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Family Pieridae - North Carolina...Butterflies in Your Backyard 5 Why focus on native plants for butterfly habitat? • These plants require relatively little maintenance, watering,

Jul 07, 2020

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Page 1: Family Pieridae - North Carolina...Butterflies in Your Backyard 5 Why focus on native plants for butterfly habitat? • These plants require relatively little maintenance, watering,
Page 2: Family Pieridae - North Carolina...Butterflies in Your Backyard 5 Why focus on native plants for butterfly habitat? • These plants require relatively little maintenance, watering,

2 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

utterfly watching, though unlikely to match the widespread popularity ofbird watching, has gained significant favor in recent years. Butterflies are

colorful, diverse, abundant, and active during the day in warm months,making them an ideal pursuit for wildlife watchers. In fact, wildlife watchingas a whole, given impetus by the increased awareness of regional and ecologi-cal diversity, has become one of this country’s fastest-growing outdoor recre-ational activities.

B

Palamedes Swallowtail(Papilio palamedes)

Family Pieridae(sulphurs, whites, and yellows)

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice)Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)Sleepy Orange (Eurema nicippe)

Butterflies and caterpillars (thelarval stage in the butterfly life cycle)provide food for birds and otherorganisms, pollinate flowers, and areeasy to attract to a garden or back-yard landscape. Butterflies are foundthroughout North Carolina and willflourish within a well-designedlandscape of native plants in bothrural and urban areas. Planting avariety of both nectar plants foradults and host plants for caterpillarsin a sunny location will ensure manyhours of viewing pleasure as butter-flies visit your garden.

Common butterflies ofNorth Carolina

North Carolina’s diverse naturallandscape includes coastal dunes,pocosins, sandhill savannahs,piedmont forests, wetlands, andmountain ranges. These habitats

Colorful butterflies, like this great spangled fritillary, have made butterfly watching apopular pastime. Photo courtesy of Thomas G. Barnes, University of Kentucky

Spicebush swallowtail.Illustration by Liessa Thomas Bowen

provide a home for more than 160butterfly species. Some species arefound statewide, while others arerestricted to a specific habitat orregion. Scientists classify speciesinto a series of genera and families,based upon similar genetics orsimilar physical characteristics.Here is a sampling of the butter-flies you are likely to encounter inNorth Carolina:

Family Papilionidae(swallowtails)

Pipevine Swallowtail(Battus philenor)

Zebra Swallowtail(Eurytides marcellus)

Black Swallowtail(Papilio polyxenes)

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail(Papilio glaucus)

Spicebush Swallowtail(Papilio troilus)

Orange sulphur.Illustration by Liessa Thomas Bowen

Family Lycaenidae(gossamer-wings)

Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)Red-Banded Hairstreak

(Calycopis cecrops)

Page 3: Family Pieridae - North Carolina...Butterflies in Your Backyard 5 Why focus on native plants for butterfly habitat? • These plants require relatively little maintenance, watering,

Butterflies in Your Backyard 3

Eastern Tailed-Blue(Everes comyntas)

Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon)

American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)Red-Spotted Purple

(Limenitis arthemis astyanax)Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)Monarch (Danaus plexippus)

Family Hesperiidae (skippers)

Silver-Spotted Skipper(Epargyreus clarus)

Long-Tailed Skipper(Urbanus proteus)

Southern Cloudywing(Thorybes bathyllus)

Juvenal’s Duskywing(Erynnis juvenalis)

Horace’s Duskywing(Erynnis horatius)

Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor)Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus)Sachem (Atalopedes campestris)Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius)

Life cycle

Butterflies and moths are uniquebecause they change from acaterpillar to a winged adultthrough a process called metamor-phosis. A typical butterfly’s lifebegins as an egg, generally laid onthe leaf of a host plant. A hostplant is a plant that caterpillars like

Family Nymphalidae(brushfoot butterflies)

American Snout(Libytheana carinenta)

Variegated Fritillary(Euptoieta claudia)

