Florida Butterflies
Florida Monarchs
E-nature.com's new Florida butterfly gardening site
Florida Native Plants, by Riverview Farms
USF Botanical Garden Page
Native Butterfly Gardening
Florida Gardener
Association of Florida Native Nurseries (plant search)
Butterfly Gardening in Fla. by UF."
Butterflies of Florida
Butterfly Gardeners Quarterly
Sierra Club Butterfly Gardening site
The Butterfly Website
Butterfly World
Butterflies on the Internet
North American Butterfly Association
Creating a butterfly garden can be as simple as planting a windowsill or as complex as landscaping many acres. No amount of planning will allow you to attract butterfly species that aren't naturally present in your area or grow plants that aren't compatible with your growing conditions. Therefore, the first step is always to make a list of butterflies present in your area. These are the butterflies for which you will be designing your garden. Then decide which are your favorites and focus your efforts on attracting them. Your plants must be compatible with them!
Keep in mind you want to provide nectar sources for feeding the adults as well as larval sources for feeding the caterpillars. It also helps to have plenty of brush for cover and a source of water nearby. Flowers that attract butterflies are many and varied, with some better than others. Butterflies are generally attracted to simple flowers (daisy, aster) and clusters of small tubular flowers (milkweed, viburnum, penta). Double flowered varieties of single flowers are not as good and often are bred for show and don't supply much nectar.
The following are links to photos I have taken in my own back yard butterfly garden. My garden is now being expanded, and I'm
taking out more grass and adding more buttefly nectar and host plants. When my project is complete, I will add more photos.
Giant butterfly in my yard!!
Last-stage monarch caterpillars
A resting female monarch
Scarlett Milkweed, a monarch host plant
Monarch
Another monarch picture
An informative Cassia plant link...
A large Cassia, or candle plant about 5' here.
New Cassia growth covered with sulphur eggs!! Amazing!
Sulfur eggs hatched into tiny yellow caterpillars.
Can you spot all 6 caterpillars on this branch?
Two types of larva on same plant!
Orange-Barred Sulphur on left; Cloudless Sulphur on right.
Orange barred sulphur female on cassia
Another sulphur on cassia host
Penta and blue porterweed, nectar plants
Zebra Longwing dining on blue porterweed!
Zebra Longwing laying an egg!
Purple passion vine, host for zebra longwings and gulf fritillary
A gulf fritillary
Flame Vine growing on a fence
Calico Flower Pipevine, aka Dutchman's Breeches.
Link to Pipevine info.
Sources: Florida Cooperative Extension Service
Florida's Fabulous Butterflies by Thomas Emmel
Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide...... by Marc C. Minno
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