Zizia aurea - golden alexanders
Campanula UK Z8
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
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wantonamara Z8 CenTex
6 years agowisconsitom
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Black Swallowtail Caterpillars
Comments (27)I'm not having much luck with the BST's this year. Last year was my first year for them and at the end of summer I had 12 at one time, all did great and turned into beautiful butterflies. So far this year I found 4 1st instar ones. Everything seemed to be doing okay until they were 5th instar. One of them was lying on the bottom of the tank and his head was sort of black in color. He didn't seem to be doing too good, so I euthanized him. Then the 1st one to pupate couldn't seem to pick a good spot and ended up stuck on the bottom of the tank with his "webbing." I tried to carefully help him on to a stick, but something didn't go right when turning to a chrysalis and he was "leaking" something, so that was the end of him as well :( The last 2 are now Chrysalis and all appears well with them. Whew! These guys are giving me a run for the money this year. I hope I get another batch and all goes better with them. Sherry, last year I had one that was a lot darker, but he wasn't eating or doing too much. I finally figured out he was so dark because his old skin was stuck! I gave it a bit of a nudge, and that did the trick for him....See MoreMaking choices
Comments (2)I'm sure that most of the plants on your lists are great and have some wildlife value, Anna, but the ones that jump out at me are - Castillega indivisa/Indian paintbrush - I can only drool at pictures of this beautiful host for buckeyes and fulvia checkerspots since it doesn't occur here, but it's also a good nectar plant for butterflies, and, judging by the looks of the flowers, for hummingbirds, also. It's supposed to be impossible to transplant, but it can be propagated from seeds. If I lived in Oklahoma, I'd order seeds and sow them in a meadow with native grasses - most members of the snapdragon family are parasitic or partially so on grass roots. Centaurea americana - you already have plenty of this - I'd make sure it stays! Antennaria and Artemesia - Both these are host for American ladies, and, if they're as tough as the cudweed in my area, they should be easy to grow. Asclepias, spp. - All of these are desirable, both as hosts for monarchs and the nectar in their flowers, which are real popular with all butterflies. Asters - These give beautiful flowers in the fall that butterflies nectar on, and they're supposed to host pearl crescents. I've planted some rice button asters to add to the naturally occurring asters in hopes of getting PC cats someday. Desmodium - This is the principal host plant for long-tailed skippers in my area - it's VERY easy to grow! Liatris pycnostachya - I just love this beautiful plant, and butterflies love to nectar on the flowers. Tephrosia virginiana/Goat's rue - As far as I know, this plant doesn't host any butterfly, and I've never seen any butterflies or hummers nectaring on the flowers, but it thrives on the poorest, driest, most eroded, pure red/orange clay parts of my property. The rainbow of pastel colors of the flowers is charming, and it might be useful as a host or nectar plant to something - I don't get to the parts of my property where it grows too often. Sherry...See MoreZizia Success!
Comments (7)Susam, So glad to hear that your zizia has been egged. Congrats! Mine has but then again neither has anything else that I have planted for the BST or just about anything else for that matter. Practically the only butterflies that I ever see around here are Great Spangled Frits. Today, though an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail showed up again after quite awhile of not seeing any here. Nothing on the rue, cosmos, hollyhocks, spicebush, mallow, violets (that I have in a container anyway), or Pussytoes. All of have gotten really nice. The only tree I have here for any cats is the Black Willow, but it's too small yet and I wouldn't want anything on it when it's that small anyway. I finally saw either a Question Mark or a Comma on the banana slop. I wish I had noticed it sooner. By the time I looked I just got a brief look at it and it took off. I saw a Red-spotted Purple today (I saw two actually). They are one of those butterflies that doesn't eat/drink nectar, right? Well the one I saw up close was nectaring on a white swamp milkweed plant! I even sneaked over and look close and it was working its proboscis around in amongst the blooms. I wonder if anyone else ever noticed that? Moments like that really makes me wish my camera would work. Oh, and I have a four-pack of cleome sitting outside that I was going to plant because I'd love to see those unusual flowers...I never had cleome before and was looking forward to seeing the flowers. Ha, I have a cabbage white cat on the plants and its eating them all. I have news for it though, if that's not enough for it, it's going to have to go find something else on its own because I'm not buying anything for it. I said to my husband that those are the same worms we used to kill when we had a garden out and it was on the broccoli and cauliflower, and now here I am letting it eat my plants. Cathy...See MoreYour opinion, please
Comments (1)Let it be.....reminds me of a Beatles tune! :) Caterpillars frequently move off the host plant to molt, then, after its done, crawl back to the host plant and continue eating. I bet you'll see the shed skin behind the cat pretty soon, unless the cat eats it before you see it! Sherry...See MoreWoodsTea 6a MO
6 years agoCampanula UK Z8
6 years agoCampanula UK Z8
6 years agomattp321
6 years ago
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