Just to let you know, that even though some sellers on E-bay, say "shipping to United States" if you e-mail them, and ask them, they will usually ship to Canada. It will just cost you a little more in shipping and handling charges. Listen.....If you can't find a good price on them, I do know a grower that has them not far from me. I can see if I can get you a couple. Just let me know. I would love to help you out!!! I'm a lover of those Banana's too!!!LOL I can get you a couple cheap. Just let me know!!! Diana55

bernergrrl, This is a GREAT post. Many butterfly gardeners are not aware of the needs of butterflies beyond nectar and host plants. Many of my suggestions will not be usable for some/many butterfly gardeners because we have a one-acre butterfly sanctuary in a wooded area, but here goes: provide water source(s) leave brush piles and wood piles for protection from rain and for overwintering. leave as many trees around your garden as possible to protect butterflies from strong winds/rain/etc. provide stones, boulders, gravel in places that get good sun for warming spots for butterflies. clear spider webs from your garden to prevent butterflies from being caught and release butterflies that are caught in webs. try for multiple planting levels as various species seek out different levels. consider planting various grasses suitable to some butterflies as host plants. leave some trees IN your garden, if possible. In addition to the tree uses mentioned above, some butterflies like emperors, angle wings, wood nymphs, etc. use the bark as hiding places, places to bask in the sun, and lookout spots. provide feeder plates of rotting fruit, etc. to attract butterflies that don't nectar or don't nectar exclusively.

What species/cultivar/hybrid Butterfly Bush did you plant? I see you say it is Buddleia davidii, but there are lots of hybrids out there. Not all are thugs. Depends on the variety you planted. Depending on the kind of Aster you're growing, some Aster species serve as a larval host for various checkerspots and crescents in California. Some species of Aster are definite bullies in a garden and as Larry_Gene said, will quickly overtake your other plants. Your Creeping Phlox, for instance, may be at risk by the other larger plants surrounding it. Milkweed species native to California include Asclepias eriocarpa, A. fascularis (narrow leaf milkweed), A. speciosa (showy milkweed, as Terrene mentioned), A. cordifolia (heartleaf or purple milkweed), A. californica (as the name implies, Califoria milkweed), A. vestita (wooly milkweed), A. eriocarpa (woolypod milkweed). Seeds may be hard to find. One source I know of is Milkweed Farms. Las Pillitas has a nursery in Santa Margarita, and another one in Escondido. Don't know if you are within comfortable driving distance to these nurseries or not. It would be well worth the trip. Las Pallitos has a humongous Salvia collection, too. You can get mail order, too, I believe. Check out their website at www.laspillitas.com. As to the rock, you can use a decorative stepping stone as a basking rock, which would be attractive in your garden bed. To your host plant list, you may want to consider adding a couple of milkweed species, and perhaps at least one of the vines I mentioned, Passion Vine for the Gulf Frits, or Pipevine (Aristolochia) for the Pipevine Swallowtails. I see there is a fence along the back of the raised bed. You could put it to the right of the bed, and fix up something for the vines to climb up along the fence. P. incarnata is pretty invasive, so one of the blue or white flowering cultivars (I mentioned 'Lavendar Lady', but P. caerulea would be another good one, with white flowers), or others that are hardy in your zone. Check some out at Grassy Knoll Exotic Plants at http://gkexoticplants.com/catalog/Passiflora-2-1.html. They carry at least 120 varieties and have an excellent rating on that "other website". If MissSherry comes in here, she can give you info on what grows well for her. Aristolochias can be difficult to find as well, and you would want to make sure you don't purchase A. gigantea, which is toxic to the Pipevine caterpillars. There is a native pipevine, A. californica. You can probably find this at a native plant nursery in your area. It is a typical perennial in that 1st year sleeps, 2nd year creeps, 3rd year leaps, so don't plan on it growing large enough to support many caterpillars for 3 years at least. These two butterflies are big, bold, and beautiful. Be sure to check out our FAQ pages, too, for more info on nectar plants, host plants, sources for seeds and plants, and info on raising caterpillars if you are interested. Susan Here is a link that might be useful: Xerces Society Article on California Native Milkweeds

I think I had this for a couple of years, and it did attract lots of hummers and butterflies and moths. I just planted a new Salvia 'Black and Blue' this year because the butterfly people suggested it for both hummers and butterflies. I also have the Salvia Texas Sage with pink/white blooms, and the Sulphurs just love it. The butterflies that like the fruit plates are Question Marks, Commas, Red Admirals, Mourning Cloaks, Hackberry and Tawny Emperors because they are not strict nectaring butterflies like the Monarchs, Swallowtails, Sulphurs, etc. We are inundated with lots of butterflies this year. I have raised close to 60 Question Marks, a couple of Hackberry Emperors, Silvery Checkerspots and Bordered Patches, Black Swallowtails, and Pipevine Swallowtails. I raised about 5 Nessus sphinx and one Eumorpha Achemon sphinx that feed on my Virginia Creeper (a very valuable wildlife plant for birds and moths). Last year, my friend, Linda, said she had the migrating Monarchs all over her verbesina enceliodes (Golden Crownbeard), so she gave me a seedling. I've also got 3 different hardy lantanas, pentas lanceolata (a sphinx moth host plant), milkweed (tons of it for the Monarch larvae), Joe Pye Weed (in full bloom right now), two passion vines (Blue Crown and incarnata 'Incense', and the mama Gulf Frit just laid about 50 eggs on them), Wild Senna, Partridge Pea, Sunflowers, verbena bonariensis, annual red verbena, fennel (green and bronze), Zizia aurea (for the Black Swallowtails, too), my Rue that I've grown for several years, and several pipevine species, Aristolochia macrophylla (big leaf), A. tomentosa, A. clematitis, and A. serpentaria, veronica, lavendar 'Provence', catmint, Marigolds, lots of zinnias, Salvia pink flowering perennial, Mexican Flame Vine (a real nectar favorite), yellow coneflower, pale coneflower, cosmos (the Orange is blooming its head off right now), phlomis tuberosa, cleome, agastache foeniculum, and tons of other stuff, all crammed into my tiny front yard. I saw one hummingbird early in the season, but haven't seen any since. I usually see them when they migrate south later in summer-early fall. Sometimes the butterflies that like rotting fruit, dung, and tree sap, will use the hummer feeders, too. Have you seen that happen? Susan