A fun quirk of the passionflower vine is that if it is in sun, as yours is, the Gulf Frits will use it for their eggs. If grown under a tree canopy, the Zebra Longwing (pictured below the Gulf Frit in your book) will use it. So those two butterflies aren't just plant exlcusive, but conditional as well. Less fun thing to note about Passionflower, Scarlet Passionflower (Passiflora coccinea) will kill caterpillars that feed on it.
I did not know that about the Zebra Longwing and the passionflower! Sadly, I rarely see longwings in my zone 9b Florida garden since I moved to the west coast. I had a long fence line of Mexican flame vine on the east coast covered with the longwings, my favorite butterfly! My love affair with this beauty began when I saw a large firebush in Merritt Island Refuge very busy with the zebras. what a sight!
Here, west of Belleview, FL, I have just enough Longwings that they keep my two young vines pretty bare. For me, Zebra Longwings don't show up until my Firebush starts blooming. I don't know if that's coincidence or if they're following a chem trail from the flowers.
Thank you for your comment! I follow a butterfly gardener in Florida who talks about what you stated in your comment. I have yet to see a Zebra Longwing in my garden, as they are not common here. They may be seen occasionally, where they are your state butterfly! I can always keep hoping I will see one though. 😊 What passion flower do you grow? Maypop? I grow the hybrid Incense and a Texas native called the Cottonleaf.
@@ButterfliesNBirds I haven't identified it yet. It came up as a volunteer after we moved in a little over a year ago. But the shape of the leaf has me thinking Maypop. The Longwings haven't let it flower this summer, so I will have to wait until next summer to see what the flowers are like to be sure.
Christal, for the first time my Mexican flame vine is blooming.. I am just so excited as it had not bloomed any during spring and summer. As always thank you for sharing your garden and experiences with us. Always enjoy your videos
Yay!!! I am so excited it is finally blooming for you too! Have you had any butterflies visit it yet? 😊🦋🌞
3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1
I love butterfly gardening. I just love ecology and the natural world. One of the easiest ways to see a direct beneficial impact on your own is planting and maintaining a butterfly garden.
For the viewers - If one searches amazon or google for butterfly field guides, there is an abundance of them. They are even available for regions or individual states. Most list the host plants for the catapillars, which is helpful. Local book stores will tend to stock the field guides that pertain to your local area. Audubon and Peterson are well known for their guides. My very first guide when I was a child was the Golden Guide to Butterflies and Moths, which I still have. I have successfully raised Monarchs, Black Swallowtails and even a Luna Moth by feeding the catapillars their host plants (I fed the Luna catapillar fresh cuttings from a black walnut tree daily). Also, if you ever have the chance to look at a butterfly, insect or flower under a stereoscope, you will be amazed at the structural complexity of these living things that you simply cannot see with your naked eye.
I'm glad you found it helpful! Good luck and have fun thinking and planning on what you would like to include in your garden. I found that fun.
3 หลายเดือนก่อน +1
Host plants and nectar plant diversity is what really started making my garden pop and not just with butterflies. Other pollinators. So many bee species it's crazy. Hummingbirds of course. But I also get tons of fireflies.
I know ... right?! I couldn't believe all the native bees my garden started to attract, and I absolutely love it! The only thing I don't have visit that you mentioned are fireflies. I have read that due to the Houston urban sprawl, fireflies are not readily found here anymore. 😕
I use my field guide a lot! It really helped me identify what I wanted to do in my garden. Also, this website helped me decided what I wanted to plant to entice hummingbirds to my yard: birdinglocations.com/best-plants-for-attracting-hummingbirds-in-texas (minus the trumpet creeper ... that is an awful plant for damaging structures and trees even though the hummers love it).
Wonderful explanation on attracting butterflies to the garden. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and beautiful garden.
