Butterfly Garden: Notes, 5/21/16 & 5/22/16

On Friday evening, May 20th, I notice this cabbage white on the milkweed in front of the house.  It was chilly Friday night, so I'm glad she found refuge in my garden.  She was still there in the morning, but as soon as the sun came out and warmed things up, she was on her way. 

Mr. Snacks, the monarch caterpillar, was still hanging out on the side of the pot Friday night not moving.  When I woke up Saturday morning to check on him, I discovered that he molted.  Then he ate his skin!  Yuck!  I watched him on and off throughout the day, and he seemed to be looking for a place to pupate.  He didn't go back to the milkweed all day.  He was crawling up and down the plant shelves and eventually started going up the side of the house.  He spent Saturday night there.  

This is the last photo I took of Mr. Snacks.  I didn't see him anymore after the sun warmed things up Sunday morning.  I'm sure he's hanging someplace close by getting ready to turn into a butterfly, but I haven't been able to find him.

Here are some images of at least 3 more monarch caterpillars and an egg I discovered Saturday on the milkweed on the patio.  

Fiery Skipper spotted in my garden on Saturday, May 21 at approximately 1:15 pm.

 Funereal Dusky wing spotted in my garden on Sunday, May 22.

I should also note I saw a Gulf Fritillary on the butterfly bush on the patio at 12:28 pm on Sunday.  I was too slow with the camera, so I didn't get any photos.  Also, at approximately 2:55 pm, I saw what I believe may have been a painted lady on the milkweed on the front porch.  I ran for the camera, but again, I missed the shot and was unable to get a photo.

What happened to Mr. Snacks!?

Tonight I went outside to water the plants and I couldn't find Mr. Snacks.  That's the name I've given to the little monarch caterpillar.  Suddenly I went into a panic.  I searched all around the patio hoping he was still alive.  I looked up and down the plant shelves and all over the milkweed he had been eating and still no Mr. Snacks.  Then I spun the pot around and there he was underneath the lip on the edge of the pot.  Whew!  Thank goodness I didn't squish him!  Now I know better just to leave things alone.  It's cold tonight so he's just kind of hanging out there not moving much.  I hope he's okay.  

Monarch caterpillar on the milkweed!

I was so excited tonight!  I went out on the patio to see if there were any eggs or caterpillars on any of the host plants, and I saw one monarch caterpillar!  I was so happy I danced around the house for about 30 minutes singing "I got a monarch butterfly!".  My husband thinks I'm crazy, although I guess he's used to it by now.

The caterpillar is pretty small.  Maybe about 1 inch long.  From what I’ve researched, I’m gathering he’s on his 4th instar (fancy new word I learned that means the interval between molts).  Fingers crossed he makes it to the next level.  I’m hoping no predators find him and pick him off the milkweed.

I realize a lot of people actually go as far as collecting the eggs and caterpillars and then keep them captive in butterfly tents until they pupate and change into butterflies.  I don’t want to interfere with nature, so I'll just let it run its course.  So far the butterfly garden is off to a good start!

How do you choose plants for your pollinator garden? Let the pollinators choose them for you!

If you are reading my blog, you know I’m creating a butterfly/pollinator garden.  I’ve been checking out library books, researching online and trying to get my hands on as much information as possible about what kinds of plants are the most attractive to pollinators.  While I’ve found a lot of really great information, I feel the need to note that the best way that I’ve found to shop for pollinator plants, is to let the pollinator you want to attract choose them for you.

Ever walk into a garden center and find bees swarming around a particular flower?  Or a butterfly that keeps coming back to visit a certain plant?  Well, do you want bees or butterflies in your garden?  Then get that plant!

Recently, I was at my local garden center looking to buy more plants that are attractive to butterflies.  I almost immediately saw a monarch fluttering around just a few feet away.  I headed in that direct and followed her.  Low and behold she lead me directly to the butterfly milkweed which just so happened to be what I’d come to the garden center to get.

I don’t know if this is the best way to shop for plants for your pollinator garden, but so far it’s an obvious method that seems to be working out pretty good for me!

Beginning a Butterfly Habitat / Pollinator Garden & Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, May 2016

This year on May 15th for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by May Dreams Gardens, I am at the start of creating a butterfly habitat/pollinator garden.  I talked about this briefly in my previous post.  I've been reading up on butterfly gardens and am slowly building up a small butterfly habitat in my urban container garden here in Pasadena, California, Zone 10B.

I should note that my garden is small.  I'm a renter which means I can only do as much as my landlord and space will allow.  But that doesn't stop me.  I love being surrounded by nature and through gardening, I can block out the city with plants, flowers and even some wildlife.

Over the past few years, I've had many visitors to my garden including hummingbirds (they are here year round), all sorts of butterflies, bees and all sorts of insects.  Recently, I've been reading up on some of the native California plants that are attractive to the different butterflies and pollinators, and I've been adding more of these native plants to my garden.

