Newspaper Articles
Butterfly Watch, October 6, 2006
Area residents Jim Ziebol, Dennis Bozzay and others with the St. Louis Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association are on the lookout for the Monarch butterfly
by Don Corrigan of the Webster-Kirkwood Times www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com, October 06, 2006
Birds aren’t the only creatures winging their way south now that fall has arrived. Butterflies have their own ‘flyways’ and they, too, are heading south for the winter.
“The Monarch butterflies seem to have an internal imprinting in that they know instinctively where to go and how to get there,” said Jim Ziebol, who heads the St. Louis Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA).
“All of the Monarchs east of the Rockies migrate to a place in Mexico about 100 miles north of Mexico City,” said Ziebol of St. Louis Hills. “The final brood is just about through the St. Louis area and headed down there right now.”
Ziebol and other local folks engaged in ‘recreational butterflying’ have been snapping photos and videotaping the miracle of the migrating Monarchs. Often, they will compare and contrast what they’ve captured on camera at regular NABA chapter meetings at Powder Valley Nature Center in Kirkwood.
The annual Monarch Watch is just one of many programs that keep the butterfly hobbyists busy. They also sponsor butterfly walks, butterfly counts, butterfly education classes and, in recent years, the planting of special butterfly gardens.
Dennis Bozzay of Crestwood is a board director for the NABA chapter in St. Louis. He oversees its butterfly gardening activities and maintains a handsome garden in his own backyard in Crestwood.
“Part of the fun and joy of this kind of gardening is to see how many different varieties of butterflies you can attract,” said Bozzay. “The Monarchs are about gone, but through the year, I’ve attracted more than 35 different species to my butterfly garden.
“Another thing I love is to watch the life cycle of butterflies from eggs to caterpillars, to pupae, to the actual butterflies,” added Bozzay. “They have a pretty rough life and a high mortality rate. They have so many predators. Less than 5 percent of the caterpillars make it to full-fledged butterflies.”
Bozzay operates Bozzay Florists on Manchester Road in Warson Woods. Surprisingly, he said “there’s not much overlap” between the flowers he handles in the shop and what he plants to attract the butterflies in his backyard.
“Butterflies like to nectar on the wildflowers that are native to this area,” explained Bozzay. “My flowers in the shop won’t interest them, but I do mix some of my shop plants into the garden at my home.”
Among the many native plants that butterflies love are: butterfly bush, blue indigo, prairie blazing star, shining blue star, columbine and various varieties of milkweed.
“A real butterfly garden has a rough-hewn look that some people don’t appreciate,” said Bozzay. “Some people are prone to clip off the dried flowers and the pods and browning coneheads. I’ve grown to admire it all and, also, I am impressed so much by the resilience of these plants.”
Busch Conservation Area
NABA President Ziebol has his very own garden named after him at the Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles County. The Jim Ziebol Butterfly Garden got off the ground in 2000 and contains more than 40 plant species native to Missouri.
“Our chapter spends a lot of time out there, keeping up the garden and sight-identifying butterflies,” said Ziebol. “It’s a joint project of NABA with the Missouri Conservation Department and the Webster Groves Nature Society.”
The attractive garden at the Busch Conservation Area provides a great site for beginners to learn about the winged creatures’ habitat, as well as how to identify species and to train for the annual butterfly counts.
A NABA butterfly count, which is a sort of census of butterflies in North America, occurs locally and nationally a few weeks before and after the Fourth of July. Volunteers are given a 15-mile diameter count area and conduct a one-day census of all butterflies seen within the circle. More than 100 species of butterflies have been observed in the St. Louis area.
Species identification is made much easier with Dr. Jeffrey Glassberg’s book, Butterflies Through Binoculars: The East. Ziebol has high praise for Glassberg, a scientist and lawyer who founded NABA in 1993 and who popularized the study of butterflies.
“Glassberg worked hard to get people away from capturing butterflies and pinning them in collections,” said Ziebol. “That was popular when I was a kid. It was very destructive to butterfly populations and you really should not hurt the creatures that you love.”
Of course, humans have been hurting butterflies for years by draining wet lands, by destroying prairie habitat, and by the use of pesticides. Many species that used to flourish in the St. Louis area have simply disappeared.
Environmental Activist
Ziebol points to local NABA chapter vice president, Yvonne Homeyer of Brentwood, as “a very effective activist on behalf of the environment,” and not coincidentally, a great friend of North American butterflies.