Great Spangled Fritillary(Speyeria cybele)

Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)Question Mark

(Polygonia interrogationis)Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma)Mourning Cloak

(Nymphalis antiopa)

Eastern tailed-blue.Illustration by Liessa Thomas Bowen

Common buckeye.Illustration by Liessa Thomas Bowen

Least skipper.Illustration by Liessa Thomas Bowen

A monarch butterfly changes from an egg (top right) to a caterpillar to a pupa toa winged adult during a process called metamorphosis.Illustration by Liessa Thomas Bowen

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4 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

to eat. Eggs soon hatch intocaterpillars, which act as eatingmachines to devour leaves of thehost plant. Caterpillars often havevery specific food requirementsthat restrict them to a particularplant. After a few weeks, thecaterpillar molts into a mummy-like stage with a hard protectivecasing, called a pupa or chrysalis.While in the chrysalis, the caterpil-lar is transformed into an adult. Atthe end of about 2 weeks, theadult emerges from the chrysalis,spreads and dries its wings, and

Their colors may vary slightly,and females generally are largerthan males. But size cannot beused to distinguish between thesexes because individuals of anysingle species may vary in howbig they are, depending on theamount and quality of food theyate as caterpillars.

• Most butterflies lay their eggs ona specific type of plant, calledtheir host plant, which theircaterpillars later feed on. Excep-tions include Harvester caterpil-lars, which eat woolly aphids,and a few other caterpillars thateat rotting leaves rather thanliving plant foliage.

• Adult butterflies may feed onnectar from flowers, but someprefer rotten fruit or tree sap.They suck the liquid foodthrough a straw-like “tongue”

Male eastern tiger swallowtailscongregate at “puddling” areas.Photo courtesy of Thomas G. Barnes,University of Kentucky

roof. A butterfly can fly even ifthese scales are removed.

• Colors such as blue, green,violet, gold, and silver on butter-fly wings are not caused bypigment, but rather by lightreflecting off the wing scales.

• Depending upon the species,adult butterflies can live from 1week to 9 months.

• Butterflies (and other insects)have an exoskeleton, or structuralsupport on the outside of theirbodies, to protect them and keepin fluids so they don’t dry out.

The great purple hairstreak, like otherbutterflies, has a preferred host plant,mistletoe. Photo by Chris Moorman

begins searching for food and amate. Following successful mat-ing, the female begins her searchfor a host plant on which todeposit her eggs, and the life cyclebegins again.

Physiology and behavior

• Butterflies and moths are insectsin the order Lepidoptera, mean-ing “scaly-winged.” A personwho studies these creatures iscalled a “lepidopterist.”

• Moths may have whip-like, fern-like, or fuzzy antennae with noknobs at their ends. Butterflyantennae are smooth, thin, andwhip-like with a terminal knob.

• Butterfly wings are covered withthousands of tiny overlappingscales arranged like shingles on a

• Butterflies and caterpillarsbreathe through “spiracles,”which are tiny openings alongthe sides of their bodies.

• Butterflies can smell with theirantennae.

• Butterflies have compound eyesthat allow them to see the colorsred, green, and yellow. Theireyes do not rotate to follow apredator’s movement; rather,they detect movement as theobject moves from one facet ofthe eye to the next.

• Butterflies use special nerve cellscalled chemoreceptors on thepads of their feet to “taste” foodand identify leaves of theircaterpillar’s host plant beforethey lay their eggs.

• In some butterfly species,females and males look different.

A monarch caterpillar (left) feeds on the foliage of its host plant, milkweed, beforechanging into an adult (right). Left photo courtesy of Thomas G. Barnes, University ofKentucky; right photo by Chris Moorman

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Butterflies in Your Backyard 5

Why focus on native plants forbutterfly habitat?

• These plants require relativelylittle maintenance, watering, orcare because they are adapted toa particular area.

