The Perfect Compromise
by Tom Hewitt
At Mounts, firebush are trained as standards, and plants form “blocks” of color. Photo by Tom Hewitt
Volunteering in the butterfly garden at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach has really opened my eyes. These days I no longer strive for perfection. Learning to “think like a butterfly” has made me realize that beauty truly does lie in the eye of the beholder.
Butterflies see the world differently. They like things on the wild side, and need nectar and larval plants that aren’t particularly showy. But photographers and others expect to see good color and composition when they visit a butterfly garden, so a compromise is needed.
Striking a balance gets easier with time. When I design a butterfly garden today, I copy Mounts and include as many pretty natives as possible. But I also include exotics that appeal as much to the human eye as they do to butterflies.
Monarchs find scarlet milkweed irresistible, but it upsets the natural balance. Photo by Tom Hewitt
Some 35% of the plant species in the Mounts’ butterfly garden are natives, most of which are perennials. Some are short-lived, like tropical sage, black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta),Tampa verbena (Glandularia tampensis), beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis) and tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii). But others behave as true perennials, like starry rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus), grassleaf gayfeather (Liatris tenuifolia), wild petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis), white beardtongue (Penstemon multiflorus), yellowtop (Flaveria linearis), seaside goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) and silky golden aster (Pityopsis graminifolia).
Even some weeds here are valuable nectar sources, including mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), fleabane (Erigeron spp.), tassleflower (Emilia fosbergii ) and beggartick (Bidens alba). (Beggartick — Spanish needles — is also a host for dainty hairstreaks, but remember to deadhead it before it drops seed or it can completely take over.)
What’s a butterfly garden without a place to park and observe? Photo by Tom Hewitt
Over a dozen different butterfly species can usually be spotted here at any given time. Coontie (Zamia pumila) feeds atalas, and parsley, fennel and rue feed black swallowtails. Rue also feeds giant swallowtails, while pipevine (Aristolochia spp.) feeds gold rim swallowtails. Corky stem passion vine feeds julias, gulf fritillaries and zebra longwings.
Host plants are generally less attractive than nectar plants, but not always. We use nasturtiums to attract cabbage whites, and bronze fennel in place of green. Curled parsley is used along with flat leaf, and ornamental (but well-behaved) ‘Lady Margaret’ passion vine shares a trellis with native corky stem. Pretty cape leadwort (Plumbago auriculata) feeds cassius blues.
Dutchman’s pipevine has bizarre flowers and leaves that feed swallowtail larvae. Photo by Tom Hewitt
Milkweed is the larval food source of monarchs, queens and soldiers, and an important component of any butterfly garden. Scarlet milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) does the best of any at Mounts, but we try to limit its numbers (see sidebar). When milkweed gets eaten it looks terrible, so we make sure we plant it next to something pretty, and trim it often to keep it bushy. This promotes the lush, new growth butterfly larvae prefer.
Spreading host plants out in a garden makes it harder for predators to find eggs and larvae. Plant smaller things like parsley and milkweed in odd-numbered groups, but allow room for plenty of coontie to attract atalas. Sow nas-
turtium seed where you want it to grow, and do it at two-week intervals so it doesn’t all fade at once.
Butterflies love the flowers of our starry rosinweed. Photo by Tom Hewitt
Wildflowers are preferred nectar sources, but need bolder plants to play against. Rather than using a mix, buy wildflowers as individual plants and allow them to self-sow. To keep a butterfly garden tidy, selectively thin wildflowers and beneficial weeds as they spring up, and don’t let them encroach on accent plants.
In the Mounts garden, we use things like pentas, hollyhocks, tropical salvias, wheat celosia (Celosia spicata) and lion’s ear (Leonotis leonurus) as accents. We also sow small patches of zinnias, cosmos and other annuals to create “blocks” of color. A diverse garden is a healthy one, so we include ‘African Blue’ basil, horsemint (Monarda punctata) and anise hyssop for bees. Cigar plant (Cuphea ignea), firespike (Odontonema strictum) and Belize sage (Salvia miniata) attract hummingbirds.
Though not a native, giant milkweed is an alternative for scarlet milkweed in larger gardens. Photo by Tom Hewitt
Some nectar plants bloom here year-round, like coral plant (Jatropha multifida), spicy jatropha (J. integerrima) and Panama rose (Rondeletia leucophylla). Others are treated as annuals, like purple top verbena (V. bonariensis), butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) and angelonia (A. angustifolia).
Layering is important in a butterfly garden. In the Mounts garden, firebush (Hamelia patens) are trained as standards, providing cover for zebra longwings. A spinach tree (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) produces white blooms irresistible to giant swallowtails. Though its flowers are more attractive to nectar-feeding birds than butterflies, a rare golden penda (Xanthostemon chrysanthus) adds seasonal color.
The Mounts is a great place to learn how to make a butterfly garden in south Florida. But you can create a beautiful, eco-friendly butterfly garden anywhere if you keep one thought in mind. Just balance what butterflies need with what people like to see.
Tom Hewitt is a garden designer and consultant from West Palm Beach.
© 2013 Tom Hewitt. Originally published in Florida Gardening, Feb / Mar 2013. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
For more information:
Florida Butterfly Gardening
by Marc C. and Maria Minno
Butterfly Gardening in Florida
You may also be able to find a
laminated pocket guide online
or at a brick-and-mortar bookstore.
The Great Milkweed Debate
There is a growing concern that the popularity of scarlet milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) in Florida and other mild areas of the country may actually be contributing to the spread of a parasite that kills or sickens large numbers of monarchs. Ophyrocystis elektroscirrha (Oe) was first discovered affecting queen and monarch butterflies in the late 1960s, but is now estimated to infect some 70% of the non-migratory monarchs in south Florida.
Much of Florida’s monarch population stays here year round. But over the last 20 years, increasing numbers have been spending winters here. Though climate change may play a role, some theorize that the planting of scarlet milkweed may be providing monarchs with an unnatural food source that gives them less reason to migrate. Consequently, Oe is easily transmitted from one generation to the next.
What to do? Plant native milkweed species instead. Though harder to find and more difficult to establish, most go dormant during the winter. Florida has some 20 different species to choose from, eight of which can be grown in south Florida. Native milkweeds include butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata and A. perennis).
“Most native species have a tough time flourishing in south Florida, especially along the coast,” admits butterfly expert Gayle Edwards, whose NABA (North American Butterfly Association) chapter is currently partnered with the University of Georgia on Oe research. She cares for the butterfly garden at the Lee County Extenstion offices, and suggests white vine (Sarcostemma clausum) as an alternative for queens and soldiers, and giant milkweed (Calotropis gigantea) for monarchs.