Yes, plant it and they will come -- it is true! I made a concerted effort to plant more natives and I've since seen insects I've never seen before, and lots more butterflies and hummers. What I didn't see a lot of this past year was black swallowtail, but I did see tiger swallowtail and monarchs. I think I've got some new (to me) birds moving in, too, but I'm not good at ID'ing birds -- I've heard different songs/chips/calls, so that's why I think that.

sounds like a movie script ... ken

That sounds awesome! My garden has evolved over the decades from being a place to grow flowers on otherwise boring plants, to a place for plants that I find interesting, to a place for every nectar plant I can find. Seeing a bee enjoying a Lantana bloom, or a hummingbird visiting Coleus, or a butterfly finding a Zinnia useful is much more exciting to me than any rose or Iris could ever be.

I'm like you, Tiffany, in that I have tried pretty much every nectar plant there is. I have narrowed it way down to about a dozen favorites. We have sandy soil, so buddleias and most lantanas don't last long here. The nematodes eat their roots.

If you are looking to help butterflies hopefully you grow larval plants for them. Each butterfly has a particular larval plant that they use to lay their eggs on. Many that would grow here wouldn't do well where you live.

It sounds like you have joined the pollinators club. Glad to meet you.

For Lantanas, try the native pink and yellow variety. They re-seed all over my dry, sandy farm property and are very hardy, once established. So the butterflies use them almost all year.

When I bought this farm 8 years ago I decided everything I plant would be for butterflies and/or hummingbirds. I've since propagated hundred of more things off my original plants. Consequently it's a butterfly farm now. I have many native plants growing here that act as laval plants and they typically re-seed themselves also.

Go native if you can. It's cheaper and more productive.

Yes, there is at least one type of lantana that is totally resistant to nematodes in Florida. Unfortunately it is (they are) classified as invasive. There are some native lantanas, but they don't bloom nearly as well as the invasive ones that you almost certainly have on your farm. If I had a farm like you, however. I would do what you do---let them grow..

>"it's a butterfly farm now" ___ We would love a video tour, mr1010. Or a tour in form of many snapshots (multiple postings needed). Broad views, in whatever season(s) you want to show, uninhibited by betterhomesandgardens thinking.

darn, four, I loaned out my good camera only to have it returned "not working".

My simple flip phone won't do it either.

Sorry.

Let me just say that when service people come here, they actually notice that it's a butterfly farm. Can't help but notice when there's 15-20 bf's floating around you.

In the meantime, I've allowed several formerly manicured pastures to revert back to overgrown, more natural meadows of what some would call large weeds. But guess what, they all bloom and the butterflies love them. And wild bunnies have moved in which attract hawks and foxes and turkeys and even quail.

Oddly when I first moved here, the first couple years I had no snakes whatsoever.

Now I frequently find several varieties, mostly harmless. I'm trying to build a balanced eco-system.

My farm was an old cultivated and poisoned orange grove so it will take many years for

it to be cleared of pesticides and chemicals, if it ever does. But I'M TRYING.

most of the grass land ecosystems or plant societies are adapted to mowing/cutting once or twice / year

at least with European meadows the ones with 2x/ hay cutting per year have a higher number of species as you lose the smaler ones with systems where you mow only once

Oh, this is so good to hear! I’ve been planting things for butterflies and bees to feed from, but have only just got hooked on planting native larval plants. I planted 15 native shrubs this fall as part of a mixed native suburban hedgerow, and am going to plant 15 more in the spring.

At first, I was going for privacy, and then thought about native berries for us and the birds. That plunged me down the rabbit hole of planting for insects for the baby birds, re Doug Tallamy, whom I first read about here. It’s terribly thrilling and exciting, but I was wondering if I would actually attract things.

I really want my 12 and 11 year olds to remember lots of butterflies, birds, bees and bats on our property. We have some of each, but I really want my kids to have strong memories of all of them even on our surburban .4 acre. Also to remember stepping out doors and inhaling the fragrance of many blooms, while developing memories of native plants.

I grew up near a meadow with many wildflowers which we would pick sustainably, of which we loved and had our favorites. My kids aren’t terribly interested at the moment, so I hope by planting hedgerows to have them surrounded by them and learn and experience them by osmosis.

I just wasn’t sure how much difference it would make, so I’m grateful to hear that it will!

Not only will hummingbirds come to the plants, but also an England-born Indan woman desires "to travel to India, and to the Americas because they have hummingbirds". BBC told of her life-long forced isolation in the home, able to escape at age 30 only with help of a rescue charity.