Other than the odd entomologist and Pleakley from Lilo & Stitch, no one likes mosquitoes. By the time summer is in full swing, we’re all itching to get them out of our yards and gardens. Unfortunately for us (but fortunately for Pleakley’s research and the many predators who use them as a food source), there is nothing we can do to eradicate them completely. But there are steps we can take to significantly reduce their populations without harming our beloved butterflies and other pollinators. What NOT to Do About Mosquitoes Some of the first things people (not to mention cities and countie ..read more

First and Last Frost Dates Knowing your first and last frost dates is important for planning your butterfly garden.  Planting too soon in the spring can harm plants with a late spring freeze, and the first frost in the fall may damage newly planted plants if they are not established and ready for winter. Of course, some frosts don’t follow the expected timeline.  Planning is necessary, but so is keeping an eye on the weather. Enter Your ZIP Many gardening and weather sites have calculators for frost dates based on your ZIP code.  We use the database from the Old Farmer’s Almanac ..read more

Nature Loves Purple and Yellow Together! Natural settings usually include a wide variety of plants and animals that work together to create the best environment. The climate and location dictate what will survive. Since temperatures, sunshine, and moisture levels vary across the world, there is a wide range of plant life: tall and short plants, sun-loving plants and those that hide in the shade, plants that reach deep into the dry soil for moisture and plants that thrive on or in the water. With that in mind, what do you see when you imagine a field of flowers with bees and butterflies? Most l ..read more

Steps to Help Monarch Butterflies In order to help Monarch Butterflies, we can all take four basic steps to work toward the goal of providing for these gorgeous butterflies along their migration route. Step 1 – Milkweed A Monarch Caterpillar is on Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed) which is one of its host plants. The most important step is to plant milkweed.  Milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.) are the host plants for the monarch caterpillars.  Without milkweed, there can be no babies!  By getting to know the varieties that are native in your region, you are halfway there.  ..read more

Why do I need to know the scientific names of plants? Tall Green Milkweed While it is sometimes difficult to pronounce the scientific name of a plant, it is important to recognize and know the scientific names of plants.  Many plants have similar common names, or even the same common name.  If you use just the common name, you may be talking about a different plant than someone else using that same common name. With all the variations in common names, using the scientific name is the one way to make sure we are talking about the same plant.  The scientific name will have two par ..read more

Seed Scarification It may be intimidating when you receive a pack of seeds that instruct you to scarify before planting.  You may not even know what it means.  Scarification is to weaken or open the outer surface of a seed.  It is necessary for some seeds so that they will germinate.  It isn’t very complicated to scarify seeds, but there is some effort involved. A passerine bird on a sunflower in the snow In nature, seeds with hard outer shells will naturally break down with the weather or with animal assistance.  Seeds dropped from the plants in the fall will go throu ..read more

What is my USDA Hardiness Zone? If you are new to gardening, you may not know about hardiness zones or why they are important.  You need to know your USDA hardiness zone for planting butterfly host and nectar plants in your butterfly garden. The hardiness zones are geographically defined areas, based on temperature, that relate to how well a plant will grow and survive the coldest conditions.  Knowing your zone will help determine if a plant can grow well in your area.  There are other factors that influence how well the plant will do, but the hardiness zone is a good starting p ..read more

Pastoral composition of flowers, insects, and other animalsIs a Butterfly an Insect? More insects live on this earth than any other kind of animal. By a long shot! Currently, eight of ten animals alive are insects or other Arthropods. We know of more than a million different species of insects, and are discovering new species all the time. So, what determines insect status? Here’s a checklist of five items: No backbone is present. The creature is literally spineless. Insects are invertebrates; the only invertebrates that can fly. The body is supported by a protective exoskeleton made of chiti ..read more

Cold Stratification Yields the Coolest Results Cold stratification. It’s a scientific term for a simple procedure that improves your seed germination rate by 300-400%. Anything with that kind of success rate is worth doing, and this “spill and chill” operation is as easy as they come! In essence, cold stratification mimics the winter season’s chilly, moist weather that triggers a seed’s sprouting from a dormant state. Most perennial plant seeds (such as native wildflowers) require this combo of cold and damp to germinate. In nature, this occurs–well, naturally, of course while the butterflies ..read more

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly Visiting a Zinnia in the GardenA butterfly garden is no more complicated than any other garden and with a few simple tips you can easily convert a garden area to a butterfly haven or start a new garden from scratch. Butterfly gardens can be as big as you want or as small as a few containers. My passion for butterflies started out of a container that had parsley (among other plants) planted in it for decoration. We were very surprised to find some pretty little caterpillars all over it one day. That started a deep passion for me and over the next several years I conv ..read more