A 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 […]
The number one step to attract butterflies is simply providing the food they like – which is generally plants. The adult butterflies are attracted to nectar plants from which they sip nectar and are also attracted to their host plants which are the specific plants where the females lay their eggs. This article will suggest […]
Most butterflies eat (actually they “drink”) from nectar plants (while the plants that caterpillars eat are called host plants). Each species of butterflies has nectar plants that they prefer but many adult butterflies will feed from a wide variety of nectar sources. Butterflies are not as specific in their food source as are their caterpillars. A few […]
The plants that caterpillars eat are called host plants while the plants that adult butterflies eat (actually they “drink” nectar from the flowers) are called nectar plants. Each species of butterflies has specific host plants on which the adult butterflies lay their eggs. Listed below are several popular butterfly species and the host plants that […]
Is 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 […]
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, […]
‘Life is like a butterfly. You can chase it, or you can let it come to you.’ – Ruth Brown. With a little bit of knowledge and patience, it’s easy to bring butterflies to you. Incorporating butterfly host and nectar plants, reducing and/or eliminating the use of pesticides, and providing water and shelter are the […]
The Milkweed plant is the sole host plant for Monarch butterflies. Although Monarchs have preferences of some varieties over others, there are many different species of milkweed plants that Monarch caterpillars will gladly gobble up. This article will present some of the best milkweeds for Monarchs, native ranges, and general information for several species. One […]
It is very popular to raise Monarch butterflies indoors mostly because the caterpillar and the butterfly are beautiful, the chrysalis is stunning, and monarch butterflies are gorgeous and widespread. The process of watching a caterpillar become a butterfly is truly awesome and it really is easy to do! Monarchs have a large range and can […]
Raising a Black Swallowtail butterfly indoors is fun, easy, and educational. Black Swallowtail butterflies are great to raise indoors for several reasons including abundance, plentiful food source, attractive and interesting caterpillars, and of course beautiful butterflies. The Black Swallowtail can be found anywhere East of the Continental Divide in America. The Anise Swallowtail is the […]
