Wow, what nice pictures! That's one of the butterflies I want to try to get. I read that snapdragons is one of their host plants, but of course, I probably have the wrong thing. That would be great if they'd feed off of butterfly bushes, as I have four of those and none of those other plants shown on that page. I wonder where Shady Oaks farm is. I guess what's used in one area might not necessarily be used in another area, right? So I wouldn't even know which of those plants I should get. They look pretty. I'm really hoping I can get that butterfly here someday. To the best of my knowledge, I've never seen one here. Of course, before I was into butterflies, I had all of the wrong plants here anyway. I don't think they go for something like marigolds. Just from last year, I also found out that mine don't like daisies or Black-eyed Susans, not the ones I had anyway. I had shasta daisies and Rudbeckia hirta, which is a wildflower and I thought they were supposed to like that....NOT here they don't!

Thanks for that link, Susan. I just loved looking at the pictures, and I've saved that website in my favorites.

Interesting, Susan!
I've heard of buckeyes using just about everything they mentioned except cudweed - now that's a new one on me! I'm not surprised that the cudweed chrysalid was so small - I don't think cudweed is anywhere close to the type plant they need.
MissSherry

Wow, so you had heard of them using butterfly bush? Never thought to even check mine for anything. Now, I will. I'm always learning something different about butterflies. They never cease to amaze me in one aspect or another.

Susan

On the website, it said that Shady Oaks was 45 minutes from the University of Florida's Butterfly Exhibit, which is in Gainesville, Florida, which is just off I-75. Shady Oaks is in Booker, FL, but I couldn't find it on my map and when I MapQuested it, I got partial directions. I THINK it is west of Gainesville.

My son is taking me to UF's enhibit on Tuesday as part of my Christmas present. If I can get good directions from Shady Oaks email, I might see if it is practical to go there, too. I had hoped to maybe go out to Greathouse Butterflies but that is East of Gainesville and had thought about stopping at a place that is known for its variety of Gingers that is South of Gainesville! Can't make it to all of them so will have to pick and choose, depending on time.

I knew that our list for Florida had snapdragons, False Foxglove, and Reuilla on it for buckeyes. I don't see that many in my area. I did have one caterpillar last year on my Twinflower and Ribbed Plantain. I was so excited but after a couple of days it disappeared before I could bring it in.

I agree with you caterwallin - I think that lists can be deceiving in some cases. I think that the butterflies may have preferences in each locality and that makes it hard for us since we can't have every plant that is a possibility.

I know that the American lady is supposedly a common butterfly around here but I have never seen one yet Cudweed is everywhere (at least DH says that what we have in our yard is Cudweed!). So who knows!

mboston,

Enjoy your Christmas-present-visit to the U of Florida butterfly exhibit on Tuesday. Be sure to leave extra time for all there is to see in addition to my favorite butterfly house. Be sure to spend at least 15-20 minutes sitting by the running water/feeder trays to really experience the butterflies. You'll love your Christmas present.

mike

I just got some Twinflower (dichoriste, I think), and wonder where I should plant it - sun or part shade? Can someone give me an idea where their's is planted?

Susan

When I ordered mine, they recommended full sun, dry, sandy area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Twinflower

Thank you so much, Linda! I don't have any sandy areas, but I can certainly put some sand in the mix.

Susan

I LOVE Shady Oak.....I get good host plants from them, and last year I bought eggs, and I'm going to do so again this year. I'm going to try hard to establish the ZLW, of course they will die back in the fall, but if I can get a good summer population going, twood be quite nice.

Linda, how did yours (Twinflower) do last year? Was it large enough to host any Buckeyes yet?

Susna

Susan, mine struggled with the heat, though I kept it well watered. I just planted it last spring. It did alot better when the temps cooled down last fall, and did grow some. I found a Buckeye cat on mine last year. But, the plant was too small to sustain the cat, and I was worried about stressing the plant too much. That's when I moved it over to my plantain, and it did ok. I'm hoping that it will grow larger this year. It is just starting to come out of dormancy. Someone from Florida just grew theirs in pots. Perhaps they can take more water than I thought?

Did you get any Wooly plantain wintersowed? Are any coming up? I ran out of time, and did not get any sowed. Wonder if it's too late to start some? Do they need to be chilled?

None of my Toadflax reseeded. I just knew that I would lots of it coming up. :( I may have to get some more plants.