• Native plants will attract butter-flies native to the region. Cater-pillars are very picky eaters andwill eat only very specific hostplants; native plants providethese specific food sources.

• Some exotic plants grow withexcessive vigor and compete forspace with native plants. Be-cause some exotics could “es-cape” from your garden andthreaten nearby wild habitat,they should be specificallyavoided (see Landscaping forWildlife with Native Plants,AG-636-03).

• Most ornamental plants are bredfor color and bloom size, not fornectar production. While these

called a proboscis, which curlsup under the head like awatchspring when not in use.

• Male butterflies often congregateat “puddling” areas, whichinclude mud puddles, moist soilalong stream banks, and animalfeces. There they ingest saltsimportant in sperm production.

• Different species of butterflieshave characteristic behaviors.For example, some perch onleaves, guarding an area andchasing away intruders. Othersappear to constantly patrolcertain areas and rarely perch.

• Butterflies bask in the sun towarm their bodies before theyfly. Their wings act as solarcollectors.

• Butterflies are most activeduring the warmest parts of theday, but in temperatures of over100° F, they may become over-heated and seek shade.

Like this zebra swallowtail, manybutterflies often bask in the early morningsunlight. Photo courtesy of Thomas G. Barnes,

University of Kentucky

Passionflower and many other nativeplants provide an ideal habitat forbutterflies in your backyard.Photo courtesy of Thomas G. Barnes,University of Kentucky

A cluster of orange coneflower plantswith taller purple coneflowers growingin the background allows butterflieseasy access to abundant nectar withoutexcessive exposure to predators.Photo by Chris Moorman

cavities. They emerge in searchof sap or rotten fruit on warm,sunny days.

• Eggs, caterpillars, and adultbutterflies have many predators.To avoid them, females lay eggsin concealed locations on thehost plant, and caterpillars oftenlook inconspicuous. To scareaway predators, some caterpillarshave large eye-spots that re-semble a snake’s head. Othercaterpillars have protectivespines, release obnoxious scents,or just plain taste bad.

• Most species of butterfliessurvive the winter by hibernat-ing as caterpillars, pupae, oradults. A few spend the winter aseggs. Fewer still migrate towarmer climates.

• Those species that spend thewinter as adults tuck themselvesbehind loose bark or in tree

Using native plantsto attract butterflies

Native plants generally are definedas those that occurred in NorthAmerica before European settle-ment. Exotic plants are those thatare not native. Plants native toyour area grow well because theyare specifically adapted to theclimate, soils, temperature, andprecipitation. Native plants arethose to which regional butterflieshave adapted, and therefore, theyare ideal for butterfly gardeningand for larger restoration projects.

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6 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

Zebra swallowtail caterpillars feedalmost exclusively on pawpaw plants.Illustration by Liessa Thomas Bowen

cultivars may be attractive to us,many provide little benefit towildlife.

Creating a butterfly habitat

Diversity

An effective butterfly habitatprovides everything a butterflyneeds to complete its life cycle.• Provide a good diversity of host

plants to attract a variety ofbutterflies and their caterpillars(see Table 1). Caterpillars arevoracious but picky eaters, andmany feed only on a particularspecies of plant.

• Choose a variety of nectar plantsthat will provide food through-out the growing seasons, asdifferent species of butterfly areactive from early spring throughlate fall (see Table 2).

• Choose flowers with blooms ofdifferent sizes and depths.Smaller butterflies, such ashairstreaks and skippers, haveshorter proboscises and areunable to reach the nectar inlarger blooms. Larger butterflies,such as swallowtails, favor largerblooms.

• Consider the moisture and lightrequirements of plants beforeintroducing them to yourbutterfly habitat. Choose onlythe plants most appropriate foryour area.

Table 1. Some native host plants for North Carolina butterflies.

