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September 2009
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I've discovered a new love in my garden... butterflies. Last spring, a friend gave me some Gregg's Blue Mist from her garden, which I promptly planted between the olive trees in my front yard. It was kind of scraggly at first, but the shot of rain we had through most of the first part of the summer really made it take off. (Not surprising because mistflower loves moist conditions.) Now, it calls butterflies and moths of all kinds. I've seen Swallowtails, but I've especially enjoyed watching the Monarch butterflies that whip around it. I've tried to take pictures of them, but so far they haven't let me get close enough before they take off and wait for me to leave before landing again. I'm new to butterfly gardening, so I did some research on the topic on how to make my garden more appealing to them. According to the Travis County Master Gardening Association, the key to attracting butterflies is planting nectar-rich plants in sunny locations and making sure you have different plants blooming throughout most of the year. Color is important, because butterflies are first attracted to plants by color. You should also have areas where it is damp so they can grab a drink and also have sunny areas where they can spread their wings and bask in the sun. I've also tried my best to include host plants for butterfly larvae. They really liked the fennel I planted -- devouring it until the point of no return. But that's okay -- that's what it's there for. I didn't think I'd get into the butterflies as much as I have, but it's really cool to watch them flutter about, and my son, who's 13 months, gets a real kick out of seeing them fly around. For some reason, the dragonflies also hang out in force around the front yard. They're carnivorous, which leads me to believe they either attack butterflies or other insects attracted to the same plants. Either way -- they're pretty cool too. There are many butterfly gardening resources: |
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