Correction for those who are interested. Shady Oaks is located north of Gainesville, near Booker, FL. about 45 minutes away. I email her but got no response so we did not venture out there after visiting UF's Butterfly Rainforest. On her phone recording she said they will start giving tours the weekend of Mar. 23, that's this weekend. I think that may because UF is hosting the NBAA this weekend.

Susan,
Thanks for sharing that link. I, too, did a double-take about the Cudweed for Buckeye caterpillars. Now I remember reading that Buckeyes eat so many kinds of weeds that some people introduce the caterpillars just to eat their weeds. Somehow I doubt that's a common practice:-) But it sounds good to me! I grow acres of Gerardia for Buckeyes, and they overwinter as adults, yet I didn't see a single one this winter. Oh, well, I wasn't outside much this winter, so maybe that's why.
Carol

I found a pretty gerardia on a website when I did a google on gerardia. I'll include the link below. Since that's a Connecticut wildflower and I'm in PA, it would make it through the winter here. I'll include a link. I'm hoping since it's a gerardia it would host buckeyes. Has anyone here tried this particular one? The more I'm on this forum the more I realize that I don't know as much about plants as I thought I did.

Here is a link that might be useful: Agalinis tenuifolia (Gerardia tenuifolia)

I don't know much about buckeye host plants, but there must be a lot of them around here because that's one of our most common butterflies. You can't mow the lawn without chsing a small flock of these guys back and forth. Ours like lantana, duranta, and pentas for nectaring.
Dave

Cathy, I have a bunch of agalinus tenuifolia coming up for the Buckeyes. They're seedlings, so they may not do much this summer. I need to get my snapdragons planted. I have other things for the Buckeyes, like Ruellia. But, I'd really like to try that Firecracker in the photo. Looks like it would be good nectar for moths and hummingbirds as well.

Susan

Dave, Send some of them up here because I haven't seen any here yet! ;-) I'm hoping that they'll find my place one of these days.

Susan, You lucky thing! I hope that you have buckeye cats eating them this year. Have you ever had the butterflies at your place at all? I have snapdragons started inside and they're about two inches high. Last year I had the ones that only get about half a foot high but decide to plant tallers onese this year. I'll also have Verbena hastata growing this year as soon as I get the seeds. I don't have any Ruellia. Last year I had Mimulus here but I had absolutely no luck with it. I planted the dozen or so plants and I don't even think that they grew much if at all, only lasted a very brief time and then died, so I won't be planting them again. I liked the unusual color of the flowers, but there are so many other plants that I have to plant that I don't need to try one again that failed here.
Cathy

Yes, mimulus didn't do well for me either. Yes, we do get Buckeyes all over the state here. Last year, though, I only had a couple. It was a very unusual year. Didn't see as many BSTs (altho I had eggs) either, nor the Cloudless Sulphurs like I normally get.

I was just outside for a few minutes and 3 Goatweed Leafwing males were frolicking in the back yard. They just love it back there. I am wondering if there is some croton growing in one of the overgrown backyards around here somewhere, since I see them so frequently anymore.

Susan

I saw my first buckeye of the season today. The gerardia/agalinis hasn't come up yet, my angelonia hasn't returned (it may not at all) and I don't recall seeing any plantain around. Maybe I should buy some snapdragons just in case? I've really gotten a lot done in my garden today, so there's room to plant some - I'll see.
MissSherry

Susan, Well, at least now I know that IÂm not the only one that had the mimulus die. I donÂt know what the problem was either. IsnÂt that strange how you have a lot of certain butterflies one year and not the next! Since last year was really the first year that I was into butterflies, IÂll be able to notice this year now if I have more or less than I had last year of the particular butterflies that I had here. Of course, IÂll be able to notice if anyone new shows up. What is a good way of telling BSTs from Spicebush Swallowtails anyway? I might only be able to tell that I have BSTs here by the caterpillars that do or donÂt show up on the plants I have. I donÂt know where the Spicebush cats ate last year, but I know that I didnÂt have anything for them here. If I plant some Spicebushes, I donÂt even know when I should realistically expect the cats to show up on them (I mean what year, this year, next year or five years from now).

