![]() ![]() ![]() If you provide plants and conditions for the complete butterfly life cycle, butterflies will likely spend generation after generation in your garden. As part of your habitat, give them a rock to sun on, so they can up warm up their flight muscles for the day. For butterflies that hibernate in the winter, make sure there’s a pile of leaves or mulch, tree cavities, log mounds, or crevices in tree trunks that they can use to hide during the cold season.īutterflies, which are cold-blooded, do not fly at 55 degrees or cooler. Shrubs, a brush pile and evergreens all work for shelter. In addition, for some species USDA have further divided release permissions by sub-species for example, Western Monarchs may not be released east of the Continental Divide (1). They’ll also need a place to hide from wind, rain and predators. Butterflies can drink from a shallow dish with water and flat stones, a depression filled with sand kept moist or even a nice mud puddle. The caterpillar in the photo might overwinter as pupa in a chrysalis near the host plant. Find more plant suggestions for your butterfly garden at .Īfter providing food, you’ll also need to give them a water source. If you thought Monarch Butterflies were tough, then check out our local Swallowtail Butterflies. Magnolias, black cherry, wafer ash and tulip trees all attract tiger swallowtails, while their cousins, the zebra swallowtail, use pawpaw trees as larval host plants. For example, milkweeds are the only host plants for monarch butterflies. This means you need special “host plants” to provide food for the caterpillars. Pesticides have no place in a butterfly garden.Indiana has 150 species of butterflies.Butterflies are the second leading pollinators.Butterflies can see a range of ultraviolet colors invisible to the human eye.A butterfly egg is about the size of the period at the end of this sentence.They are fairly easy for humans to approach. Their hair-like projections act as false antennae to lure predators into biting their wings, rather than their head, which allows them to escape. The Great Purple Hairstreak is rare in Pennsylvania. They find a spot to overlook their territory and will fly at anything that moves into the area, including humans. Protographium marcellus, the zebra swallowtail, (formerly listed under genera Eurytides, Iphiclides, Graphium and Papilio by some authorities) is a swallowtail butterfly native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada. These butterflies are incredibly territorial. ![]() However, their name is deceiving because only the males have orange on their wings, whereas females are white with a single black spot. The harbinger of spring, in all its range, Falcate Orangetips are almost always seen in flight. Females lay their eggs on pea plants, which the larvae enjoy munching on. Named for the yellow on the forewing which resembles a dog’s head, the Southern Dogface takes on a pink hue in the winter. It is also called the Thistle Butterfly because it is the caterpillar’s favorite snack. Known as the Cosmopolitan, the Painted Lady is the most common butterfly in the world. Female Common Buckeyes are larger than their male counterparts. They are found in most counties in Pennsylvania. These butterflies are easily recognizable by their large eyespots on their wings. Giant Swallowtail resting in the shade of the woods. Each year they migrate over 2,000 miles to California and Mexico, and have been doing so for thousands of years. Swallowtail Anise Swallowtail Two-tailed Swallowtail Zebra Swallowtail Palamedes Swallowtail. Their orange coloring warns predators not to eat them. Monarch Butterflies are the most recognizable and can reach a wingspan up to five inches, the longest of all butterflies. Adult Mourning Cloaks live ten to eleven months and are believed to be the butterflies with the longest life span. This butterfly is one of the first to be seen each year, usually in February or March, but rests during the hot and dry season. The female will mimic the Pipevine Swallowtail, which is poisonous, so as to avoid predation. ![]() The Diana Fritillary is incredibly rare, and in fact has not been sighted in Pennsylvania since the late nineteenth century. So aptly named for the mammal that it resembles, male Zebra Swallowtails puddle, or rest in sandy or gravely areas to absorb salts and amino acids, which aid in their reproduction. Here is a selection of ten out of the one hundred and eighty-six species that make up Pennsylvania’s unique butterfly population. Wright, the butterflies that traverse the state are described in stunning detail, with over 900 color photos to complement them. In a comprehensive guide, Butterflies of Pennsylvania: a field guide by James L. JThe Ten Most Captivating Butterflies in Pennsylvania ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |