We have another Susan in Oklahoma City, so maybe some of the butterflies you're seeing are coming from her butterfly garden!
You can plant many plants, including perennials, even trees, in containers, but, of course, if they grow like you'd want them to, then they'll eventually outgrow their containers.
The birds won't hurt your butterflies, at least they don't here. Maybe the other Susan can give you more info on the behavior of OK City birds.
MissSherry

Excuse me, I forgot to welcome you to the forum!
Welcome to the forum, Susan!
MissSherry

The birds attracted to normal birdfeeders are usually seed-eaters, though many will do double-duty, like chickadees. It usually will not be a problem.

So if I plant a perennial in a container, do I just leave it out over the winter and it will die back and then come back? I know this may be a stupid question, but I don't want to spend the money to plant something, THEN figure out that I should have done something different.

thanks guys!!!!

The OTHER susan in OKC.

Yes, you can leave a perennial outside in the winter, as long as your freezes aren't too deep. I always bring mine into a garage or my bathtub or unheated guest room if it goes below about 26 degrees or so - fortunately, where I live, it doesn't go below that very often. The roots of planted perennials are protected by being underground - container plants don't have that same advantage, and are more subject to freeze damage.
MissSherry

Hi, Susan! I'm the other Susan and am so happy you're butterfly gardening. What area of OKC do you live in? Just wondering, cause I can probably share some things with you.

If I grow a host or nectar plant in a container, I want to make sure it is hardy to at least zone 6 before leaving it out over the winter. That way, I can at least be assured it has a chance of returning next year. Zone 7 plants would be "iffy" to grow in containers because their roots would be more likely to be killed if we have a winter like last year. You can always take your containers and cover them well (with leaves, mulch, plastic, etc.) in a protected area of your yard over winter, and that will help some, too. If you use plastic, I would make sure it is in a shady spot so the pots don't heat up too much on our warm winter days. You know about our great temp fluctuations here, right? Geez, sometimes you just never know.

Things you can grow in pots that would be hardy are:

Rue, host for Black Swallowtails and Giant Swallowtails (you can get at Precure; I shop the one on 63rd street just West of Meridian);

Fennel, host for Black Swallowtails (@ Precure also);

Pearly Everlasting (Painted Lady host--Precure had some when I was last in there);

Passionvine (host for Gulf Fritillaries and Variegated Fritillaries) for pots, I'd get the P. incarnata or purple flowering species which is native here; don't think you will find locally, but can order from some of our sources listed in the FAQs).

False Nettle (Host for Red Admirals; I can give you starts)

Pipevine (for our area, Aristolochia tomentosa, macrophylla, or serpentaria, but you'll need a ton of serpentaria) you won't find locally; need to order)

MILKWEED, MILKWEED, MILKWEED! You can grow tropical milkweed in containers, and probably some of the species, too. Tropical is an annual, but is the best host for Monarchs, and a great nectar plant for other butterflies). I have some milkweed seedlings I'd be happy to give you.

Senna hebecarpa (Wild Senna), Partridge Pea, and Senna bicapsularis (we can dig up a seedling for you). Wild Senna and Partridge Pea will be hardy in a container, but Senna bicapsularis, whish you'll also see referred to as Christmas Cassia, is not hardy. However, it produces lots of seed, so you'll have some for next year, too. These are all hosts for the Cloudless Sulphur and Sleepy Orange.

E-mail me and we can get together! So glad to see you here!

Let's see, what name am I going to be now to distinguish between us? Tdog goes by CalSherry since there are several Sherries on the forum, but I can't go by OKCSusan since there are 2 of us (hee hee). How about Susan Sr. since I'm old as dirt!

Susan

Welcome, Susan. Wow! Another Susan from OKC. It's so great to have another Oklahoman. We are a very friendly, knowledgeable group that love to share the joy of butterflies.

I live about 35 miles NW of OKC.

The other Susan gave you some great suggestions. Zinnias,Pentas, and Lantana are some more great nectar sources. Do think about starting a small bed in the ground. With all of the wonderful rain that we've had, the digging will be alot easier. Alot of butterfly plants do well in full sun. When things do start heating up, and drying out, you may find that you will have a hard time keeping the plants watered in pots, unless they are very large pots with mulch!

Do take before and after pics. Keep us posted. :)

Partridge Pea is nice, but I have never has butterflies sucessfully complete their life cycle on it, because the extra-floral nectar glands on the petioles attract a lot of ANTS that carry away the buttefly eggs that are laid there.

Unfortunately, all of the sennas and Partridge Pea have extrafloral nectaries, Fledgeling. Yes, they do attract ants and other nectaring insects as well. However, I had tons of Sleepy Oranges on my Wild Senna this year, and it has just tons and tons and tons of ants all over it.

It is thought that the plants will attract more ants in times of drought when there is little other food for them - kind of like finding cactus in the desert! LOL!

With all the rain we've had this year, there are still a few ants on my cassias, but not near as many as last year when we in a severe drought, so I think there is some truth to that.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Plants with Extrafloral Nectaries

Extrafloral Nectaries?! COOL! I learned something today! Had no idea this exsisted!

Sandy

And I'm the 'holdout' who won't plant host plants because I have so many birds. Trust me, the birds work the perennial gardens before they come to the feeder! They love those caterpillars as well as the pupae. So, I have lots of different kinds of nectar plants (mostly perennial but some annuals) but steer clear of the usual host crops.

My partridge peas are island in a sea of lawn, so perhaps they are one few food choices for ants here. However, any living thing that lingers on the foliage is quickly overwhelmed. Ant species differ in food preference. Many are primarily carnivorous, while others only eat sweet food. Perhaps your ants have a sweeter tooth than mine, because though they love sweets, they prefer meat so much that they eat the aphids in their corner rather than protect them. A cat does not have much of a chance for survival on my plants.

Rhizo1 - so true about the birds! Just for the record - most of you know this I'm sure, but birds of all species have extremely varied diets - just like caterpillars. Most feed their young insects (even mainly seed-eaters like Cardinals and Chickadees, as Fledgling mentioned), as the soft bodies of bugs are easier to digest than seeds, nuts, or fruit. The info below is from the Sibley Guide to Bird Behavior (it was posted about a year ago on this same topic):

Vireos: "The Diet of vireos consists of inescts (often butterfly and moth caterpillars)... during winter and at other times when weather conditions leave them no other choice, vireos eat more berries and supplement their diet with seeds."

"Chicakdees and titmice eat mainly caterpillars, spiders, and insects, including their eggs and larvae..."

"Wood-warblers... eat mainly moth and butterfly larvae, but they also take a variety of other arthropods."

"Orioles are insetcivores throughout the year. Baltimore Orioles have a noted appetite for caterpillars, even some of the hairier species that most other birds avoid."

Mockingbirds and other mimids (Catbirds, Thrashers) diets can consist of up to 50% berries - and the rest insects, dragonflies, butterflies, etc. There are many many more insectivorious birds out there too. Just watch Cedar Waxwings during migration!

All of that said, Susan Jr, it all depends on your geographic location and immediate habitat. I have 5 feeders along with all of my caterpillar host plants - never seen any birds on the host plants. Then again, I live in an urban setting, so when a lot of these birds are nesting they're probably further away from our property. I also can't keep an eye on my yard all day - so there's probably things going on I'm not aware of. :)

Live and let live, I say! But if you want to be 100% sure of protecting the caterpillars, bring them in like many folks do on this forum and raise them yourself.

:)

Sandy