Goatweed leafwings arenÂt in PA, but I like to see other people talk about them on here. I can sure picture not many predators getting after them, as they seem like they really blend into the background well! I donÂt even know what croton is; IÂd have to look that up. IÂve only been researching plants for butterflies indigenous to PA and thatÂs already been a pretty daunting task, considering IÂm trying to remember both names! Lol

MissSherry, Woo hoo, lucky you to see a Buckeye! I sure hope that they will like what IÂm planting for them. I want to plant snapdragons, Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata), and Gerardia (Agalinus tenuifolia) for them. Now thereÂs another plant IÂm not familiar withÂangelonia. Is it a host plant of theirs? I try to go by the host plants that are listed in the FAQ in determining what to plant here, but then I also see people talk of other plants here on the forum, and I wonder if itÂs the host plant or the nectar plant for a certain species. Can I assume that itÂs a host plant since those others you talked about are host plants of the Buckeye? Are Buckeyes fussy as to what snapdragons they eat? I had some low-growing ones here last year and didnÂt see any cats on them (nor did I see any adults here last year), so now IÂve planted seeds indoors of some taller ones. YouÂre so lucky that itÂs warm down there and you can work out in your garden. IÂm really anxious to get outside when it warms up more and the ground isnÂt sopping wet. Oh, do the Buckeye adults nectar on the snapdragons? What plants have you noticed them nectaring on? I hope that your angelonia comes back up. Now I have to look that up on the net because IÂm really not sure what it looks likeÂ

Cathy, angelonia is a plant in the snapdragon family. Last year, somebody said that they found buckeye cats on theirs. I found some for sale at Lowe's in late spring or early summer, so I bought some and planted it in my garden - it's sometimes called "summer snapdragon" because it thrives in high heat, whereas regular garden snapdragons die back in summer, at least down here. I thought it would be fun to see if the local buckeyes would use something other than agalinis/gerardia fasciculata. Well, I didn't get any cats on my agalinis/gerardis or my angelonia either! :( Usually, I get plenty of cats on agalinis. I've never found any cats on plantain, either. The local type is p. virginiana - apparently, they really prefer agalinis. Hopefully, I'll get cats this year on something!
As far as I know, no butterflies nectar on snapdragons or angelonia, at least I didn't see that on my angelonia last year. The host plants listed on the FAQ are proven (by us) host plants. Some of the ones we mention on the threads are just some we're trying - gotta keep learning! :)
MissSherry

Cathy, when I say a host plant is "proven by us", I mean that it's proven to successfully nurture a particular caterpillar all the way to maturity. The person who found the cats probably didn't find the chrysalids and witness their successful emergence or we would have listed angelonia on the FAQ list - unless we forgot? :)
MissSherry

I think it was Maryann in Connecticut, if I recall, that had cats on Angelonia. Sometimes cats are discerning by location, too. What one cat uses as a host plant in Pennsylvania, may not be utilized by cats in Mississippi or Oklahoma. It's kind of a "test of the waters" IYNWIM. Host plant species vary from location to location, too, making it even more difficult to know what to plant in your area. That's why I always check with people in the south, because often I will be able to grow same or similar host plants as southerners. What works for us, though, may not work for you in PA even though we are trying to attract the SAME butterfly species.

So, trying everything you can may help you decide what to plant in the future that is "proven" to you and your locale. You're closer to Maryann in Connecticut, so what she grows and others in the NE grow would probably work for you as well.

Like MissSherry, I am willing to try anything to see what will work. Parsley didn't work very well for me with the BSTs. Rue works better for me. But, others swear that parsley outdoes Rue for them. So it's 6 of one and half dozen of another. I just keep on keepin' on and tryin' this and that to see what I can get.

Susan

Miss Sherry - did you ever get any Buckeyes on your Angelonia? I just bought 3 white and 3 purple ones at Wal- Mart to put near my Twinflower and Plantain. I rarely see Buckeyes in my yard but would like to get them.

I found a cat on my angelonia this year, not too long ago. But, more recently, I have found cats on dwarf snapdragons that reseeded from last season. I counted 18 caterpillars today. They are all sizes and are devouring the snapdragons. I had 2 buckeyes doing the mating dance today, so there may be more to come. My garden has lots of BEs in it. They like the gold lantana and the pentas.

Sandy

No, Mary, they still haven't used my angelonia, which is purple and blooming now. As a matter of fact, I haven't found a cat on anything since late in the spring when I found three cats on agalinis. I planted some plantain, but it hasn't done very well, and I haven't found any cats on it either.
I did see an adult about a ?week ago - there could be cats out there on the agalinis/gerardia that I haven't found yet - buckeyes somehow manage to hide until they get to be about 4th instar!
MissSherry

When I was out in the garden collecting Monarch eggs, a BF caught my eye. It was about the same size as a Painted Lady, but the coloring wasn't right. Upon closer inspection, it was a large Buckeye. I have included pictures as it was such a perfect specimen.

