JUNE GARDENING FUN : BUTTERFLY GARDENING

Butterflies, like other forms of wildlife, have felt the squeeze of Orange County’s continuing development. But unlike some other creatures, a number of butterfly species can survive in the suburbs--and even thrive with a little help from gardeners. Some popular plants are unusable by local butterfly species, while other types of vegetation can support a healthy population of the colorful insects.

Every butterfly has two food requirements: food for the caterpillar, and food for the adult. Both are equally important, but many gardeners strive to eliminate, rather than cultivate, the caterpillar. Gardeners who have no tolerance for feeding damage (caterpillar damage is rarely life-threatening to the plant) may want to consider an “attraction” garden, with nectar-producing flowers for the adult butterflies. But providing larval food sources is important to helping the local butterfly population thrive.

Here is a list of some butterflies common to local suburban neighborhoods, the months you’re most likely to see them on the wing, and larval food plants. Descriptions are for dorsal wing unless otherwise noted (dorsal is upper surface of wing; ventral is lower surface).

Western tiger swallowtail Description: Yellow with black stripes; one of the largest local butterflies. Most common: Flies most months, especially in summer. Caterpillar food plants: California sycamore, willows, cottonwood, cherry and relatives, mock-orange.

Anise swallowtail Description: Similar to western tiger swallowtail, but with more black and less yellow. Most common: April to June. Caterpillar food plants: Wild anise, parsley, and other native and exotic umbellifers.

Monarch Description: Large; orange with black border and veins outlined in black. Most common: Migrants pass through in September-November and January-March. Caterpillar food plants: Most types of milkweed.

Cabbage white Description: White, with one or two rounded black spots on fore wing; most common urban butterfly. Most common: Year-round. Caterpillar food plants: Most crucifers (cabbage, kale, radish, broccoli).

Nicippe sulphur, cloudless sulphur Description: Nicippe is bright orange, cloudless is yellow or yellow-white; once common, now scarce. Most common: Summer, fall. Caterpillar food plants: Senna, canary bird bush.

Gulf fritillary Description: Bright orange on dorsal wing with black markings; lower ventral wing has silver spots. Most common: Summer. Caterpillar food plants: Ornamental passion vines.

West coast lady Description: Deep orange with various black markings; white spots on the fore wing. Most common: Throughout the year, especially near and in vacant lots. Caterpillar food plants: Cheeseweed, garden hollyhock and other mallows.

Painted lady Description: Similar to west coast lady, although a lighter orange. Most common: Seen much of the year. Caterpillar food plants: Thistles, mallows, garden hollyhock and other mallows, fiddleneck, sunflower.

Mourning cloak Description: Medium-large; brown-black with yellow border, row of blue dots adjacent to border. Most common: All year. Caterpillar food plants: Willow, Chinese elm, birch, poplar, cottonwood.

Buckeye Description: Medium size; two large multicolored eyespots on hind wing and one large eyespot on fore wing. Most common: June and September. Caterpillar food plants: Garden snapdragon, plantains, fog fruit.

Red admiral Description: Black with a marginal orange border on hind wing; black fore wing with white markings on tip and crossed by an orange band. Most common: Spring and fall. Caterpillar food plants: Various nettles, baby’s tears, hops.

Marine blue Description: White and brown stripes on ventral wing. Male is purple-blue on dorsal wing; female is mottled brown. Most common: Summer and fall. Caterpillar food plants: Leadwort, wisteria, garden pea, alfalfa, plumbago, many varieties of legume.

Common hairstreak Description: Gray-black on dorsal surface; light gray on ventral surface with a few red and blue markings on hind wing and one distinct row of dark and white markings on both fore wing and hind wing. Most common: June, July. Caterpillar food plants: Native buckwheat, garden bean, ornamental hibiscus, mallows.

Fiery skipper, and other skippers Description: Small orangish butterflies that rapidly skip over city lawns. Most common: Summer and fall. Caterpillar food plants: Grasses, including Bermuda, St. Augustine, bent and native Deschampia caespitosa.

Checkered skipper Description: Brown with extensive white checks. Most common: February to October. Caterpillar food plants: Garden hollyhock, cheeseweed and other mallows.

ADULT NECTAR SOURCES

Some native California nectar flowers are especially attractive to adult butterflies and are well-suited for garden use. Different-size butterflies often visit different kinds of flowers. Small ones tend to prefer blossoms that offer suitable perching platforms and are composed of individual flowers with a short corolla tube. Large swallowtails often hover as they feed and, with their long proboscises, can extract nectar from long-tubed blossoms that smaller butterflies ignore. Here are some good nectar flowers (native and non-native) for local butterflies.

Spring flowers: Thistles, yerba santa (native), California lilac (native), willow, mints such as native black sage.

Summer flowers: Sunflowers, buckwheats (native), lantana, milkweeds (particularly nonvine varieties), red valerian, lippia ground covers, butterfly bush.

Fall flowers: Lantana, haplopappus (native), rabbitbrush (native), butterfly bush.

Source: Larry J. Orsak, “Quick Guide to Orange County Urban Butterflies and Their Enhancement Through Butterfly Gardening” (available in volume 2 of “Memoirs of the Natural History Foundation of Orange County”); Orsak, “The Butterflies of Orange County, California.”