Eyes that see the good in things: Sept. 2, 2019

Just where do those little fruit flies come from anyway? It seems like there aren’t any in the house but when those bananas ripen, there they are and they are so irritating. The other day I noticed them in the fruit bowl as I walked by, on my way to work. Since I didn’t want the flies in the house, I grabbed a cover that could keep them inside the bowl, headed out the door and tossed the bananas under the rose bushes. I’ve been trying to bury our banana peels under the rose bushes after I read several articles that said doing so increases potassium in the soil and encourages more blossoms.

However, I was short on time that day, so I just tossed the whole bananas under the bushes and headed to work. The next day, when I was walking by, I was surprised to see them covered with monarch butterflies. I realized there was another way to attract butterflies that I hadn’t yet tried.

Initially, my efforts to create a butterfly garden were to help provide habitat for the monarch butterflies and to help increase their population. What I didn’t realize was that my efforts to attract monarchs would also increase the numbers of other species of butterflies and birds that I love to watch. The variety of butterflies that visit make the effort worthwhile.

1. Location, location, location! It’s important when choosing our homes and it’s also important in selecting a place for a butterfly garden. A butterfly garden should be created in a sunny location where the plants receive plenty of light and the butterflies can to warm themselves in the sun. Start small. A butterfly garden can be any size.

2. Provide nectar plants. Nectar plants will attract a variety of butterflies that will visit to feed. Offering a mixture of perennials, annuals, wildflowers and shrubs will bring out the butterflies.

Perennials like yarrow, daylilies, bee balm, astilbe, coneflower and others will draw butterflies to your garden. The purple coneflower is a popular choice for both monarchs and gardeners, and so is the black-eyed Susan. A spiky purple perennial called gayfeather will attract many species of butterfly, including the monarch. The spring flowering primrose is a good choice for an early nectar plant, while yarrow blooms throughout the summer. Keep in mind that some important nectar-producing perennials are considered weeds, like aster, thistle, goldenrod and dandelion, and are routinely mowed or sprayed. Knowing how vital nectar flowers are to the monarch’s survival, gardeners might try to view these roadside plants a bit more favorably.

Annual flowers include marigolds, which not only provides nectar for monarchs, but also repel undesirable insects from the garden. Butterflies favor zinnias, which are also desirable cutting flowers. Zinnias can be planted in prepared soil, such as that of a vegetable garden. The tiny white, pink or purple blooms of sweet alyssum, a fragrant flowering groundcover, exude a sweet fragrance all summer long. Though alyssum is an annual, it will often return from seed. One of the easiest butterfly annuals to grow are cosmos. These tall, bright flowers will bloom throughout the summer.

Butterflies are among the most beautiful creatures on the planet, and planting a butterfly garden draws butterflies to your yard for your family to enjoy. A butterfly garden planted with the varieties of native species that local butterflies need can also contribute significant benefits to the environment.

3. Provide host plants. Monarch butterflies have one particular species of flower on which they lay their eggs and feed their offspring: milkweed. The plant and the monarch butterfly have a symbiotic relationship. The milkweed is the single plant on which the monarch lays its eggs. Larvae then emerge from these eggs and eat only the milkweed. The milkweed’s toxin accumulates in the growing butterfly, making it lethal to many predators. In turn, the butterfly carries pollen from one milkweed to the next assisting the plant in its reproduction.

4. Provide a water source. Butterflies need at least a puddle to receive moisture and minerals. A shallow puddle filled with sand, rocks and enough water to cover the sand or a birdbath filled with water and rocks will be adequate for visiting butterflies.

5. Everyone knows that butterflies love flowers and that when you provide the right flowers, the butterflies will come. I didn’t realize that not all butterflies use flower nectar as their primary food source. Some butterflies (Monarchs included) enjoy both nectar and fruit.

Butterflies enjoy different kinds of fruits, with their favorites being oranges, grapefruit, peaches, nectarines, apples, strawberries, watermelon and bananas.  

Generally, the rule is to choose juicy fruits. We don’t think of a banana as a juicy fruit, but when they become very ripe, they soften and are easier for the butterfly to ingest. So, when those bananas on your counter become too ripe for you to eat, slice them open and give them to the butterflies in your garden.

Put the fruit out during the day, when you’re around to watch and then remove it at night, so you don’t also attract less desirable critters. It’s also possible to keep ants away during the day if you lay the fruit in a shallow dish surrounded by water.

6. Create a seating area. Whether you want to sit in the middle of your butterfly garden, or prefer to watch from the sidelines, a seating area will allow you to comfortably watch your butterfly visitors. Choose a spot that will give you a good view and will allow some shade for your comfort.

When a butterfly garden effectively attracts and sustains a healthy population of butterflies and other beneficial insects and organisms, more complex wildlife benefits, too. Butterflies and butterfly larvae provide food for birds, mammals, lizards and other wildlife.

The major benefit, to me, in maintaining a butterfly garden is the peace of mind that I experience. In fact, the University of Florida’s website claims butterfly gardens have a “therapeutic” effect providing a “soothing retreat from everyday life.”

We would love to share local stories about the good things your eyes are seeing.

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