Ghost trees are what bird lovers call snags. They are dead trees. They are immensely important to wildlife, and are becoming more scarce each day.
Primary cavity-nesters, such as woodpeckers, chisel nest cavities in them and search for insects. Bluebirds, titmice, wren, screech owls and kestrels enjoy nesting in old woodpecker holes. Deer mice, flying squirrels, tree frogs, arboreal snakes and lizards and invertebrates too numerous to mention enjoy the cavities also.
Other birds, not cavity nesters, use snags to launch territorial attacks. The phoebe is one such bird. Vultures enjoy using them for sunning, and hawks nest in the tops of snags.
Many songbirds such as Cardinals, Indigo Buntings and Bluebirds sing from the tops of snags to announce their territories and to attract a mate.
It is not uncommon for one snag to house several different species at different levels. Screech owls and hawks take the top of a snag for a nesting site, while woodpeckers such as the Pileated will choose to excavate a nest about 60 feet up, and squirrels will nest about half way down in a hollow tree.
House wrens favor holes in snags to raise their young also. A dead tree literally teems with life until natural decay takes the final toll and drops the snag to the forest floor where it continues to contribute to the ecosystem. A snag may stand some 30 or more years before it topples.
Dead trees provide a unique life support system for some 85 species of birds in North America. Some 50 mammals use dead trees for dens and nurseries, and innumerable invertebrate find cozy niches in them.
Usually it is the woodpeckers that claim a snag as home. This is why they are labeled primary snag nesters. Other species use their old nests in following years becoming secondary snag nesters. Each year woodpeckers chisel out new nests never going back and using an old nest site which probably has already been claimed by another species.
Screech, saw whet and pygmy owls, house wrens, tree and violet-green swallows, kestrels, bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches, wood ducks, hooded mergansers, goldeneyes, and buffleheads are secondary nesters using old woodpecker holes.
The large snags are choice ones. The pileated woodpeckers, barred owls and tree-nesting ducks cannot fit into the smaller snags. The large ones offer a wide choice of safe nests. High in a tall snag, it is difficult for predators to reach a nest. It is the big snags that are vanishing from the forests at an alarming rate.
Adding a snag to your back-yard bird feeding station will add interest, attract species that you may not have now, and help cavity nesters. Of course, when you start planting dead trees in your back yard, your neighbors may tend to look the other way as they whisper about your sanity.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
10 ways wildlife lovers can help birds-of-prey
*** If you discover birds-of-prey nesting, roosting or hunting in your locale, try to protect the areas from disturbances. Contact your state's wildlife commission if you need help.
*** If you witness or have evidence of someone shooting or killing a bird-of-prey, notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or your state wildlife commission so the person can be prosecuted. All birds-of-prey are federally protected.
*** If you hunt, make sure you are not shooting at a hawk or eagle.
*** It is a federal offense to disturb the nest of an eagle.
*** If you find a dead or wounded eagle, notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. USFWS agents will transport injured eagles to veterinary medical centers where they may be treated, rehabilitated and released.
*** Even a dead bird-of-prey, through autopsies, supply valuable information that can help living ones.
*** If you must use pesticides, choose those that chemically break down rapidly after use. Avoid chlorinated hydrocarbons. Read the labels carefully and follow instructions carefully. If you have any doubts or questions, contact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or conservation organizations in your area.
*** When cleaning garages, basements, and storage areas, do not flush old pesticides down the drain or dump them into the garbage. Contact your local EPA office for advice.
*** If you find an injured bird-of-prey, do not attempt to rescue it unless you are experienced. Sharp talons leave nasty wounds. Call a local nature center, wildlife officer, wildlife rehabilitator or law enforcement office for help. Stay in the area and keep an eye on the injured bird until help arrives.
*** Hawks and owls are rodent eaters mainly. Poisoned rats and mice may be deadly to them when eaten. Remember this when you put out rodent poison.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
*** If you witness or have evidence of someone shooting or killing a bird-of-prey, notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or your state wildlife commission so the person can be prosecuted. All birds-of-prey are federally protected.
*** If you hunt, make sure you are not shooting at a hawk or eagle.
*** It is a federal offense to disturb the nest of an eagle.
*** If you find a dead or wounded eagle, notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. USFWS agents will transport injured eagles to veterinary medical centers where they may be treated, rehabilitated and released.
