Visions of Butterflies & Hummingbirds
Even though snow is on the ground this is a good time to plan your garden. Do you want to attract butterflies and humming birds? Think now of a sunny spot to put plants that attract them.
Butterflies are attracted to plantings that provide nectar for adult butterflies and plantings that entice females to lay eggs. Some butterfly caterpillars have quite specific tastes.
Consider using large splashes of color in your landscape. Groups of flowers are easier for butterflies to locate than isolated plants. Zinnias and Cosmos are excellent annuals to mass. Mexican sunflower , impatiens, and moss verbena are other preferred annuals. Purple coneflower, pineapple sage and the early spring phlox, Phlox subulata are excellent perennials. New England aster, and Joe Pye weed, Eupatorium spp. are other perennials that extend color into the fall. Some chrysanthemums are hardy. All of these plants provide nectar for adult butterflies.
To provide continuous bloom for butterflies which are active from early spring until late fall, plant shrubs like azaleas for spring flowers and buddleia, butterfly bush, for summer bloom.. After mating, butterflies seek out a specific “host” plant on which to lay eggs. Eastern tiger swallowtails seek out tulip trees or wild cherry. Black swallow tails like parsley and dill. Monarchs lay eggs on the bright orange butterfly weed. These can be found growing wild sometimes along the roadside on dry banks. A taprooted perennial, it can be purchased locally. The Garden Store on North Sandusky, Wagner’s Greenhouse on Greenfield Road, and Molyets on West Market Street all plan to offer butterfly weed and buddlea this spring. In addition, Molyets plan to have Dark Knight, a cultivar of Caryopteris, a woody perennial that is said to attract butterflies. Some butterflies lay eggs on more than one type of plant. In a few days the caterpillars emerge and begin to eat. Most are selective eaters and only feed on specific k inds of plants. If the desired plants aren’t available, the caterpillars will starve rather than eat another type of vegetation. Usually female butterflies lay eggs on or near the plants their caterpillars prefer to eat. Most butterfly caterpillars feed on native plants and are not considered agricultural pests.
In addition to plants to feed on, butterflies like flat stones in the garden. They perch there, spread their wings and bask in the sun. Basking raises their body temperature so they are able to fly and remain active.
They also like shallow puddles. They drink and extract salts from moist soil. Occasionally large numbers of male butterflies congregate around a moist area to drink, forming a “puddle club”.
Do not use pesticides in or near a butterfly garden. Most traditional garden pesticides are toxic to butterflies. Use predatory insects, insecticidal soap or hand remove the pests if problems occur.
If you are interested in attracting hummingbirds to your yard, masses of their preferred plants will do the trick. Among perennials are bee balm, cardinal flower, salvia, and phlox. Lantanas, begonias, petunias, impatiens and hibiscus are annuals that are favorites. They also like shrubs like flowering quince, buddleia, and althea, rose of Sharon. Vines like the rapidly growing trumpet creeper and the trumpet honeysuckle are also favored.
You may also hang hummingbird feeders starting in April and continuing until October. HummZinger and the Nectar Bar, both made by Aspects, Inc are good hard plastic feeders. Look for one that will be easy to clean. The feeder should have perches so the hummers aren’t forced to hover while they drink. Use a mixture of one part white sugar dissolved in four parts boiling water. Never use honey. Honey promotes a fungal disease that can kill hummingbirds. Store extra solution in the refrigerator. Clean the feeder regularly – every 3 days or so in hot weather – to prevent mold. Do not hang the feeder in full sun - the solution will spoil more quickly.
If bees or yellow jackets try to use your feeder, coat the ports with Avon’s Skin-So-Soft. Apply it lightly with a cotton swab. Ants are sometimes a problem. Try using an ant guard. It is simply a small moat-like saucer from which you hang the feeder. Fill the moat with salad oil and the ants get trapped in the liquid as they try to cross the moat. Ant guards and quality feeders are available from any wild bird supplier.
In addition to sugar water from feeders and nectar, humming birds live on spiders, flies, aphids and gnats, all unwelcome garden guests.
If all this talk of butterflies and hummingbirds seems premature, just think, the first day of Spring is only three days away. Some of those trees and bushes you ordered in January may already be on their way to your house.
Mary