My garden is all a flutter these days. It seems to be a good year for butterflies. I think having water in my garden is a big draw for a lot of creatures, especially since things heated up.
Of course, we have to keep an open mind about inviting insects into our gardens. As beautiful as butterflies are, they do have to feed their kids. One of the reasons butterflies are attracted to our gardens is because there are only certain foods butterfly larvae will eat. (Sound familiar?) But they don't do that much damage and the adults simply want nectar. I think there's plenty to share.
What Butterflies Need | Herbs for Butterflies | A Butterfly Garden Design
Photo: © Marie Iannotti
Comments
I love sage. This year something is wrong. I have planted 2 sage plants and they both wilted up and died. Last year I had one that worked find in a clay pot outside. This year I have used a plastic pot and regular potting soil. I wanted to keep it in the house for year round growing. Any ideas?
My guess would be the soil didn’t drain well and either the roots rotted or the plants got some kind of fungus disease. You have to be really careful that the soil has a chance to dry out between waterings. The roots need air as much as water.
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One exception worth noting is dill weed. Not that it’s an unworthy sacrifice for the beautiful butterflies, but good to pay attention for harvesting reasons… Monarchs or similar can devour an adult plant in one or two days! They’ll leave you with nothing but dill stalks.
Correction from my last post. I believe the caterpillar that ate my dill last year was a Black Swallowtail Caterpillar, not a Monarch. Thanks to the “You Grow Girl” blog for pointing that out. Stunning coloration on those friggin bugs!
Yes, dill is a host plant for swallowtail caterpillars, like the one pictured here, as well as its cousin the black swallowtail. But they only feed for a short time and I’d have to agree, it’s not an unworthy sacrifice.