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Butterfly Garden

I still don't have many Butterflies :{

16 years ago

I have put out most every kind of flower I can think of for the BF's to nectar on and they just sit there (except for a couple of hummingbirds that visit regularly). I have not seen a BF in days and wonder what is going on. I don't see them anywhere.

Last year I found a place of natural wonder that I called "Butterfly Heaven". I traveled out to check on the BF count there and found . NONE . . . I don't understand. I ride in the countryside and find the same thing. Maybe this year is just a bad year for BF's?

I am hoping to get a few Monarchs this year as they travel thru. I have not seen any of them since the spring crop. Does anyone else have this problem or notice less bf's this year?

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Comments (6)

MissSherry
16 years ago
I would say I have slightly fewer this year than last, although my numbers of GSTs have been way up, Mary. Did your GSTs ever emerge?
I'm sorry you're having such a lousy butterfly year! :(
MissSherry
butterflutter
16 years ago
Ditto, I am seeing fewer this year than last. Since this is only my second year at butterfly gardening, I don't have much to compare to. My mon and sister have gardened for them for years and their numbers are down too.
What I have alot fewer of is gulf frits. I had maybe twenty at a time last year but I only have about two nectaring now and one that is in pupa form.
I'm really saddened by this and hope it is only temporary.
Looks like other forum members are getting their share of them though and that's certainly a good thing. Maybe a few will migrate our way!!!........Butterflutter
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leubafr
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the info. Yes, Miss Sherry, My GST did emerge and were big and beautiful. I had three. You were right when you said they are a lot different than Monarchs. I have tried to find more GSTs on my Orange and Satsuma trees but each time I find eggs, by a couple of days after the time they hatch, they disappear. I even tried bringing new hatchlings in but it did not work. They are too delicate. I did get a batch of BSTs (14) early in the summer of which only 2 emerged. The rest are just 'hangin around'. Have a second batch ready to form crystalist and hope more of them emerge than from the first batch.

I am anxiously awaiting the Monarchs. Have you seen any?
MissSherry
16 years ago
No, I haven't seen a monarch all year long, Mary, but then I don't usually see any until August. My volunteer a. curassavicas have gotten pretty big, so I could grow some cats - hope I see a monarch pretty soon!
MissSherry
susanlynne48
16 years ago
I think we are getting what you guys normally get here in Oklahoma, and surrounding states. We've had so many this year, especially the QM, PVS, and BST. But, this doesn't happen to us very often, that's for sure.

I've seen Monarchs, but no eggs yet. But, I've had a lot of other species to focus on so it's been a very good year!

Sorry about not having any yet, Mary, but I bet your population will pick up soon. I know, everybody used to tell me that, too - not what you really want to hear, huh? I guess we just have to take the precocious nature of butterflies into account - some years they're here and some years they aren't, or in very low numbers. I believe they follow the weather patterns. We've had so much rain this year, well into the end of July, and way over our normal rainfall for the entire year. Now, it's getting hot and humid and the jet stream has moved up north so we are back in our normal pattern. They may soon be moving south again.

Susan
ben_birding
16 years ago
Here in central AR, I have skippers running out the wazoo... Sachem and Fiery Skippers will land on me occasionally. I even had a VERY RARE Broad-winged Skipper, on my butterfly bush one day about 2 weeks back(got a pic :) ).
I haven't seen numbers of big butterflies. A GST and 1 or 2 BST's and TST's a week. Lots of American Snouts doing touch and goes, looking for hostplants no doubt.
This week, I did see a new one for the yard, a Hoary Edge. It looks almost just like a Silver-spotted Skipper, but with the spot on the back-bottom corner of the wing. It visited my Salvia coccinea and then my Rose Verbena(native kind) before being scared off to a shady area of the yard by yours truly.

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