Scientific Name Common Name Butterfly Larvae

TreesBetula alleghaniensis Yellow Birch Mourning Cloak, Dreamy DuskywingBetula lenta Sweet BirchBetula nigra River BirchCarya glabra Pignut Hickory Banded HairstreakCarya tomentosa Mockernut HickoryCeltis laevigata* Hackberry American Snout, Mourning Cloak, QuestionCeltis tenuifolia Sugarberry Mark, Hackberry Emperor, Tawny EmperorChamaecyparis thyoides Atlantic White Cedar Hessel’s HairstreakFraxinus americana White Ash Eastern Tiger SwallowtailIlex opaca American Holly Henry’s ElfinJuniperus virginiana Eastern Redcedar Juniper HairstreakLiriodendron tulipifera* Yellow Poplar Eastern Tiger SwallowtailPersea borbonia Redbay Palamedes SwallowtailPinus echinata Shortleaf Pine Eastern Pine ElfinPinus taeda Loblolly PinePopulus deltoides Cottonwood Viceroy, Red-Spotted PurplePrunus americana Wild Plum Coral Hairstreak, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail,Prunus angustifolia Chickasaw Plum Red-Spotted Purple, Spring Azure, ViceroyPrunus serotina* Black CherryQuercus spp. Oaks Banded Hairstreak, Edward’s Hairstreak,

Gray Hairstreak, White-M Hairstreak,Horace’s Duskywing, Juvenal’s Duskywing

Robinia pseudoacacia* Black Locust Clouded Sulphur**, Zarucco Duskywing,Silver-Spotted Skipper

Salix caroliniana Carolina Willow Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Mourning Cloak,Salix nigra* Black Willow Eastern Comma**, Red-Spotted Purple, ViceroySassafras albidum* Sassafras Spicebush SwallowtailUlmus alata Winged Elm Painted Lady**, Eastern Comma, Mourning Cloak,Ulmus americana* American Elm Question Mark, Red-Spotted Purple**

Small TreesAlnus serrulata Alder Harvester (carnivorous larvae eat woolly aphids

commonly found on alder)Amelanchier arborea Serviceberry Red-Spotted Purple, Viceroy**Asimina triloba Pawpaw Zebra SwallowtailCarpinus caroliniana Ironwood Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Red-Spotted PurpleCercis canadensis Redbud Henry’s ElfinCornus florida Flowering Dogwood Spring AzureCrataegus spp. Hawthorn Gray Hairstreak, Red-Spotted Purple**, Viceroy**Myrica cerifera Wax Myrtle Red-Banded HairstreakRhus copallina Winged Sumac Red-Banded HairstreakRhus glabra Smooth SumacSymplocos tinctoria Sweetleaf King’s Hairstreak

ShrubsAsimina parviflora Dwarf Pawpaw Zebra SwallowtailCeanothus americanus New Jersey Tea Mottled DuskywingGaylussacia dumosa Dwarf Huckleberry Henry’s ElfinGaylussacia frondosa Blue HuckleberryIlex glabra Inkberry Henry’s ElfinLindera benzoin Spicebush Palamedes Swallowtail, Spicebush SwallowtailPhoradendron serotinum Mistletoe Great Purple HairstreakVaccinium arboreum Sparkleberry Brown ElfinVaccinium corymbosum Highbush BlueberryVaccinium stamineum Deerberry

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Butterflies in Your Backyard 7

• Visit butterfly gardens at localnature centers or botanicalgardens and observe whichflowering plants attract butterflies.

• Do not get discouraged if aparticular plant does not attractbutterflies as anticipated. Experi-ment and find out which plantswork in your butterfly habitat.

• Peelings and cores of fruit(peeled, overly ripe bananaswork well) can be discarded inpartially shaded nooks in thegarden where they will attractbutterflies that eat rotting fruit.

Design

Plan your butterfly habitat beforebuying and putting in any plants.Decide how much space you wantto dedicate to your butterfly habitat.• Map the area in its current

condition, then create a map foryour projected habitat, makingsure to provide for all the basicbutterfly needs (sun, shelter,larval host plants, and adultnectar plants).