“It’s heartbreaking to see how much we lose when habitat is taken away,” said Homeyer. “We are starting to realize that there is a web of life and there are consequences for all of us when we destroy a part of that web.”
Ziebol and Homeyer started the local chapter of NABA when the national organization decided there were enough members in St. Louis in 2000 to make it happen. At that time, about 27 NABA members were in the St. Louis area, and the chapter’s numbers have more than doubled since then.
“We are a diverse group, but I think most of us are concerned about the destruction of the environment and what it does to wildlife and to us,” said Homeyer. “The big environmental awakening goes back to Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, and when she wrote about how DDT was affecting the birds, it also was affecting the butterfly populations.
“Right now, we are seeing intensified spraying for mosquitoes because of the scare over West Nile Virus,” added Homeyer. “That spraying has really hurt the butterfly populations. With the loss of habitat and the spraying, a lot of people say that the butterflies can just move someplace else. It is not that easy for them to just get out of the way of all of this.”
According to NABA, mosquitoes may actually increase after spraying because the pesticides kill their natural predators, including dragonflies and some species of birds. NABA members have joined other nature groups to lobby a number of communities to ban pesticide spraying.
For more information about NABA go to the national Web site at www.naba.org. The local Web site, put together by the chapter webmaster, David Larson of Ballwin, can be accessed from the national Internet site.
Membership chair for NABA’s local chapter is Scott Marshall of Webster Groves. NABA membership is $30 per year, which can be sent to 609 W. Lockwood Ave.; Webster Groves, Mo. 63119. Chapter information can be obtained by calling 963-7750.
Free meal attracts butterflies
by Janice Denham, Food and Home Editor of the Suburban Journals, originally published in the West County Suburban Journal, www.stltoday.com, July 26, 2006
When Tom Krauska hosts his everyday garden party, he wants a multitude of butterflies to attend.
Using the name Tom Terrific to teach gardening classes, he encourages planting flowers that attract the beautiful insects. In part, it helps negate ‘progress.’
“A loss of habitat comes with wiping out vegetation," he says.
Fewer butterflies are only part of the result.
“Putting a park in your back yard appeals to the physical, the mental, the artistic sides,” Krauska says. “Bringing back butterflies and other animals includes birds, hawks, bees.”
Krauska says it isn’t a lot of work—just love.
His gardening goes back many years and has involved at least two yards, the most recent in Crestwood, where he and his wife have lived 17 years.
About five years ago Krauska reset his gardening mind. He stopped viewing insects as the enemy. Now he encourages them to come to the family plots.
Krauska does not use pesticides, because they kill not only bad bugs, but also caterpillars. Nor does he add ‘beneficial’ insects, because they are indiscriminate eaters.
Cold-blooded butterflies like warm weather, so they hang around, like last week, when temperatures soar. In fact, in spring they sit, wings open to the sun, to stay warm. Regular watering and showers provide tiny puddles.
Their home selection comes down to which plants attract them.
“Ordinarily the peak of their numbers is in August,” Krauska says. Along with some plants, however, he has had a profusion in July.
Attention should be given to planting both 20-day hosts for caterpillar (larva) and chrysalis, as well as the butterfly with its life span of about 30 days.
“If you have a choice of what to plant, there doesn’t seem to be a reason to pick something that doesn’t attract them,” he says.
Krauska likes all the butterflies he attracts, but monarchs are a specialty. In his yard this year, the selection of butterflies includes an American snout, recognized by its pointy nose, which was seen laying eggs.
“It’s probably five years since I have seen it outside of the countryside,” Krauska says.
Last week, he applauded an array of flowers in his garden that included rudbeckia (coneflowers, plus ‘Susans’ with dark eyes), dianthus, echinacea (coneflowers), gaillardia (blanket flowers, including yellow), coreopsis and globe amaranths.
Spectacular was a term Krauska called a profusion of white zinnias, slender mountain mint, ironweed (vemonia) and lantana (moved to a sunnier spot this year). Among the seeds he saves are zinnias, reliable butterfly magnets, in colors he wants to enjoy again.
The butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii) was just coming into flower. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) starts with masses of orange flowers in spring that follow through summer. Krauska recommends planting the low-growing plant where it will stay, because it does not like to be moved.
New England asters are abloom early in his yard; they need deadheading to repeat bloom. Milkweed appeals to a variety of insects and birds. He sticks to tropical (an annual that blooms in fall), swamp and purple varieties. Blazing Star liatris are a reliable late-bloomer.
