessingia_filaginifolia_coe.htm

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Many Sunflower species

are “two-in-one plants

Sand Asters are good nectar producers:

Good food plant for native bees and other pollinators

Provide nectar for many butterflies from Skippers to Swallowtails

They are also good butterfly larval plants

Gabb’s Checkerspot – endangered Moths

http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/pictures/a1142.jpg

http://nitro.biosci.arizona.edu/zeeb/butterflies/nocut.html

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Don’t like this look?

http://mamba.bio.uci.edu/~pjbryant/biodiv/PLANTS2/Asteraceae/C

orethrogyne%20filaginifolia%20v.htm

http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/astercu3.htm

Then how about this?

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‘Silver Carpet’ Sandaster

(var. californica)

A Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Introduction

From coastal bluffs exposed to ocean spray in Monterey County

Attractive foliage Silver-white; looks nice all year

long blends well with other plants

Pretty flowers – late summer summer blossoms provide

welcome cool color in a season when warmer-toned natives prevail.

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‘Silver Carpet’

Sandaster

Low-growing – makes a nice low groundcover

spilling down a slope or over a low wall.

Even in native grasses

Fast-growing (3-5 ft/yr) but not invasive

More tolerant of average garden watering regimens

Hardy

Readily available

http://www.wildscaping.com/plants/plantphotos/SilvCarp_ws_400dm.jpg

Nectar plant only – but a good one!

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Other good generalist perennials to add

Achillea – Yarrow

Eriophyllum – Wallflowers

Sidalcea – Checkermallow

Vetches & Lotus

Lupines

Add other perennials, annuals & grasses depending on butterfly species

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S. CA Ladies – how to attract them

West Coast Lady Painted Lady American Lady

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Food fit for a Lady…… Adult food – many native (and non-native) flowering plants

Larval food

Sunflower family Thistles – Cirsium species

[Painted Lady] Others

Everlastings - Pseudognaphalium (Gnaphalium) [American Lady]

Borage Family Amsinckia Cryptantha

Nettle Family - Urtica species

Bedstraws – Galium species

Mallow Family [Painted & West Coast Ladies] Lavatera Malacothamnus Sidalcea

Cirsium occidentale

Sidalcea

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Finally, add some low species at the front…

grass

Buckwheats Perennials & annuals

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Some possible low species

Evergreen Carex species – sedges

Seasonal Smaller grasses

Clovers (Trifolium)

Checkerbloom

Annual wildflowers

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Bull clover/ Sour Clover – Trifolium fucatum

© 2004 Carol W. Witham

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Bull clover – Trifolium fucatum

West coast of N. America from OR to Baja

In CA either:

Foothills of Sierras and other ranges

Coastally-influenced areas < 3000 ft. elevation

Locally abundant. Moist, open grassland, ditches, marshes, roadsides, sometimes saline or serpentine soils

fucatum: painted, dyed

© 2005 George W. Hartwell

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Bull Clover is a fairly typical native annual clover

Size:

< 1 ft tall

1-3 ft wide; slightly spreading

Growth form: Mounded; low-lying

Typical for clovers

Foliage: Leaves typical ‘clover-leaf’ – often

white-patterned

Stems robust, hollow

Roots: Have symbiotic relationship with

nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Leave roots in soil to improve soil fertility

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Flowers are among the prettier clover flowers

Blooms: Usually Apr-June in S. CA ; after

weather warms up

Long bloom period with supplemental water

Flowers: Typical for clover; small pea-type

flowers in a ball-like head

Cream-colored tinged with pink/mauve

Edible

Seeds: Small

Edible fresh

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Clovers – not hard to grow once you know the trick

Soils: Texture: any well-drained

pH: any, including alkali

Even takes salty soils

Light: full sun to part-shade; good under deciduous trees

Water: Winter: needs moist soils

Summer: needs regular water until flowering ceases – then cut back

Fertilizer: not needed, but probably won’t hurt

Other: to start seeds give them a hot-water treatment © 2007 Aaron Schusteff

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Foothill Clover – Trifolium ciliolatum

http://www.kenbowles.net/sdwildflowers/FamilyIndexes/FabaceaeClover/FabaceaeCloverKey.htm

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Pin-point Clover – Trifolium gracilentum

© 2006 Doreen L. Smith

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Rancheria Clover – Trifolium albopurpureum

http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/clovera.htm

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Now we’ve got a plan for what we’ll plant next fall

grass

Buckwheats Perennials & annuals

Low Low

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What butterflies might visit our garden?

Swallowtails: Anise, Western Tiger, Giant Cabbage White Orange Sulphur Gray Hairstreak Blues: Acmon, Marine, Western Pygmy Fatal Metalmark Mourning Cloak Ladies: American, West Coast Common Buckeye Red Admiral Monarch Funereal Duskywing Skippers: Western Checkered, Sandhill, Fiery, Umber + others

And some of these species might raise their families!

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Suggestions for creating a butterfly-

friendly garden

Include important nectar and larval food plants; when possible from local sources

Mass/group plants

Include plants that bloom at different times

Consider including some good non-native food plants

Use safe methods of insect control – no pesticides

Encourage others in your neighborhood to plant butterfly-friendly plants

Research & experiment

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Visit local butterfly

gardens

Doheny State Beach

http://www.visitusa.com/california/photos/orangecounty-beaches/dohenystatebeach.htm

Shipley Nature Center

http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-butterflies18nov18-pg,0,4856731.photogallery?index=12

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Let’s go look at some butterfly plants