Taller plants like joe-pye-weed can begreat nectar sources for butterflies, butthey should be placed behind lower-growing plants. Photo by Chris Moorman

Scientific Name Common Name Butterfly Larvae

Table 1. Some native host plants for North Carolina butterflies (continued).

VinesAristolochia macrophylla Dutchman’s Pipe Pipevine SwallowtailPassiflora incarnata Passionflower Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Zebra

Swallowtail

Herbs and WildflowersAgalinus spp. Gerardia Common BuckeyeAntennaria plantaginifolia Plantain-Leaved Pussytoes American LadyAntennaria solitaria Solitary PussytoesAristolochia serpentaria Virginia Snakeroot Pipevine SwallowtailAruncus dioicus Goat’s Beard Dusky AzureAsclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed MonarchAsclepias tuberosa Butterfly WeedAsclepias variegata White MilkweedAster carolinianus Climbing Aster Pearl CrescentAster novae-angliae New England AsterBaptisia tinctoria Wild Indigo Wild Indigo DuskywingBoehmeria cylindrica False Nettle Eastern Comma, Question Mark, Red AdmiralChamaecrista fasciculata Partridge Pea Cloudless Sulphur, Little Yellow, Sleepy OrangeChelone glabra White Turtlehead Baltimore Checkerspot, Common Buckeye**Cimicifuga racemosa Black Cohosh Appalachian AzureCirsium horridulum Yellow Thistle Little Metalmark, Painted LadyDesmodium spp. Beggarlice Silver-Spotted Skipper, Hoary Edge,

Northern Cloudywing, Southern Cloudywing,Gray Hairstreak, Eastern Tailed-Blue

Eupatorium fistulosum Joe-Pye-Weed Pearl CrescentGnaphalium obtusifolium Rabbit Tobacco American LadyHelianthus atrorubens Sunflower Silvery CheckerspotLaportea canadensis Wood Nettle Eastern Comma, Red AdmiralLespedeza capitata Bush Clover Eastern Tailed-BlueLespedeza virginica Virginia Bush CloverLinaria canadensis Blue Toadflax Common BuckeyePenstemon laevigatus Smooth Beardtongue Common BuckeyeRuellia caroliniensis Wild Petunia Common BuckeyeTephrosia virginiana Goat’s Rue Southern Cloudywing, Northern CloudywingThaspium barbinode Meadow Parsnip Black SwallowtailThaspium trifoliatum Hairy-Jointed Meadow ParsnipTrifolium carolinianum Carolina Clover Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Tailed-Blue, OrangeTrifolium reflexum Buffalo Clover Sulphur, Gray Hairstreak, Northern CloudywingUrtica chamaedryoides Heartleaf Nettle Painted Lady**, Eastern Comma,Urtica dioica Stinging Nettle Question Mark, Red AdmiralViola spp. Violets FritillariesZizia aptera Heart-Leaved Alexanders Black SwallowtailZizia trifoliata Golden Alexanders

Grasses and SedgesAndropogon spp. Bluestem, Broomsedge Common Wood-Nymph, Various SkippersErianthus spp. PlumegrassPanicum spp. Panic GrassesSchizachyrium scoparius Little BluestemTridens flavus Purple TopArundinaria gigantea Switchcane Southern Pearly-Eye, Creole Pearly-Eye,

Various SkippersCarex spp. Sedges Various SatyrsUniola latifolia River Oats Northern Pearly-Eye

* Trees that can be pruned and kept at shrub size by cutting them to the ground every 2-3 years. In this way, peoplewith small yards can increase tree species diversity.

** Rarely uses this host plant in North Carolina.

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8 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

• Your butterfly habitat willfunction best in a sunny loca-tion. Most butterflies are activeonly in the sun, and manybutterfly larval and nectar plantsrequire sunny habitats.

• Place taller plants and shrubsbehind smaller plants and groundcovers to maximize visibility andenjoyment of your design.