Like any garden, the display and butterfly appeal varies over time. Early plants that performed well included Dame’s rocket, pincushion flowers (scabiosa) and golden privet. Krauska has several tall stands of Shasta daisies. Viburnum bushes attract larger butterflies. Verbenas start blooming early; Verbena canadensis, which needs deadheading, is a favorite. Lady in Red salvia also color the summer.
Krauska experiments every year, too.
A bluebeard caryopteris, which he characterized as more a bush than a plant, has passed this year’s trial. A rose campion got a thumbs-up for blooms but did attract the beautiful-winged insects.
For the gardener who wants a smaller butterfly bush, he suggests a small dwarf variety (White Ball) now in its second year under a redbud tree.
Many plants in Krauska’s garden like full sun but find five constant hours sufficient, he says.
He lists more ‘commandments’ of butterfly gardening:
Colors do not lure butterflies reliably.
“They can see the ultraviolet range, too, so they can see things we can’t,” Krauska says. “They don’t care so much for the color, but for the nectar.”
Butterflies are not neatniks, by the way.
“They prefer a messy garden,” he says. “Most stay for the winter, so they lay their eggs in the debris. I usually clean up and mulch in late spring.”
Krauska urges planning a smorgasbord of plants and colors.
He likes to plant in groups, so once a butterfly finds a likable nectar, it stays for its reliability. Thus, the possible range is unlimited.
A small pond is new to his back yard this year. Monarchs are attracted to the nondescript Senegal tea plants flourishing there.
“You’d probably pull them out,” he says of their low-luster flowers.
Butterflies are choosy but faithful.
Many everyday plants in a summer garden — the rose, begonia, petunia, daylily and hosta among them — do not attract butterflies.
Another, the geranium, generally generates no interest. However, Krauska has found the beautiful flying insects attracted to pots of red ones in his nectar-abundant yard.
The size of a garden does not influence butterflies, either. They gather on desirable plants on a patio as eagerly as in a huge yard.
He recommends defining gardens to help the gardener and keep unwanted traffic away from the plants — to avoid disturbing dinner guests.
A butterfly garden takes time to develop.
Krauska counts on three consecutive years for it to sleep, creep, then leap.
He has shared gardening expertise to create butterfly gardens at three schools, including Truman Elementary School, located across the street from his home, after an addition was built.
It also takes attention.
“I am still looking for another school to work with,” Krauska says. “I would come in and do some programs with the kids and their teachers, then we put in the plants.”
Information about Krauska’s garden and how to attract butterflies locally is on his extensive Web site www.butterflygardening.org. More lists of local butterfly information is found at www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/stlouis.htm. The North American Butterfly Association Web site is www.naba.org.
All that glitters isn’t protected
by Shawn Clubb, Suburban Journals, South Side Journal, June 4, 2006
Most people are familiar with monarch butterflies and other common species that drift and flutter around the neighborhood, but many haven’t heard of the swamp metalmark.
Of course, most people don’t have fens or glades in their backyards. If you do, members of the St. Louis Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) might want to talk to you.
The chapter has surveyed the St. Louis area for the last decade to determine where varies species can be found. It started looking specifically for this species last year, after having found it on previous surveys. Members haven’t found many swamp metalmarks, which are know to be “rare and local.”
“We do it to see if swamp metalmark is in need of immediate conservation intervention,” said Jim Ziebol, president of the chapter.
Four times last year, members of the chapter went out to four locations—Victoria Glade in Jefferson County, Cuivre River State Park in Lincoln County, St. Francois State Park in St. Francois County, and private property near Union in Franklin County.
Members will check those sites and a few more this year for the species, but Ziebol, who lives in South St. Louis, said they would like to know if anyone finds the species elsewhere. A lot of fens and glades are on private property. There are even glades in St. Louis County.
Fens are low-lying areas where water percolates up through the ground. Glades are arid habitats with loose, shallow soil where cactus and collared lizards can be found.
Both habitats can be found in Missouri. Swamp metalmark caterpillars feed on host plants, which can be found in these areas.
Ziebol said the primary host plant of swamp metalmarks, swamp thistle, can be found in fens. An alternate host plant, tall thistle, can be found in glades.
Ziebol said Jeffrey Glassberg, director and president of the North American Butterfly Association, would like to see the species listed as state endangered, so protections could be put on its habitats.
“As more and more habitat is converted to other uses, biodiversity is declining. The swamp metalmark is just one example in a large picture of changes to the natural world,” said Yvonne Homeyer, vice-president of the St. Louis Chapter. “NABA is interested not only in promoting butterflying as a recreational activity, but also involved in conservation efforts.”
