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By Jan Newton

 

The Greenville Camellia Society members gathered for their monthly meeting on April 9. After the organizational business was finished, Linda Jarzyniecki introduced Master Gardeners Sonya Moore and Jackie Raines who presented a program on butterfly gardens.  

The Alabama Butterfly Atlas is an informative website; they told society members. Butterflies of Alabama Facebook page works in conjunction with site creators to share information.  

The Black Swallow Tail Caterpillars are not real picky eaters, the gardeners explained. They eat parsley, dill, fennel, golden Alexander, Common Rue, carrots and Queen Anne’s Lace. They also lay their eggs on the plants they eat.  

Butterflies drink nectar.  Females are more colorful than the males. Pipe vine attracts blue pipe butterflies and the Gulf Fritillary eats passion vine or May Pop.  

The state insect of Alabama is the monarch butterfly but the state butterfly is the Giant Monarch. They taste with their feet and smell through their antennas. They don’t sleep but they do roost.  

Befitting their beautiful display, a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope.  

Host plants that bring in butterflies are Tropical Milkweed, Lantana and Butterfly Weed (orange).  The Joyful Butterfly website sells plants known to attract the colorful insects. 

Master gardeners caution enthusiasts not to start butterfly gardens with these plants purchased in the grocery store,  because those have been sprayed with pesticides. Moore said pesticides used to kill weeds in the yard also kill butterflies.  

She encouraged members to wait out the weeds until the grass grows and pushes them out.  Butterflies feed on weeds too, she noted.