• Concentrate flowering plantswith similar blooming periods toallow butterflies easy access toseasonally abundant nectarsources without excessivemovement and increased expo-sure to predators (see Table 2).

• Many nectar and larval hostplants grow tall. Taller plants andshrubs provide butterflies withshelter from wind and rain.

• Remember that many of yourplants will grow larger andmultiply each year as theymature. Be sure to leave room foreach plant to grow and expand.

• Do not dig plants from the wildunless you are part of an orga-nized plant rescue. Select nurs-ery-grown native species orcultivate your own from nurs-ery-bred native seeds. By usingnursery stock from a reputabledealer, you will help preserve

your local environment and thenative plant population.

• Make “puddling” (ingestion ofsalts from watery or dampground) easy for male butterfliesby designing water puddles andwet, sandy areas into the habitatand by allowing animal feces toremain in the landscape.

• Provide a few large flat rocks forbutterflies to perch on whilebasking in the sun.

• You can provide shelter for thebutterflies in your habitat byleaving snags (standing deadtrees) or a brush pile. There is littleevidence to suggest that butter-flies actually use butterfly houses.

BloomingScientific Name Common Name Dates

Aesculus pavia Red Buckeye March-AprilAmelanchier arborea Serviceberry March-AprilGelsemium sempervirens Carolina Jessamine March-AprilCornus florida Flowering Dogwood March-AprilPrunus americana Wild Plum March-AprilPrunus angustifolia Chickasaw Plum March-AprilVaccinium corymbosum Highbush Blueberry March-MayCercis canadensis Redbud March-MayAquilegia canadensis Wild Columbine March-MayIlex vomitoria Yaupon March-MayHalesia tetraptera Carolina Silverbell March-MaySymplocos tinctoria Sweetleaf March-MayGaylussacia dumosa Dwarf Huckleberry March-JuneRhododendron periclimenoides Wild Azalea April-MayRhododendron atlanticum Dwarf Azalea April-MayGaylussacia frondosa Blue Huckleberry April-MayHoustonia caerulea Bluets April-MaySalvia lyrata Lyreleaf Sage April-MayLyonia lucida Fetterbush April-MayCrataegus spp. Hawthorn April-MayIlex decidua Possumhaw April-MayIlex verticillata Winterberry April-MayPrunus serotina Black Cherry April-MayPrunus pennsylvanica Fire Cherry April-MayRhododendron catawbiense Catawba Rhododendron April-JuneIlex opaca American Holly April-JuneKalmia latifolia Mountain Laurel April-JuneCoreopsis lanceolata Lance-Leaved Coreopsis April-JuneGeranium maculatum Wild Geranium April-JuneRubus spp. Blackberry, Dewberry April-JuneLiriodendron tulipifera Yellow Poplar April-JuneCoreopsis auriculata Eared Coreopsis April-JuneVaccinium stamineum Deerberry April-JuneSilene virginica Fire Pink April-JulyVaccinium arboreum Sparkleberry May-JuneAsclepias variegata White Milkweed May-JunePenstemon laevigatus Smooth Beardtongue May-JuneIlex glabra Inkberry May-JuneItea virginica Virginia Willow May-JuneCeanothus americanus New Jersey Tea May-June

