![]() ILRiverHort is a blog that helps people connect to nature and grow. She continues to share her passion for horticulture related topics as “Retro Rhonda” on social media. She focused on high quality, impactful programs that taught homeowners how to create energy-efficient landscapes using sustainable practices that increase property values and help the environment.Īfter 30 years with University of Illinois Extension, Rhonda retired in 2018. Butterfly gardening is very rewarding.Īs horticulture educator, Rhonda Ferree inspired citizens in local communities to grow their own food and improve their home landscapes. Plant your own butterfly garden this summer. Although adult butterflies feed on many different types of nectar, their larvae need specific (and often) native plants in order to survive. I brought back one larva and two eggs to rear so far, one of the eggs has. Many insects feed on the native plants they evolved with over time. Butterflies are insects and are susceptible to most insecticides. The house covers 2,600 square feet and is filled with larval and nectar plants.įinally, reduce pesticide use and use more native plants. The house showcases native Illinois butterflies using a modest structure of metal hoops covered with netting. I also encourage you to visit the Kim St John Butterfly Habitat at Wildlife Prairie Park. ![]() This beautiful book contains descriptions, field photos, and life-size specimen photos of all Illinois' butterfly species. To learn more, I recommend the new Butterflies of Illinois: A Field Guide by Michael Jeffords, Susan Post, and James Wiker. I've started using common violet more in my landscape in hopes of seeing more fritillary butterflies in my neighborhood. The common violet is our state flower and is very beautiful in bloom. Most fritillaries feed as larvae on violets, and some also on passion vine. Finally spicebush swallowtail caterpillars eat spicebush and sassafras.įritillary butterflies are one of my favorite. Tiger swallowtail larval hosts include wild black cherry, tulip poplar tree, as well as apple, maple, ash, and others. If you see giant swallowtails, there must be a source of wafer ash or prickly ash nearby. Black swallowtail females lay eggs on plants in the carrot family for their larvae to eat, including dill, parsley, carrot, parsnip, and other natives in that plant family. The pipevine swallowtail young feed on pipevine plant, while the zebra swallowtail larvae feed on pawpaw trees. In addition to planting milkweed for monarch butterflies, here are some other examples to try. However, butterfly larvae are picky eaters and most need a specific type of plant in order to survive. It is hard for many people to allow a critter to eat up their garden plants. With these plants you are feeding the caterpillars that eventually turn into adult butterflies. Providing larval food plants is where butterfly gardening diverts from all other types of gardening. ![]() Nectar sources attract the adult butterfly and many different types of flowers will serve as a nectar source. There are two different types of plants you can grow for butterflies: nectar food sources and larval food sources. See the images below to identify the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly life cycle stages and how to attract them to your garden.Written by Rhonda Ferree, retired horticulture educatorĮfforts to save the monarch butterfly are everywhere with many people pledging to plant milkweed for monarch larvae to eat. This butterfly is a fantastic treat to have in a butterfly garden. Compared to other swallowtail butterflies, their proboscis is much shorter, so they are attracted to shorter and flatter blooms instead of long tube-shaped flowers. There are two to three broods per year, the spring brood being the smallest and one of the first butterflies to appear in the spring. During the 10-14 days of the caterpillar’s life the color changes to green with yellow stripes or black with yellow and white stripes. Soon after, an olive-colored caterpillar emerges. ![]() As the eggs mature, they start turning brown. Exquisite Zebra Swallowtails depend entirely on PawPaw trees for their very existence. I’m in the process of replacing three PawPaw trees that I recently lost. They enjoy swampy areas to breed and lay eggs, while they enjoy the open fields and brushy areas to feed on nectar.įemale Zebra Swallowtail lay tiny round pale green eggs on Pawpaw leaves, their host plant. The larval host of Zebra Swallowtail (Protographium marcellus) is any of the eight species of the genus PawPaw (Asimina). The velvety red stripes on the hind wings surrounded by black and white give away its identity. Its flying is dramatic and a wonderful sight to see. The remarkable black and white Zebra Swallowtail butterfly resembles a long-tailed kite. This butterfly is sponsored In Memory of Judy Sustar (Ohio) ![]()
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