Attracting Butterflies to the Garden...


Happy New Year 2010 to all our clients and friends!

Butterfly gardening is both therapeutic and environmentally friendly. It's also a great lesson on plant-insect interactivity for children of all ages. Butterflies, like all living creatures, need to be conserved and protected, but many species are endangered because their habitats are being constantly destroyed. You 'll rid your garden of butterflies if you use toxic chemicals; the presence of butterflies in a garden is a sign of a pesticide-free environment.

A butterfly garden should provide variety, and cater to both adult butterflies and their larvae. In other words, nectar and larval host (caterpillar food) plants are the key to a successful garden. Many butterflies are attracted to rotting fruit and water sources in the area.

*Plants of Asclepias curassavica (Milkweed) of several colors are available for sale. Price starts at $2.00 (4" plastic pots). Asclepias are the only food source for Monarch caterpillars. You may also purchase seeds of white, scarlet, orange and yellow Asclepias from our eBay store, "Heliconia Seeds".


Guide to Adult Nectar Sources:

Herbs and Shrubs:

  Seeds
Bee Brush Aloysia gratissima  
Coral Vine Antigon leptopus  
False Heather (cufea) Cuphea hyssopifolia  
Fire Spike Odontonema strictum  
Golden Dew Drop (duranta) Duranta repens  
Hibiscus (hibiscos, amapolas) Hibiscus spp.  
Honeysuckle (madreselva) Lonicera spp. *
Ixora (cruz de Malta) Ixora spp.  
Jatropha Jathropha integerrima

*

Lantana (cariaquillo) Lantana camara

*

Mexican Petunia (ruelia) Ruellia brittoniana

*

Mexican Sunflower (girasol Mex.) Tithonia diversifolia  
Pentas Pentas lanceolata

*

Poinsettia (pascua) Poinsettia pulcherrima  
Porterweed (verbena) Stachytarpheta urticifolia

*

Sage (salvia) Salvia coccinea  
Zinnia Zinnia elegans *

Vines:

   
Flame Vine (senecio) Senecio confusis

*

Morning Glory Ipomoea spp.  

 Trees:

Cocoplum (icaco) Chrysobalanos icaco

*

Lime (limón) Citrus aurantifolia

*

Orange (china) Citrus sinensis

*

Papaya Carica papaya *


Guide to Larval Food Plants
:
 

Herbs and Shrubs:

Canna (maracas) Canna spp. *
Candle Plant (talan-talán) Cassia alata *
Corn (maíz) Zea mays  
Fennel (anís) Foeniculum vulgare  
Leadwort (plumbago) Plumbago auriculata  
Mexican Milkweed Asclepieas curassavica

*

Rue (ruda) Ruta graveolens  
Spanish dagger Yucca aloifolia

 

Violet Ruellia Ruellia nudiflora

*

Yellow Bells (sauco amarillo) Tecoma stans *

Trees, Palms and Cycads:

   
Areca Palm (areca amarilla) Dypsis lutescens

*

Coconut (coco de agua) Cocos nucifera *
Golden Showers Cassia fistula  
Manila Palm (adonidia) Veitchia merrillii *
Mango Mangifera indica *
Orange (arbol de china) Citrus sinensis *
Plumeria (frangipani) Plumeria spp  
Sweet Bay (laurel) Laurus nobilis  
Zamia Zamia pumila

 

Vines:

   
Calico Flower Aristolochia elegans  
Maypop Passiflora incarnata  
Passionfruit Passiflora edulis *

Vivero Anones, Inc.
Tel (787) 827-3121 (evenings)
Email:
sherryballester@yahoo.com