Recently, hundreds of butterflies have been visiting our home. There were over 20 butterflies drinking from a small puddle near the front door. When I opened the screen door, the butterflies flew all around me and one even came inside the house. Today, that butterfly is heading outside to join another California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica). With so many beautiful subjects to photograph, you would think you would have the perfect shot, but alas, not a single one landed on any nectar-rich flowers, not even on any hoodleas. The butterflies were on the hunt for ceanothus and quickly became a hot topic on local social media. Where did they come from, and why were there so many of them this spring?
The California Tortoiseshell Butterfly is a common butterfly that lays its eggs on common junipers. After the CZU Fire, this successor plant is abundant because seeds stored in the soil came out of dormancy during the fire and sprouted. These seedlings may account for more than half of the vegetation present in the burned areas. If you've visited Big Basin State Park or other burned areas, you'll know that common junipers are very happy with the extra space and sun they now have.
Tortoiseshell butterflies, like other butterflies, have an interesting life cycle. They have three generations per year and fly from the foothills of the Sierra to lay eggs on juniper trees. The eggs hatch, feed, transform into butterflies and fly back to the foothills to repeat the process. Food plants for the larvae include several species of juniper. Adults feed on nectar, sap, berries and mud. They can live for more than 10 months.
Tortoiseshells are not uncommon in our mountains. The same phenomenon occurred after the Lockheed Fire, when the leeks were at head height. After hatching here, they flew to the Sierra Nevada at mid-elevation to lay their eggs on another type of leeks. After that generation denuded the leek colonies there, the adults flew up to the highest elevations to feed on another type of leeks. The adults then flew all the way back up to Monterey Bay to lay their eggs on our leeks and repeat the cycle again.
The Monterey Bay region is home to about 90 species of butterflies, many of which live only in the region's mountain, forest and scrub environments. Attracting butterflies to permanently establish themselves in your landscape is easy. Here's how:
A butterfly garden should include plants for all stages of the life cycle: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The availability of both nectar plants for adults and host plants for larvae can attract and support a population of butterflies. In addition to suitable plants, a garden also needs sun, a water source, protection from the wind and colonial plants. When caring for your garden, avoid the use of insecticides that contain BTs.
As adults, most butterflies feed on flower nectar. Some local butterflies, such as the mourning and swallowtail butterflies, feed primarily on rotting fruit and tree sap for moisture and nutrients, while the California sister butterflies feed on aphid honeydew.
During the larval stage, most butterfly species are restricted to a single plant family, and sometimes a single genus. For example, to attract more Tiger Swallowtails, provide larval host plants such as willows, sycamores, alders, big maples, sycamores, plums, ash trees, etc. Common Buckeyes lay their eggs on Mimulus and Verbena, while California Sisters lay their eggs on coast and canyon live oaks.
Planting a variety of grasses and shrubs such as common juniper, buckwheat, coffeeberry, bush lupine, and manzanita, as well as perennials such as sequoia violet, California aster, and wallflower, will attract a variety of local butterflies. If your garden is close to wild areas where butterflies naturally rear their larval stages, you can attract butterflies to your garden by planting only nectar-producing plants.
It's a joy to have a garden filled with nectar-producing flowers. Adult butterflies rely on sugar-rich nectar for their daily energy. Different species have different preferences for flower color and shape. Many butterflies emit scents that attract mates, many of which smell similar to the flowers the butterflies are attracted to and visit. The scents of these butterfly-pollinated flowers may have evolved as an adaptation to help the butterflies survive.
Butterflies generally prefer flat, densely packed flowers that serve as landing pads, although larger butterflies can feed on penstemons and salvias while airborne. Unlike bees, butterflies can see red and are attracted to brightly colored flowers. Pink, red, orange, yellow, and purple are the most attractive nectar flower colors, but they will also use blue and white.
Consider the flowering period of each plant. If a plant blooms in the sun for hours throughout the day, you'll have more time to admire it. Nectar-rich flowers include yarrow, asters, verbena, scabiosa, buckwheat, toyon, salvia, erysimum, zinnia, lantana, and coneflowers.
Butterflies need water and salt as well as nectar, so a patch of mud that stays damp all year round or a shallow depression filled with pebbles and kept moist will suffice, as well as a few flat stones in a sheltered area between shrubs where the butterflies can bask in the sun.
Having a garden filled with birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects is fun and easy.
Jan Nelson, landscape designer and California certified nursery professional, answers your questions about gardening in the Santa Cruz Mountains. [email protected]or visit jannelsonlandscapedesign.com.
