Attracting and Protecting Butterflies

1
Attracting and Protecting Butterflies

• Paul Guillebeau, Ph.D.
• UGA Entomology
• bugman_at_uga.edu

2
Butterfly Life Cycle

• Egg a few days
• Larva a few weeks
• Wandering phase looking for a place to pupate
• Pupa variable
• Adult a few weeks

3
Overwintering

• Different types of Lepidoptera spend the winter
  in each life stage
• Some do not overwinter they spend the winter in
  warmer climates

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General Principles

• Larval food Depends on species
• Adult food Continuous nectar sources
• Other adult needs
• Water
• Minerals
• Places to rest diversity of plants
• Places to bask in the sun - stones

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General Principles

• Dont use insecticides on larval or adult food
  sources
• Most insecticides are broad spectrum
• Even Bacillus thuringiensis is dangerous for any
  caterpillars that eat it
• Safe insecticides include soaps and oils

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General Principles

• Adult attracted to red, yellow, orange, pink and
  purple blossoms that are flat-topped, clustered,
  and have short flower tubes.
• Adults feed in sunshine
• Water/mineral sources must be shallow

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Adult Puddling

• A shallow pan filled with sand or small stones
• Add water, soil, manure, overripe fruit, a little
  salt, sports drinks, stale beer, etc.
• Make sure it is safe from cats

8
Good Butterfly Plants

• Zinnias, lantana, buddleia, marigolds, tithonia
  (Mexican sunflower), milkweeds, verbenas and many
  mint plants
• Diversity is good
• Native plants are important
• Co-evolution of plants and butterflies
• Butterflies may be fooled larvae dont survive
• http//www.wildflower.org/collections/

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Common Georgia Butterflies

• Monarch
• Larval food - Milkweed

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Spicebush Swallowtail

• Larval food spicebush, sassafrass

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Tiger Swallowtail

• Larval food - tulip poplar, green ash, white ash,
  sweet bay, wild cherry

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Black Swallowtail

• Larval food - dill, fennel, parsley and Queen
  Annes lace

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Giant Swallowtail

• Larval food citrus

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Pipevine Swallowtail

• Larval food - pipevine, snakeroot

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Gulf Fritillary

• Larval food - mollypop or maypop, green
  passionflower or other passionflowers

16
Long Tailed Skipper

• Larval food members of bean family
• beggar's tick (Desmodium spp.), hog peanut
  (Amphicarpa bracteata), kudzu (Pueraria lobata),
  and wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), and edibles
  such as garden peas (Pisum sativa) and various
  kinds of beans

17
Silver Spotted Skipper
18
Painted Lady

• Larval food - thistle

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Mourning Cloak

• Larval food - willows, elms

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Gray Hairstreak

• Larval food - beans, clover