$Account.OrganizationName
In This Issue:
  • Butterfly Cocoon? NO such thing!
  • This is a beautiful butterfly ...
  • Looking for Caterpillars?
  • Buy One Get One Free Plant Sale!
  • Butterfly Gardening Class - April 26 � 10 AM - 12 Noon

  • Butterfly of the Month Club

    Butterflies! April 16, 2008

    Butterfly Gardening Class at Shady Oak; April 26

    Zebra Longwing butterflies are helicopters in the butterfly world.

    Butterfly cocoons? No such animal!

    Buy one get one free plant sale!

    Discovering butterflies in your yard and neighborhood is a delightful way to spend the afternoon. As spring moves in and buttterflies start laying eggs, caterpillars are all over the place. When you learn where to look, the game of hide-and-seek is easier to win.



    Butterfly Cocoon? NO such thing!

    Most of us grew up saying 'butterfly cocoon' and most people will never realize that butterflies do not make cocoons.

    Some species of moths make cocoons.

    Butterflies and moths go through four stages; egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. A butterfly pupa is called a chrysalis. Some species of moth caterpillars make a covering (cocoon) and inside that covering, it pupates. A cocoon is somewhat like a sleeping bag.

    Right now, our Polyphemus Moth eggs are hatching. If you live in Florida and are interested in purchasing caterpillars or cocoons, please send us an email.

    The caterpillars eat maple, oaks, and willow. Be aware; they eat tons of leaves and grow for weeks before becoming a pupa.

    Read more and see more cocoon photos here!

    This is a beautiful butterfly ...
    ... the Florida State Butterfly!

    Yes, that critter that looks like it has pinchers and knows how to use them is the Zebra Longwing butterfly.

    Laying her eggs on passionvine that grows in the shade, this beautiful species hovers in the air like a helicopter.

    The caterpillar is white with soft black spikes, unless it has freshly molted. While still drying after molting, its hairs are clear/white.

    Read more about Zebra Longwings here ....

    Looking for Caterpillars?
    Look in the right places!

    In the spring, several butterflies are playing hide-and- seek in your yard and neighborhood. Amoung them are American Ladies, Red Admirals, and Buckeyes.

    American Lady butterflies; host plant is cudweed. (We're out of stock of cudweed at the time.) The caterpillars make a nest of plant material and hide much of the time. When not hiding, they often crawl to another cudweed plant and eat the leaves. Early in the morning is the best time to search for these caterpillars. Just as spiderwebs shine in the early morning sunlight, so do caterpillar nests (sewed together with webbing) in cudweed.

    Red Admiral caterpillars eat either pellitory , false nettle, or other nettle plants. They fold the leaves and hide in their little 'nest'. Look for folded leaves in pellitory and false nettle to find these caterpillars.

    Buckeye caterpillars do not make nests; they spend the night on stems of thier host plants or something very near the plant. In the spring in our area, blue toadflax is the spring host plant. Toward fall (and some in the spring and summer) they use false foxglove in this area. They also use many other species of host plants! Blue Toadflax is an annual that reseeds readily. We have four inch pots of Blue Toadflax available at this time!


    Buy One Get One Free Plant Sale!
    Buy one of these plants and receive another of the same species free!

    We have several species of plants that are on special if you add the code NLAHP in the comment box when you place your order. If you place your order by phone (877-485-2458) be sure to mention the special to Ester or Michelle


    Butterfly Gardening Class - April 26 � 10 AM - 12 Noon
    Email or phone to register for the course!

    Please join us Saturday, April 26, for our Butterfly Gardening Course at the farm.

    $35 each person; husband/wife teams are considered 'one person'.

    If you'd like, bring a packed lunch. the course 'ends' at 12 but feel free to stick around and eat lunch in the exhibit after the course. Although food is not allowed in the exhibit, for this course we will make an exception.

    �60 minute sit down course with powerpoint photography to demonstrate points
    �Garden Plan Outline
    �3 Host/Nectar Plants
    �Butterfly Plan List
    �45 min. Butterfly Farm Tour
    �How-to Handouts
    �Annual Exhibit Pass
    �And Much More!

    The garden has not been replanted this spring. Perennials are growing but the frost this morning nipped the fresh growth again.

    During the course, we will share one reason why our spring garden is a bit weedy every spring. We do not fully weed our garden until May.

    Please preregister for the course via phone 877-485- 2458 or email [email protected].

    Helpful Butterfly Links
  • Association for Butterflies
  • Butterfly Chat List
  • Garden Gifts, Stained Glass, Butterfly Feeders, and More
  • Garden Gifts, Stained Glass, Butterfly Feeders, and More
  • Celebrate Your Event With a Butterfly Release
  • IBBA
  • What would you like to see in the next issue of Butterflies? Please send us your suggestions.

    Until next time, Edith, Stephen, Ester, Michelle, and the gang

    phone: 877-485-2458
    Email Marketing by