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jay733

Passion vine

jay733
13 years ago

I'm trying to attract some Gulf Fritillaries to my garden. I saw a lady margaret passion vine, would this attract them, or is there just a specific plant(s) that I should get?

Also could I plant this right next to the Milkweed or is that not a good idea?

Thanks in advance.

Comments (20)

  • runmede
    13 years ago

    It needs a support. It also needs plenty of room.

    "Most red-flowered and a few blue flowered passifloras will not support the butterflies that use these vines in the United States. Many red-flowered tropical passionvines are on the market. Please do not use them - they are similar enough to our own passionvines that our female butterflies will lay eggs on them, but the caterpillars will soon die.
    Gulf Fritillary
    - Passionvine family, passifloraceae
    1. Passiflora incarnata - maypop
    2. Passiflora suberosa - corky stemmed passionvine
    3. Passiflora lutea - yellow passionflower
    4. Passiflora alto - 'Amethyst'/'Lavender Lady'/'Star of Mikan'
    5. Passiflora caerulea - blue passionflower/'Waterloo Blue'
    6. Passiflora incarnata x cinnicata - incense passionflower
    7. Passiflora vitifolia x caerulea - passionflower 'Lady Margaret'
    8. Passiflora biflora - twin flower passionflower"

    Here is a link that might be useful: What host plants are grown to feed caterpillars?

  • MissSherry
    13 years ago

    Lady Margaret is one of the exceptions to the rule about red-flowering passionvines. I've had it in the past, gulf frits laid eggs on it, and the cats grew to maturity. One of LM's parent's is our native P. incarnata/maypops, and the leaves look more like maypop leaves than those of the other parent, P. coccinea.
    I love LM, but it never returned for me - apparently it has the cold tenderness of P. coccinea.
    Sherry

  • butterflymomok
    13 years ago

    I'm confused. The list of passionvines that Runmede posted are great LFPs for the Gulf Fritillary. I think that somehow that got accidentally left out of the post. I have grown LM in the past and the GFs absolutely love it. I don't get any Variegated Fritillaries on it--they prefer the Maypops, or Incarnata.

    Good luck attracting the Gulf Fritillaries!

    Sandy

  • MissSherry
    13 years ago

    Yes, the only passionvine that variegated frits use here is P. incarnata/maypops - gulf frits will use many others, including Lady Margaret.
    Sherry

  • runmede
    13 years ago

    I just posted the list from the garden forum. I don't get gult frits here. I do get Variegated Frits. They use the maypops P. incarnata and violets, plus pansies.

  • larry_gene
    13 years ago

    More specifically, the host plant list was from our own FAQ. Good to see the list held up under this discussion.

  • jay733
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the help guys. Just to add the question I had about the milkweed. I plan on planting this passion vine about 16 inches from a milkweed plant. The milkweed will not be right in front of it, but off to the side, maybe 45 degrees. Is this good or?

  • butterflymomok
    13 years ago

    Don't think it's a problem. I have passionvine growing up all around my milkweed, but the Maypops is invasive in my garden.

    Sandy

  • fairfieldcircle
    13 years ago

    But if your milkweed is a. incarnata (swamp milkweed) it may grow pretty big and crowd the passion vine.

    My incarnatas get to be about 3 1/2 to 4 feet across at maturity.

    By the way, is passiflora 'tuberosa' of any use to the butterflies? Does anyone know...? (don't see it on the list above).

  • annainok
    13 years ago

    As y'all know, this is my first year to consider butterfly host/nectar plants, but not my first year for passiflora. I don't know exactly what variety I have, as I bought it about seven years ago from a fruit stand and it didn't have a name on the pot:

    {{gwi:506349}}

    I know that the Gulf Fritllaries must use it, as this was one that eclosed this winter from an impatien that was growing underneath it and brought in for the winter:

    {{gwi:506353}}

    Yep, it's invasive, but such a pretty invasive that I don't mind. I pot up the starts and give them away or transplant them...or mow over them! As you might tell from the picture, it starts going to town after the cannas have finished their bloom, so I let it climb the flower stalks and do what it wants...especially now that I know how important it is to the butterflies. (Joyce, this is the one I sent you.)

    The picture below is the Passiflora incarnata that grows wild in my pasture:

    {{gwi:506356}}

    I have seen the Variegated Fritillary on it, but not a Gulf as of yet.

    Anna

  • MissSherry
    13 years ago

    Anna, the passionflower in your first pictures is 'Incense' which is a cross between P. incarnata/maypops and P. cincinnata, a South American passionvine or one of the more recent recrosses. Incense is so big, beautiful and popular, that they've repeated the cross between them several times - one of the recrosses is called 'Temptation' I think, and it looks just like Incense. Gulf frits will use it, although they don't use mine until they've depleted the maypops, their favorite, and variegated frits don't use it at all - they'll use violets when maypops aren't available. And it IS invasive, coming up even more wildly than maypops.

    Fairfield - I've never grown P. tuberosa, but it is in the decaloba subgenus of passiflora. I've got P. lutea (grows naturally on my property) and P. biloba (I planted it in my garden) which are both in that subgenus, and the gulf frits won't use them until absolutely every other passionvine is gone, including p. caerulea and its hybrids. So I doubt you'll find any gulf frit cats on it, but you possibly could.
    Sherry

  • annainok
    13 years ago

    Sherry, that's it alright. I still like it, despite it's invasiveness. I will bring up the P. incarnata from the field when I plant the butterfly garden next year, although I may pot up some now and get it going in advance.

  • runmede
    13 years ago

    Butterfly World in Florida has a good selection of passionvine seeds and they list whether the Julia, Gulf, or Zebra use them. There's pictures, too of the flowers.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Butterfly World, Gift Shop, Seeds

  • jay733
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the help guys. Just to add the question I had about the milkweed. I plan on planting this passion vine about 16 inches from a milkweed plant. The milkweed will not be right in front of it, but off to the side, maybe 45 degrees. Is this good or?

  • susanlynne48
    13 years ago

    The only potential problem I see is that the passion vine may overtake the milkweed. Passion vine is one of those vines that refuses to be "corraled". I have made many useless attempts to "train" the vines, but they go where they want to go, and before you know it, they may actually strangle a plant near it. Whatever you grow in its vicinity, next year, it will come up in a totally unexpected place, since it is terribly vigorous, uh, or rampant. I love it, don't get me wrong, but it just has a mind of its own, so don't have any expectations about controlling it.

    Susan

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    13 years ago

    Has anyone been successful in 'corraling' passion vines by planting them a big pot sitting it on a paving stone and having it grow large enough to host caterpillars?

  • bananasinohio
    13 years ago

    Have you observed V. Frits using P. lutea? Supposedly that is what they use in Ohio as P. lutea was more widespread than P. incarnata.
    -Elisabeth

  • runmede
    13 years ago

    I just planted some P. lutea this year. I'll let you know if it attracts any butterflies. I usually get them on my P. incarnata, when I get them. I've seen them using ordinary pansies.

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    13 years ago

    P. lutea volunteered in my yard (it grows wild in this area) and is a favorite of Gulf frits here in San Antonio. But they never let it get to a decent size vine before they eat it to a nub.

  • ily68
    11 years ago

    I was wondering if anyone knew the name of this passion vine. I bought it, and it only said Blue Passion Vine. I would like to know if it can be used as a host plant. I getting worried that it might not be. Thanks.