Routine watering in the butterfly garden is generally more than adequate to fulfill their moisture needs. Once pupated, the organism has developed a very hard outer covering, called a chrysalis, wherein metamorphosis takes place, and in approximately two weeks an adult butterfly will emerge to trigger a repeat of an amazing life cycle.Ī butterfly’s water requirements are usually met in the form of raindrops, water droplets, and moist soils and mulches. Some butterflies, however, may stay and pupate on the host plant, while others descend into the leaf litter to accomplish this feat. Most will move away from the host plant to nearby foliage or structures on which to complete this last stage of their larval life. Caterpillars feed continuously and voraciously for a few weeks until they have completed several molts, or instars, and are mature enough to pupate. Planting larval foods in several locations throughout your landscape will also ensure that a particular plant, or plants, will not be defoliated as quickly and will ‘bounce back’ faster with new growth. Growing an abundance and variety of larval food plants will attract and support the largest variety of butterflies.
Each species of butterfly uses a particular plant or family of plants to nourish its young and will only lay eggs on those plants. Once the correct host plant is located, she will typically lay her eggs on its tips where the tender new growth is found. The female butterfly searches out the proper host plant on which to lay her eggs by tasting each plant with sensors on her feet. This keeps your garden producing blooms throughout the seasons, ensuring a continuous supply of nectar – even in winter. Florida butterflies are active most of the year so it is also important to utilize a variety of plant species. Knowing this, the butterfly gardener should locate some nectar plants in the shade as well as in sunny areas to satisfy all the nectar-seeking visitors. This is because their dark color absorbs heat more readily thus enabling them to be active sooner in the day as well as on cooler days. Black butterflies, such as the zebra longwing, actually seem to prefer feeding, or nectaring, in shady areas much more frequently than their lighter counterparts. Therefore, place the majority of nectar plants in a sunny location to assist them as they prepare for takeoff. When planting nectar plants, keep in mind that adult butterflies need sunlight in order to warm their wings for flight. Additional requirements include water and shelter, however, these needs are usually met without additional effort once the butterfly garden is established.įlower nectar is the preferred food choice of most adult butterflies, however some species also take advantage of tree sap, fermenting fruit, and even carrion. What this means essentially is – provide flowers for the adults and leaves for the caterpillars. The required food for both life stages should be planted or cultivated in order to develop a successful and abundant butterfly garden.
An adult butterfly is equipped with a proboscis, or tubular tongue, that it uses for drawing nectar, whereas, immature butterflies, known as larvae or caterpillars, have chewing mouth parts and feed on plant parts. Butterflies require two entirely different types of plant s in o rder t o com p lete their life cycle.
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