Table 2. Native nectar plants and their primary blooming period.Blooming

Scientific Name Common Name Dates

Hydrangea arborescens Wild Hydrangea May-JulyPhlox carolina Carolina Phlox May-JulyRudbeckia hirta Black-Eyed Susan May-JulyPenstemon canescens Hairy Beardtongue May-JulyRhododendron calendulaceum Flame Azalea May-JulyApocynum cannabinum Indian Hemp (Dogbane) May-JulyCoreopsis falcata Sickle Tickseed May-JulyCoreopsis verticillata Threadleaf Coreopsis May-JulyPassiflora incarnata Passionflower May-JulyAsclepias tuberosa Butterfly Weed May-Aug.Heliopsis helianthoides Ox-Eye May-Oct.Tilia americana Basswood JuneCyrilla racemiflora Titi June-JulyClethra alnifolia Sweet Pepperbush June-JulyRhus glabra Smooth Sumac June-JulyOxydendrum arboreum Sourwood June-JulyRhododendron maximum Rosebay Rhododendron June-Aug.Cephalanthus occidentalis Buttonbush June-Aug.Echinacea purpurea Purple Coneflower June-Aug.Monarda fistulosa Wild Bergamot June-Sept.Hibiscus moscheutos Rose Mallow June-Sept.Aralia spinosa Devil’s Walking Stick June-Sept.Impatiens capensis Jewelweed June-frostPhlox paniculata Summer Phlox July-Aug.Pycnanthemum incanum Hoary Mountainmint July-Aug.Stokesia laevis Stoke’s Aster July-Aug.Monarda didyma Beebalm July-Sept.Liatris spicata Blazing Star July-Sept.Rhus copallina Winged Sumac July-Sept.Asclepias incarnata Swamp Milkweed July-Sept.Vernonia noveboracensis Ironweed July-Sept.Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower July-Oct.Eupatorium fistulosum Joe-Pye-Weed July-Oct.Helianthus angustifolius Swamp Sunflower July-frostMonarda punctata Horsemint Aug.-Sept.Rudbeckia fulgida Orange Coneflower Aug.-Oct.Lobelia puberula Blue Lobelia Aug.-Oct.Helianthus atrorubens Sunflower Aug.-Oct.Solidago spp. Goldenrod Aug.-Oct.Ipomoea coccinea Red Morning Glory Aug.-frost

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Butterflies in Your Backyard 9

Smaller butterflies, like this red-banded hairstreak (left), have short proboscises andare unable to reach the nectar in large blooms. Larger butterflies, like the easterntiger swallowtail (right), favor larger blooms. Photos by Chris Moorman

Maintenance

• Throughout the growing season,leave the dead flower heads anddead foliage on your plants oryou may accidentally removeeggs or pupating butterflies.

• If neatness is in your blood,consider allocating a few plantsas butterfly host plants. Leavethose plants alone, but removeand relocate caterpillars fromindividual plants, if you like.

• Wildlife habitat, whether forbirds or butterflies, is best leftuntidy. As native grasses andwildflowers grow, bloom, and setseed, they may grow fast, tall,and a bit scraggly. Nature is notalways perfectly ordered, and themost effective butterfly gardenswill follow in nature’s footsteps.

• To keep your garden looking andperforming its best requiresresearch, planning, and annualmaintenance. Although you’llprobably discover that manybutterflies quickly find your newplantings, expect to wait severalyears before your butterflygarden becomes fully establishedand, therefore, fully appreciatedby the butterflies.

Use these designs as ideas for your butterfly landscape. You can attract butterflies from spring through fall by including plants withdifferent blooming periods and caterpillar host plants. For better butterfly viewing, taller plants should be clustered in the back andsmaller plants in the front. Illustrations by Liessa Thomas Bowen

Goldenrod (left), ironweed (right), and other late-flowering plants provide importantnectar sources for butterflies like the viceroy (left) and gulf fritillary (right) during atime of the year when many popular ornamentals are not in bloom.Left photo courtesy of Thomas G. Barnes; right photo by Chris Moorman

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10 North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

Butterfly conservation

• Encourage your neighbors andlocal school officials, businesses,or parks officials to put inbutterfly plantings of their ownso you all can create a networkof butterfly habitats throughoutyour community.

• Gardening with native plantspecies can increase criticalhabitat for both larvae and adultbutterflies.

• Minimize the use of pesticides.Chemicals that kill insect pestsalso kill butterflies and beneficialinsects. Pesticides can be toxic tobirds, too, and runoff can con-taminate streams and watersystems.