In this blog post I've listed some of the plants I've acquired so far.  Some are new to my garden and others I've grown in the past.  I've noted my success with each plant and have added a photo (when available) and listed what types of pollinators they have attracted.  This is not a complete list, but I'll be updating my blog and recording my progress over the next several months.

Butterfly Milkweed
Most butterflies seem to love this as well as bees.

Monarch caterpillar, 2013

 Monarch, 2013

Swallowtail - 2013

Skipper - 2013

 Coreopsis

A new flower for my garden.
I've seen Cabbage Whites on it so far.

Gaillardia, Blanket Flower
All butterflies.

 Lantana
All butterflies and bees.

Gulf Fritillary - 2013

 Yarrow
Skippers.

 May Night Sage, Meadow Sage
This is a new plant for my garden.
So far it has attracted Cabbage Whites, Skippers and lots of bees.

 Lavender & Yarrow
Bees and Cabbage Whites are attracted mostly to the lavender.

 Salvia "Hot Lips"

 Dahalia

 Butterfly Bush, Buddleia

 Dwarf Bottle Brush
Bees.

 Dill, Host Plant
Black Swallowtail caterpillars.

Black Swallowtail - 2015

Rue, Host plant

Giant Swallowtail caterpillars.

Giant Swallowtail caterpillar - 2015

(I should note here that I have several of each host plant and have also included Parsley and Fennel.) 

 Agastache -
Hummingbirds LOVE this!

 Pentas

 Lavender
Bees, Cabbage Whites.

 Zinnia

 Catmint, Nepta
Bees.

Two Cabbage Whites

Weather for the past few weeks has been cloudy.  I think they are calling it “May Gray”.  The sun was in and out most of the day.  Every time it came out from behind the clouds, butterflies started to appear.  These two cabbage whites (male and female) showed up around 1:30 pm.  They  fluttered around my front porch for a good long while bouncing from flower to flower.  They mostly seemed to enjoy the purple Meadow Sage.  At one point, the female perched herself on a leaf in my rose garden for a moment.  That’s when I was able to get this nice portrait of her.  Did she know I was taking her photo?  It sure seemed that way.  She didn’t move!   She just sat there looking at me while I fumbled around in a panic trying to focus on her tiny body and make sure I had the right aperture and shutter speed.  The male on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the camera and went about his business extracting nectar from the Meadow Sage.  In addition to the cabbage whites, I saw a few skippers today too.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough with the camera to get a photo of them.  I’m hoping once the weather brings more sunshine, it will bring more butterflies as well.  

Never take a fairy for granted!

As we all know, May is the month of fairies.  Spring has sprung, the flowers are blooming profusely and we are at the halfway point between spring and summer.  This is the time when the veil between the fairy realm and our world is at its thinnest.  It's a time to work fairy magic.  We respectfully ask the fae to protect our gardens, bless our homes and enchant our space with their magical presence.

In the past, the fae have come to my garden of their own accord without my doing much of anything besides growing their favorite plants and flowers such as Lily of the Valley, Foxgloves, Canterbury Bells and the like.  But this year, I was a little too over zealous about welcoming them back and maybe even a little too demanding.  To be honest, I was being outright impatient.  I was overly anxious to feel that magical presence that comes about on its own when you're least expecting it.

I went on a quest to fill up my garden as quickly as possible with their favorite flowers, and I presumptuously called upon the fae to make residence in my garden.  Perhaps I was disrespectful by taking for granted that they would come as they always do, because shortly thereafter I began to have odd problems around the house with this or that going on the fritz.  Now, anyone who understands the fairy realm knows they can wreak havoc on your home if you're not careful.  Disrespect them even the slightest bit and watch out!  So for about two weeks, it was one thing after the next.  On top of that, I had developed a pantry moth problem -- not exactly the winged allies I was hoping for!  My husband even joked with me that the fae were laughing because they sent pantry months in their place!

As I write this, things seem to be calming down.  I've kindly asked the fae to please stop with their mischief, and I've apologized for taking their presence for granted.  Furthermore, I decided to create a butterfly garden as sort of a peace offering.  We all know butterflies and fairies go hand in hand (or should I say wing in wing), so over the past week I've been doing research to find out what the best nectar and host plants are for my area, and I've started to create a beautiful butterfly garden.  Hopefully, this will help settle things with my enchanted, yet mischievous friends.

In addition, I'm excited to see what types of butterflies I can host this year in my garden.  In the past, I've had good luck with many types of butterflies including monarchs, black swallowtail, giant swallowtail, skippers and gulf fritillary to name a few.

As for the fae, they've quieted down.  But I know they are still present... watching over my magic garden and anticipating the coming of their new butterfly friends.