Ziebol said Victoria Glade is a property of The Nature Conservancy. He said the staff has put up signs telling people not to collect plants or animals—including insects—from the site.
The species might no longer exist in areas where it is has previously been found, Ziebol said. They had been found at Cuivre River State Park in previous years, but none were found there last year.
Ziebol said Steve Orzell did a thesis on fens in the Ozarks. He said he is using Orzell’s books and maps to identify other sites where the swamp metalmark might be found.
He said fens are areas of conservation concern, because they tend to draw unusual insects. He said the federally-endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly can be found in some Missouri fens.
“If we find more metalmarks in fens, there’s more reason to protect that as critical habitat,” Ziebol said.
Ziebol said there are two flights of swamp metalmarks—one in June and one in August. He said they feed on the nectar of milkweeds, particularly purple milkweed, but they also will feed on black-eyed Susan.
Ziebol asks that anyone who locates swamp metalmarks to call the St. Louis Chapter at (314) 781-7372.
Annual count will help keep track of butterfly populations
by Julie Randle of the Suburban Journals, June 9, 2004
For those who casually note when a butterfly dances by, the small brown butterfly wouldn’t have been worth a second glance. But when Jim Ziebol saw the somewhat drab-looking creature, it underscored the importance of what he was doing.
Ziebol was counting butterflies. Finding a rare Duke’s Skipper was evidence that at least one small part of St, Charles County would still provide food and shelter for a creature threatened by the inroads of civilization.
A butterfly and bird watching enthusiast from South St. Louis, Ziebol spotted the Dukes’ Skipper during the North American Butterfly Association’s annual 4th of July Butterfly Count at Busch Conservation Area.
The sighting was rare because 90 percent of the wetlands in Illinois and Missouri have been destroyed and the Dukes’ Skipper is “habitat specific” and drawn only to wetlands. His sighting was at Kraut Run, a creek in St. Charles County, and was documented with a photograph.
“It was exciting to see something different and new,” said Ziebol, a co-founder and organizer of walks and counts for the St. Louis chapter of the North American Butterfly Associattion. “It made me think that this habitat was really good.”
In 1993, NABA was established to popularize the study of butterflies through observation and use of field marks rather than by collecting.
NABA officially sponsors the 4th of July Count across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The organization compiles data from count coordinators across North America and publishes the “result of every count in the United States, Canada and Northern Mexico,” said Yvonne Homeyer, co-founder and board member of NABA St.Louis.
This year the 4th of July Butterfly Counts will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 26 at Shaw Nature Reserve and from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, July 4 at Busch Conservation Area.
“A count is survey or census of butterflies in a given geographical area,” Homeyer said. “The reason we do them is to obtain information about where a certain species is found, what their population is and whether there are any trends in population or range of species.” “A butterfly count usually lasts two to three hours and participants can either walk or drive,” Ziebol said. “The walk usually begins around 10 a.m. Butterflies are cold blooded and they need to warm up. When they warm they become more active and you can see them better.”
Ziebol characterized the count at Busch as a citizen’s science project. The count is done around the same day, time and manner.
“The purpose keeps it halfway scientific,” he added.
Participants are divided into small groups no larger than five and accompanied by a leader. Groups identify and count the number of species and record the data. At the conclusion each group turns in their figures to the count coordinator who compiles all the numbers and records them on a master list. The list is send to NABA via the Internet and put into a database, Homeyer said.
Since 1975, data on butterflies has been collected by the Xerces Society, a group that protected and conserved invertebrates -- animals without backbones -- including insects and butterflies. In 1993, NABA took over and started publishing the data results in a book that is put out every year. The data reports are used to analyze butterfly trends across the country, study urban sprawl and the effects on the butterfly population and migration patterns of butterflies, Ziebol said.
Butterfly counts in the St. Louis area on average attract about 400 participants. An individual count may log as many as 40 different species, Ziebol said.
“Anyone with limited knowledge can be helpful by participating in a count,” Homeyer said. “Just having a lot of eyes on a count is very helpful.”
Counters from beginners to expert levels are invited to take part. Groups can approach a butterfly up to its flushing distance, which is 12 to 15 feet. A flushing distance is the distance people can approach the butterfly before it flies away, Ziebol explained. However, humans may be able to get closer if butterflies are distracted and busy puddling, nectaring or pollinating, which are activities they engage in regularly, Ziebol said.
Nectaring is a butterfly feeding process in which they absorb a liquid through their proboscis, a tube that comes out of their head and curls up. The butterfly inserts the tube into the flower and sucks up the nectar, Homeyer said.