• Butterfly-releases at weddings orother occasions have becomepopular, but are not recom-mended for a number of reasons.These butterflies can spreaddiseases to the native butterflypopulation. They may interbreedwith the native population,

causing genetic problems orinterfering with natural migra-tion patterns. They also gener-ally die quickly because they arereleased during an inappropriateseason or are not equipped tohandle the particular environ-ment where they are released.

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Butterflies in Your Backyard 11

Internet resources

Notes on the Butterflies ofNorth Carolinawww.ncsparks.net/butterfly/nbnc.html

North American ButterflyAssociationwww.naba.org

Carolina Butterfly Societywww.carolinabutterflysociety.org

Butterflies of North Carolinawww.rlephoto.com/butterflies/butterflies.html

Butterflies of North Americawww.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/BFLYUSA/bflyusa.htm

Xerces Societywww.xerces.org

National Audubon Societywww.audubon.org

National Wildlife Federationwww.nwf.org

Northern Prairie WildlifeResource Centerwww.npwrc.usgs.gov

E-mail forum

CarolinaLeps is a listserve-style e-mail forum for butterfly enthusi-asts to discuss all aspects ofbutterfly life in the Carolinas,including butterfly finding,butterfly identification, trip re-ports, butterfly counts, butterflybehavior, backyard butterflying,butterfly gardening, butterflyphotography, and butterfly clubinformation. To subscribe, sendthe message text “subscribecarolinaleps” (without the quotationmarks) to [email protected] the subject line blank, anddo not write anything else in yourmessage text. You will receive anautomated confirmation, whichincludes a file of information. Formore details, send e-mail [email protected].

Additional resources

Ajilvsgi, G. 1990. Butterfly Garden-ing for the South. Dallas, Texas:Taylor Publishing Co.

Barnes, Thomas G. 1999. Garden-ing for the Birds. Lexington: TheUniversity Press of Kentucky.

Glassberg, J. 1999. ButterfliesThrough Binoculars, The East.New York: Oxford UniversityPress.

Opler, P. A., and R. T. Peterson.1992. Field Guide to EasternButterflies (Peterson FieldGuides). New York: HoughtonMifflin Co.

Pyle, R. M., and S. A Hughes.1992. Handbook for ButterflyWatchers. New York: HoughtonMifflin Co.

Wasowski, Sally, and AndyWasowski. 1994. Gardening withNative Plants of the South. Dallas,Texas: Taylor Publishing Co.

For more information, re-quest the following WorkingWith Wildlife (WWW) andUrban Wildlife (AG) publica-tions from your local Coopera-tive Extension Service Center orfind them on the Internet athttp://www.ces.ncsu.edu/forestry/.

• Songbirds, WWW-4.

• Snags and Downed Logs, WWW-14.

• Hummingbirds and Butterflies,WWW-20.

• Managing Backyards andOther Urban Habitats for Birds,AG-636-01.

• Landscaping for Wildlife withNative Plants, AG-636-03.

Page 12: Family Pieridae - North Carolina...Butterflies in Your Backyard 5 Why focus on native plants for butterfly habitat? • These plants require relatively little maintenance, watering,

Prepared byLiessa Thomas Bowen, Graduate Research Assistant, North Carolina State University

Chris Moorman, Extension Wildlife Specialist, North Carolina State University

Contributing authorsJohn Connors, Naturalist Center Coordinator, North Carolina Museum of Natural SciencesNick Haddad, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology, North Carolina State University

Mark Johns, Wildlife Biologist, North Carolina Wildlife Resources CommissionJesse Perry, Director of Public Programs, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Jeffrey Pippen, Research Associate, Biology Department, Duke University

© 2002 North Carolina State University

5,200 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $4,888.00 or $0.94 per copy.

Published byNorth Carolina Cooperative Extension Service

Distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Employment and program opportunitiesare offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. North Carolina State University,North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.

12/02—9M—JL/VG AG-636-02

Funding for this publication was provided in part through an Urban and Community Forestry Grant from the North Carolina Division

of Forest Resources, Department of Environment and NaturalResources, in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service, Southern Region.

E03-42807