Thank you so much for your comment! 🌞🦋🐛🌺
A fun quirk of the passionflower vine is that if it is in sun, as yours is, the Gulf Frits will use it for their eggs. If grown under a tree canopy, the Zebra Longwing (pictured below the Gulf Frit in your book) will use it. So those two butterflies aren't just plant exlcusive, but conditional as well.
Less fun thing to note about Passionflower, Scarlet Passionflower (Passiflora coccinea) will kill caterpillars that feed on it.
I did not know that about the Zebra Longwing and the passionflower! Sadly, I rarely see longwings in my zone 9b Florida garden since I moved to the west coast. I had a long fence line of Mexican flame vine on the east coast covered with the longwings, my favorite butterfly! My love affair with this beauty began when I saw a large firebush in Merritt Island Refuge very busy with the zebras. what a sight!
Here, west of Belleview, FL, I have just enough Longwings that they keep my two young vines pretty bare. For me, Zebra Longwings don't show up until my Firebush starts blooming. I don't know if that's coincidence or if they're following a chem trail from the flowers.
Thank you for your comment! I follow a butterfly gardener in Florida who talks about what you stated in your comment. I have yet to see a Zebra Longwing in my garden, as they are not common here. They may be seen occasionally, where they are your state butterfly! I can always keep hoping I will see one though. 😊
What passion flower do you grow? Maypop? I grow the hybrid Incense and a Texas native called the Cottonleaf.
@@ButterfliesNBirds I haven't identified it yet. It came up as a volunteer after we moved in a little over a year ago. But the shape of the leaf has me thinking Maypop. The Longwings haven't let it flower this summer, so I will have to wait until next summer to see what the flowers are like to be sure.
Gotcha! It is nice you have had so many Zebra Longwings. 😊
Christal, for the first time my Mexican flame vine is blooming.. I am just so excited as it had not bloomed any during spring and summer. As always thank you for sharing your garden and experiences with us. Always enjoy your videos
Yay!!! I am so excited it is finally blooming for you too! Have you had any butterflies visit it yet? 😊🦋🌞
I love butterfly gardening. I just love ecology and the natural world. One of the easiest ways to see a direct beneficial impact on your own is planting and maintaining a butterfly garden.
I couldn't agree more with you! Thanks for your comment! 👍😊🌞🦋🐛🌺
For the viewers - If one searches amazon or google for butterfly field guides, there is an abundance of them. They are even available for regions or individual states. Most list the host plants for the catapillars, which is helpful. Local book stores will tend to stock the field guides that pertain to your local area. Audubon and Peterson are well known for their guides. My very first guide when I was a child was the Golden Guide to Butterflies and Moths, which I still have. I have successfully raised Monarchs, Black Swallowtails and even a Luna Moth by feeding the catapillars their host plants (I fed the Luna catapillar fresh cuttings from a black walnut tree daily).
Also, if you ever have the chance to look at a butterfly, insect or flower under a stereoscope, you will be amazed at the structural complexity of these living things that you simply cannot see with your naked eye.
Fantastic comment! Thank you for sharing! 🌺🐛🦋🌞
What a terrific and informative video! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge! I'm ordering the pamphlet and plan for spring.
I'm glad you found it helpful! Good luck and have fun thinking and planning on what you would like to include in your garden. I found that fun.
Host plants and nectar plant diversity is what really started making my garden pop and not just with butterflies. Other pollinators. So many bee species it's crazy. Hummingbirds of course. But I also get tons of fireflies.
I know ... right?! I couldn't believe all the native bees my garden started to attract, and I absolutely love it! The only thing I don't have visit that you mentioned are fireflies. I have read that due to the Houston urban sprawl, fireflies are not readily found here anymore. 😕
Wonderful overview as always! I just ordered the field guide.
I use my field guide a lot! It really helped me identify what I wanted to do in my garden. Also, this website helped me decided what I wanted to plant to entice hummingbirds to my yard: birdinglocations.com/best-plants-for-attracting-hummingbirds-in-texas (minus the trumpet creeper ... that is an awful plant for damaging structures and trees even though the hummers love it).