Puddling involves butterflies sitting on dirt, gravel, or wet mud to absorb minerals, salt and water for nourishment, Ziebol said. Pollinating involves butterflies flying from flower to flower transferring pollen, which is biologically important, Ziebol added.
Some butterflies prefer a distinct environment while others enjoy a smorgasbord of surroundings. During the summer, butterflies’ favorite locations seem to be places that are wet and muddy. Busch is the perfect place to count butterflies “because it is so big and has a variety of habitats,” Ziebol said. “Busch is approximately 7,000 acres with varied habitats, agricultural fields, dense woods and 33 lakes.”
"One of the most popular spots to see butterflies is in “a field with flowers because butterflies will be nectaring,” Homeyer said.
At Busch participants can see a wide range of butterflies such as Question Marks, Pearl Crescents, Eastern Tailed-Blue, and a variety of swallowtails that include Spicebush, Pipevine, and Zebra, Ziebol said.
“I like to be outdoors and the more natural the area, the more I enjoy it. I like things that move,” Homeyer said. “I find it interesting to watch things fly.”
The Shaw Nature Reserve has habitats such as the Meramec River, a prairie, woods, wildflower garden and wetland, Homeyer said. Shaw Nature Reserve “features a restored prairie. It is large and filled with prairie flowers and grasses,” Homeyer said.
“I would personally like to see people see how beautiful these creature are,” Ziebol said. “I would hope 50 years from now we have enough habitat to support these species in good numbers.”
For people who have never been on a butterfly count Ziebol offers some friendly reminders, wear comfortable shoes, long pants, a hat, and bring sunscreen, binoculars, (if you have them) and a camera.
“No experience is required to participate in the butterfly count,” Homeyer said. “If they (people) would like to go to a pretty place and look at butterflies, the butterfly count would be a good opportunity for them.”
There is a $3 fee per person. The admission money is used to publish the NABA report. For more information call (314) 963-7750 or visit www.naba.org/chapters/nabasl/stlouis.htm.
In March 2000, Ziebol and Homeyer started the NABA St. Louis Chapter.
For helping St. Louisans enjoy butterflies, the Jim Ziebol Butterfly Garden was erected in the summer of 2000 at the Busch Conservation Area in St. Charles.
It was a joint effort between NABA St. Louis, the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, and the Missouri Department of Conservation.
The garden demonstrates how to attract butterflies with both nectar and host plants such as Butterfly Weed, Purple Coneflower, Slender Mountain Mint, Prairie and Eastern Blazing Star and Swamp and Common Milkweed.
“It is thriving. This thing is lush and full and gorgeous,” Homeyer said. “We want to attract peoples’ attention to butterflies. We’re hoping that people notice how pretty butterflies are.”
Butterflies drawing interest as hobby
by Tonya Cross of the Suburban Journals, June 11, 2003
A hobby in the area has butterfly enthusiasts in a flutter.
It’s called recreational butterflying. Similar to birding, participants take field guides and scout for butterflies.
Rather than capturing the butterflies, killing them and mounting them in a case like a collector, butterfliers use only binoculars, a pen and paper and cameras to view them, list them and capture the essence of the insect in a photograph without harming it.
The North American Butterfly Association (NABA) was created in 1992 for the public enjoyment and conservation of butterflies. It focuses on the joys of nonconsumptive, recreational butterflying, including gardening, observation, knowledge and conservation.
Membership to NABA is open to all those who share the vision.
Yvonne Homeyer, conservation chairwoman of the St. Louis chapter of NABA, said the local chapter began in 2000 with 25 members.
"We’ve grown four times since then," Homeyer said.
Homeyer, a Brentwood resident, is a former president of the local chapter and remains on the board.
Nationally, NABA is trying to build a native plant butterfly park in south Texas and recently categorized the "Miami Blue" butterfly as an endangered species, Homeyer said.
A tiny colony of fewer than 20 butterflies, NABA publicized the seriousness of the Miami Blue and convinced the State of Florida to protect it, she said.
Ann Earley, local president of NABA, said the St. Louis chapter co-sponsors a garden at the Bush Wildlife Area in St. Charles with the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Webster Groves Nature Study Society.
Called the Jim Ziebold Butterfly Garden, after a passionate butterflier who is in charge of the local annual butterfly count and database, the garden shows newcomers how to attract butterflies to their gardens, Earley said.