Here is one shot:

{{gwi:455518}}

and a second shot:

{{gwi:455519}}

Sandy

It's a beauty alright!
MissSherry

I am so excited! I just saw a buckeye in my garden for the first time today. I had no idea what would attract them so I did this search. The funny thing is I just planted some pansies and snapdragons in my bed yesterday and that's exactly where I saw the buckeye. After reading this thread, I guess that's what brought him here.

I'm going to research and see what else I should plant for them, they are a beautiful butterfly and definitely hope to see them again. (and again, and again....:)

Wow, this is so exciting! I just hate that the weather will soon be cold and my butterflies won't be around anymore. Oh well, guess I'll make the best of my time by researching and planning for next year.

Cass

Low success using buddleia. Shady Oak has the cats in a cage witht he plant so they have no choice. Still a low success rate. Not sure if they use later stage cats on that plant or 1st stage cats from the start. i doubt the later but am not sure.
Shady oak is known to have the rare blue colored buckeye

I've never noticed cats of any kind on either of my butterfly bushes. I deadhead mine (if I wouldn't I'd have quite a few plants coming up from the seed) and am at the butterfly bushes a lot, so I'm sure that I'd notice any cats that are on them. If I get any Common Buckeye cats this coming summer, I hope to remember to put some butterfly bush leaves in with them to see if they eat them. Just in case they won't eat them, though, I'm also going to put in the snapdragons with the cats that I normally feed them. The snapdragon leaves get eaten up fast because the leaves are pretty small and the plants are half brown by the time I get buckeye cats here to raise. I don't know if the cats would even eat the butterfly bush leaves if I also have the snapdragon leaves (probably more preferred then butterfly bush) in with the cats, but I'd hate to only have the butterfly bush leaves in with them and have them being hungry. So it would be somewhat of an experiment but not totally controlled. I'm no scientist though. :)

I didn't even get any buckeyes here at all in 2013, but there wasn't much of anything here in the way of butterflies. I didn't see any Red Admirals at all either and had raised those the previous two years after my false nettles came up and got nice. I had 3 Monarchs finally show up here in September, but I assume that they were on their way south for the migration. I had all this milkweed and not a single cat to raise. I had American Lady cats on the pussytoes and Pearly Everlasting but didn't get around to bringing in any to raise. I probably had Wild Indigo Duskywing cats and Clouded Sulphur cats on the Baptisia australis, but I didn't walk up to that garden enough to keep bringing in food for any cats that I'd find. I didn't get any Question Marks on my potted (or in the yard) hackberry trees like I had been getting the previous years.

I did get to raise Black Swallowtails on the parsley, dill, and rue and have some in the tool shed (unheated, of course) waiting to eclose in the spring. Same for some Giant Swallowtails and Pipevine Swallowtails. My family loves to help me release the butterflies in the spring! I hope that we all have a better butterfly year this year because I don't think that 2013 was very good for a lot of us.

Cathy

I've only seen Buckeyes lay eggs on my Veronica - 2nd new growth - here's my video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngULZPlfuDQ

Here is a link that might be useful: Buckeye video

I really have good luck with Toadflax (Linaria) and Snapdragons as Buckeye host plants. The adults love to nectar on Ageratums. They also are quite fond of clay soil to "puddle" on.

What spp is that Veronica, Butterflyman?

> Posted by biophilia
> Buckeyes eat so many kinds of weeds

Definitely true, and is the reason why anyone may get few or no visitors.
They don't need whatever fancy stuff yoiu buy for them.
And even if they visit, eggs and caterpillars well may be not on the fancies,
rather on the weeds that you destroy. That's where I found them
when I looked after learning of another particular weed that they eat.

> Posted by msrpaul
> establish the ZLW, of course they will die back in the fall

To optimize, plant passiflora close to trunks of big trees
(probe for gaps btw big roots, chop and/or push aside little roots).
Repeatedly move vines back to trunk end of branches as vines grow outwards.
Having that protection, your vines will suffer later and less severely, and revive sooner.
I had passiflora and ZLWs continuously over the last two abnormally mild winters in 9B.

Alternative to your digging is to let the plants do it :
Slice bottom out of potted passiflora's pot,
stake securely the pot in its permanent place beneath tree.
Done.
In time, you no longer will have to water into the pot.

Bear in mind that the in-pot roots will remain less protected than the in-ground roots;
so, mulch around pots during freezing periods.
(Not permanent mulch, because you do not want roots to grow into it.)

I can't even get the Buckeyes to come in the fall anymore to use my Agalinis plants. I wonder if their population is declining? Maybe if more people grew their host plants...?