Butterflies and Caterpillars

      One fun thing about gardening is observing the various kinds of wildlife that visit vegetable and flower gardens.  I purposefully mix flowers in with the vegetables to attract beneficial insects or ornamental insects like butterflies.

Monarch Butterfly on sunflower

Yellow Swallowtail on pink phlox

Unknown butterfly on Black Eyed Susan

Black Swallowtail resting on pepper leaf

      These butterflies are attracted to the garden by flowers such as phlox, zinnias, butterfly weed, butterfly bush, and Joe Pye Weed.

Joe Pye Weed

Butterfly weed

      This butterfly weed, is attractive to butterflies as both a nectar source and as food for the caterpillars who munch on the leaves.  I grew these plants from seed I had collected from two plants that I had previously purchased.  The plants now have nice seed pods that will allow me to repeat the process for next year's caterpillar food supply.
      Plants such as milk weed, dill, and fennel serve as food sources for various caterpillars.  Growing some of these will also increase your chances for attracting butterflies.

My park garden Bronze Fennel

Bronze Fennel with black swallowtail caterpillar

Black swallowtail to be

Bronze fennel flowers

      The bronze fennel is putting out more and more volunteers at the park.  I should be able to harvest some seed as well if anyone is interested.  Yesterday I counted seven caterpillars munching on the bronze fennel.  Maybe next year will be a particularly good black swallowtail year.
      After I posted this blog this morning, a painted lady visited my garden.  That is a painted lady butterfly.

Painted Lady Butterfly,  September 11,  2012

Same Lady, September 11,  2012

Beneficial Bug Bed

      There are many nasty bugs that we battle continuously.  But there are also beneficial bugs that help us in that fight by often eating the baddies.  But the good bugs also need pollen at times, so I have devoted the space in the bed that contains the compost pile as an area set aside to attract good bugs.  It is planted with perennials and herbs whose flowers should attract beneficial insects, and whose undisturbed plant mass should provide homes for the bugs.  Hopefully more good bugs than bad bugs.

Beneficial bug bed, 5-10-11

      The compost pile is a very important part of the garden for me.  It is therefore located right in the middle of my garden, where it can be accessed easily.  I have yet to dig it out to use the compost, as it just seems to keep breaking down stuff as it is added.  I am sure the run off from the pile is beneficial to the surrounding area.  Perennial flowers are planted at both ends of the bed, to attract beneficial insects as well as to add some color.

Daisies and Columbine, 5-10-11

      To bloom later in the summer will be black eyed susan, purple coneflower, bronze fennel, carrots, bee balm, cosmos and more.  I am thrilled with the number of cosmos volunteers popping up all over the garden.  I had loads of marigolds set seed two years ago, but strangely never got a single volunteer.  Bonnie's garden seems to have thousands, I will ask her for a trade.