Butterflies
Butterfly, Butterfly: Wherefore Art Thou Butterfly?
I recently heard the celebrity Bill Maher doing a radio interview during which he confessed to having been an avid butterfly collector when he was a child. He seems quite regretful now, having killed so many butterflies and displaying them on the walls of his childhood home, with his father’s help and encouragement! Maher is now a committed environmentalist. I…
Read MoreThe Native Flora-Fauna Connection: The Complexity of Native Plants
I recently had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Doug Tallamy speak again. For those of you who have not yet read his book, “Bringing Nature Home,” I encourage you to rev up your Amazon account or drive to a bookstore (remember those?) and buy his book today. Tallamy is an entomologist, specializing in lepidoptera (butterflies, skippers + moths), and has…
Read MoreYour Favorite Native Plants: Cutleaf Coneflower
Autumn Thomas had the final winning entry to the EcoBeneficial t-shirt contest: “I’m going to go with Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata) even though it’s a tad aggressive, I see hundreds of bees, beetles and lepidoptera (butterflies, skippers and moths) on it every year. Then, after it goes to seed flocks of goldfinches arrive!” Wondering if Cutleaf Coneflower would be a…
Read MoreFavorite Native Plants: Monarda fistulosa (Wild Bergamot)
Here is one of the winning entries to the EcoBeneficial t-shirt competition: “What’s Your Favorite Native Plant and Why” from winner Kay Davis: “I would have to say bergamot is one of my favorite plants… When in bloom its beauty is stunning, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies not to mention an assortment of various bees. The blooms are not only attractive…
Read MoreYour Favorite Native Plants: We Have Some Winners!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the t-shirt competition. There were many wonderful submissions and it was very hard to choose. The 5 winners are: Penny Lewis, Kay Wulf, Autumn Thomas, Missy Clark Isaacs, and Kay Davis. Starting today, I’ll share their answers on this blog. (Winners, please email me at info@ecobeneficial.com with your mailing address, t-shirt style and…
Read MoreAttracting Butterflies: Growing Nectar Plants Isn’t Enough!
There are many, many reasons to use native plants in your landscape. One great reason is to support the caterpillars of butterflies. If you don’t feed those caterpillars, you won’t support the transformation of caterpillars into adult butterflies in your landscape. Adult butterflies eat mostly nectar found in flowering plants, and most adult butterflies use a variety of plant species…
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