The NABA Butterfly Count, which is a census of the butterflies in the United States, Canada and Mexico, occurs locally and nationally in the weeks just prior to or just after American Independence Day.
"It’s the group’s biggest conservation effort," Homeyer said.
Volunteer participants select a count area within a 15-mile diameter and conduct a one-day census of all butterflies sighted within the circle. Participants take photographs of the butterflies and list the names of the species, the photographer’s name, the number of butterflies they saw and how the numbers compare to those of previous years.
They then make a map of the area they searched. The map is then placed on NABA’s web site, www.naba.org
Earley, a Brentwood resident, said NABA also provides outings and classes for people who are interested in the hobby.
The group takes walks to parks where they might spend time documenting characteristics of a flight pattern or what time of the year a particular species is best viewed, she said.
"It’s a great way for beginners to learn about butterflies, how to identify them by site and observe them in their natural habitat," Earley said.
Another great way to learn about butterflying is through two courses offered at St. Louis Community College at Meramec. The classes include butterfly history and identification and what types of plants to put in a garden to attract butterflies.
"It’s pretty popular," Earley said. "A lot of people seem interested."
Tours of NABA members’ gardens also can be provided for those who are interested, she said.
For more information about NABA or membership information, call (314) 963-7750 or visit the web site.
You can contact Tonya Cross at tcross@yourjournal.com.
How does your garden grow?
by Amanda C. Tinnin of the Suburban Journals, June 11, 2003
At first glance Tom Terrific’s garden may look like any other, but butterflies know when you want good nectar, you go to Terrific’s house.
An avid gardener for 30 years, the last five of which have been dedicated to butterfly gardening, Terrific meticulously filled his yard with plants to attract butterflies.
"I got involved in butterfly gardening through a need to learn about butterflies," Terrific said. "While I had been a gardener for 25 years, when it came to insects I was inclined to follow the slogan of ’Kill ’em all and let God sort ’em out.’ While I might try to be organic and use more natural means, I viewed caterpillars and other such creatures as pests who just wanted to eat my carefully-tended plants."
After joining the North American Butterfly Association, reading many books and surfing the Internet for hours, Terrific invested a mere $20 at a local nursery to begin his own butterfly garden.
"I was lucky that first year because my Milkweed plants attracted the attention of some early Monarch butterflies and I was soon raising my first caterpillars," he said. "It turned into a passion I hope to enjoy for the rest of my life."
Almost everything in his front and back yards was selected because it was known to attract various species of butterflies. There are flowers and bushes, but also trees whose nectar pleases the colorful winged insects.
In fact, Terrific considers his yard a smorgasbord.
"Butterflies are like little children at times," he said. "You know how some kids sit down to eat and whine, ’What’s this?’ or I don’t like that.’ Well many butterflies are finicky, too. They seem to prefer one type of nectar on a particular day, at a particular time and they will stay with that one particular flower. The more options they have, the more likely it is they will stay in your yard."
Along with selecting a wide variety of plants, including some many gardeners would consider weeds, Terrific has also gotten away from using any kind of chemicals on his plants.
"Now obviously pesticides are on the forbidden list," Terrific said. "If you spray your plants with those products you’re not only killing the bad bugs, but you’re also killing butterflies and caterpillars and your butterfly garden is going to be pretty pathetic. Even the so-called safe insecticides can kill butterflies and caterpillars."
The only spray Terrific uses is the one that comes from his hose. When removing unwanted insects, he’s been know to roam through his garden with his shop vac and suck those buggers out of there.
"I haven’t sprayed my plants at all for the last four years and while I do have a few aphids here and there, I can put up with them," he said. "If they’re really annoying I use my hose sprayer to knock them off."
Terrific knelt down in his garden Monday morning to take a peek. Although it’s early, a few of his leaves were already hiding tiny caterpillars.
He could spot a leaf that was home to a baby butterfly because the leaf was curled under. He said many gardeners would pull such leaves off and toss it in the trash.
"It makes us feel good to see everything all cleaned up, no leaf litter on the ground and no stray twigs lying about," Terrific said. "At the Botanical Garden they even strip off the bad looking leaves. The problem is that butterflies use this litter, twigs and leaves to hide in. So every time you start tidying up the garden, you may be throwing out the butterflies with the trash."
Terrific said the whole process has become a holistic experience contributing physical exercise, mental planning and spiritual fulfillment to his life.
"Butterflies are beautiful things," he said. "They’re just fun to have in your yard. Why not bring the park to you and develop your own ecosystem."
Amanda Tinnin can be reached at atinnin@yourjournal.com.
