Elizabeth's Secret Garden

In the last entry, I discussed host plants and how they attract and keep butterflies in the garden (read previous entry to learn more). Nectar plants also play a key role in enticing butterflies to flutter throughout the garden. Native plants are especially attractive to insects. Adult butterflies love red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple blossoms. Both annuals and perennials should be distributed throughout the garden. Choose plants that bloom throughout the growing season. Plants blooming mid- to late summer are especially beneficial since this is the period when butterflies are most active.    The Butterfly Pea plant is a flowering vine that is on my “favorites list.” Besides being attractive for butterflies and bees, it is also a host plant for the long-tailed skipper and has edible flowers. While staying in the jungles of Costa Rica, I learned from friends that this flower is indeed edible as you can see in the salad bowl below. It also has hibiscus leaves as well....

Butterflies can tell us a lot about the health of our environment. A healthy ecosystem generates a habitat that flourishes with butterflies. To attract and keep butterflies in your yard, you should include both host and nectar plants. So what are host plants? They are plants that butterflies lay eggs on and hatched caterpillars feast on . They are critical to the survival of our fluttering friends. Without them, butterflies would become extinct. Below, you will learn more about different host plants and the 5 butterflies they attract. I will also share some of my personal experience that has come with more than 3 years of studying butterflies. Passion Flower Zebra Longwing and Gulf Fritillary   The passion flower is a vine that is not just planted for beauty, but also is a magnet for Gulf Fritillaries. I have found that passion flower planted in full sun attracts more Gulf Fritillaries and when planted in the shade, it attracts Zebra Longwings. I waited three years and finally t...