Of Alpacas and Butterflies

The ecological balance around here has been upended not only by floods and the first appearance of the bees, but by a pair of alpacas. I discovered the visitors this morning when I was awakened from my meditative state by the houndie’s panicked howling and a high pitched “squeep squeep squeep squeep squeep!”

You can imagine my surprise when I looked up to see the houndie (all 45 pounds of her) bravely squaring off with two beautiful alpacas.

And people honestly wonder why I love living here so much.

But I’m not here about the alpacas — I’m here to talk butterflies.

Butterfly gardening is about attracting these lovely creatures to the garden by providing suitable habitat not only for adult butterflies, but for their eggs and larvae. This is accomplished by providing host plants (to feed and shelter larvae and caterpillars), nectar plants (to feed adult butterflies), water and a spot for sunning. In return, butterflies provide not only immense enjoyment, but pollination for some of our most important plants and food for our songbirds.

And in an age of rapidly declining pollinator populations and degrading environments, the work of butterflies is becoming increasingly important. They may not possess the lean mean pollinating machine skills of bees, but butterflies do pollinate and perform other tasks that make them vital to healthy ecosystems. In fact, their absence is the canary in the coalmine, signaling disease or imminent collapse of an ecological niche. We do well to encourage their presence and heed its lack.

In other words, butterfly gardening isn’t just about the joy of sharing a space with these ethereal creatures. It’s also a way to heal and sustain an increasingly troubled environment.

Swallowtail larvae on my fennel

Besides, butterflies don’t like fastidious lawns and gardens, meaning messy, haphazard gardeners like me are at an advantage. In fact, many of the native plants trumpeted as weeds by ChemLawn are specifically adapted for butterfly pollination and act as hosts for their larvae and caterpillars. Maypops (aka passion flowers), for example, are both food and host for gulf fritillaries, as are milkweed for monarchs and wild cherry trees for tiger swallowtails.

Don’t believe me? Then consider clover. Clover is a host plant for black swallowtails and orange sulfurs, and a nectar source for swallowtails, monarchs and skippers.

In fact, the relationships between clover and butterflies illustrates the importance of each organism in an ecosystem. Witness: clover acts as a host for butterfly eggs and larvae; the adults emerge and feed on the clover, thereby pollinating it; in response, the clover grows, aerating the soil and acting as a nitrogen fixer, and thrives in the nutrient rich soil it helped create, becoming food for not just butterflies, but critters as diverse as hummingbirds and cattle. It’s the classic you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours, and one to everyone’s benefit. Except ChemLawn’s.

So, one of the basics of butterfly gardening is to cultivate those plants which ChemLawn has taught us are weeds.

Another is to learn which butterflies are native to your area. A good place to start is the Butterflies and Moths website , where you’ll find a county by county breakdown of native butterflies, pictures of caterpillars and adults, and lists of host and nectar plants.

And remember, native plants aren’t the only butterfly attractants. My pinks, for example, are magnets for butterflies, as are my nicotiana, coneflowers, sage, mint and loofah. Still, one thing to consider when planning your garden is that butterflies have taste organs on their feet, making flowers that provide a landing spot particularly desirable.

If you have the space, plant a variety of flowers so that more than one nectar source is always available. To that end, I have a variety of sages, including domestic, Mexican and Russian, as well as bee balm and caryopteris, all favorites of butterflies. I also have hollyhocks and daisies, and am watching for the re-emergence of wild poinsettias, which are always covered in monarchs, come fall.

To optimize your butterfly garden, add flat rocks for sunbaths, which they enjoy and need. Butterflies can’t fly unless their body temperature is above 85 degrees. And don’t forget water. Butterflies are unable to drink from sources like birdbaths, so fill a bowl or the birdbath with rocks or sand. Even better, create a mud puddle for them.

And what about pesticides? Pesticides don’t have to be the enemy, but they will kill butterflies, as well as honeybees and other desirable insects. If you must use them, be judicious and mindful that even dried insecticide can kill.

Besides, there are alternatives. Chickens and guineas are incredibly efficient at tick removal.

If nasties are eating your vegetables, try mixing one tablespoon liquid soap and some cayenne in 2 liters of water, and spraying the leaves of the affected plants.

And intersperse plants, instead of planting in rows. Tuck sage and marigolds, mustard and basil between the tomatoes. This creates an obstacle that makes it difficult for pests to jump from plant to plant. Besides, it’s messy, and butterflies appreciate that.

But perhaps the most important thing you can do is to study butterflies, because the more you learn about them, the more you appreciate them. And that appreciation will naturally lead you to doing the things that will help our butterflies thrive in the years to come.