*** Even a dead bird-of-prey, through autopsies, supply valuable information that can help living ones.
*** If you must use pesticides, choose those that chemically break down rapidly after use. Avoid chlorinated hydrocarbons. Read the labels carefully and follow instructions carefully. If you have any doubts or questions, contact the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or conservation organizations in your area.
*** When cleaning garages, basements, and storage areas, do not flush old pesticides down the drain or dump them into the garbage. Contact your local EPA office for advice.
*** If you find an injured bird-of-prey, do not attempt to rescue it unless you are experienced. Sharp talons leave nasty wounds. Call a local nature center, wildlife officer, wildlife rehabilitator or law enforcement office for help. Stay in the area and keep an eye on the injured bird until help arrives.
*** Hawks and owls are rodent eaters mainly. Poisoned rats and mice may be deadly to them when eaten. Remember this when you put out rodent poison.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
How long does it take to fledge?
How long does it take to fledge?
Barn Owl – 60 days from hatching
cardinal - 9-10 days from hatching
Cedar Wax Wing - 15-16 days from hatching
Chimney Swift – 25-30 days from hatching
Crow - 28-35 days from hatching
House Wren - 15-16 days from hatching
Mourning Dove - 3-15 days from hatching
Nighthawk - Approx. 23 days
Robin - 9-16 days
Starling - 14-21 days from hatching
Barn Owl – 60 days from hatching
cardinal - 9-10 days from hatching
Cedar Wax Wing - 15-16 days from hatching
Chimney Swift – 25-30 days from hatching
Crow - 28-35 days from hatching
House Wren - 15-16 days from hatching
Mourning Dove - 3-15 days from hatching
Nighthawk - Approx. 23 days
Robin - 9-16 days
Starling - 14-21 days from hatching
Do you know who nests where?
Cavity nesters are backyard birds most hurt by man's encroachment on their environments.
However other bird species nest on the ground, in shrubs, trees and on various ledges. The
following list includes some common backyard bird nest sites.
Ground nesters:
American black duck
American woodcock
Boblink
Bobwhite
Canada goose
Eastern meadowlark
Killdeer
Mallard
Quail
Ring-necked pheasant
Rufous-sided towhee
Western meadowlark
White-throated sparrow
Shrub nesters
Brown thrasher
Brown towhee
California thrasher
Chipping sparrow
Common yellowthroat
Indigo bunting
Northern cardinal
Northern mockingbird
Red-winged blackbird
Rose-breasted growbeak
Song sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
Yellow warbler
Shrub or tree nesters
American robin
Black-billed cuckoo
Black-billed magpie
Brewer's blackbird
Kingbird
Wood thrush
Yellow-billed cuckoo
Tree nesters
American crow
Blue Jay
Cedar Waxwing
Great horned owl
Hooded oriole
Inca dove
Lesser goldfinch
Mourning dove
Northern oriole
Orchard oriole
Pewee
Pine siskin
Purple finch
Red-tailed hawk
Screech owls
Platform nesters
American robin
Barn swallow
Black Phoebe
Cliff swallow
Eastern phoebe
Say's phoebe
Water tip
Provide water at varying levels for your backyard birds. Each avian species bathes a bit differently.
Depending on size, a bird may need water from only a half inch to several inches deep. Try placing
several flat stones around the edge of your bird bath. This allows the birds to gradually enter the
water.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
However other bird species nest on the ground, in shrubs, trees and on various ledges. The
following list includes some common backyard bird nest sites.
Ground nesters:
American black duck
American woodcock
Boblink
Bobwhite
Canada goose
Eastern meadowlark
Killdeer
Mallard
Quail
Ring-necked pheasant
Rufous-sided towhee
Western meadowlark
White-throated sparrow
Shrub nesters
Brown thrasher
Brown towhee
California thrasher
Chipping sparrow
Common yellowthroat
Indigo bunting
Northern cardinal
Northern mockingbird
Red-winged blackbird
Rose-breasted growbeak
Song sparrow
White-crowned sparrow
Yellow warbler
Shrub or tree nesters
American robin
Black-billed cuckoo
Black-billed magpie
Brewer's blackbird
Kingbird
Wood thrush
Yellow-billed cuckoo
Tree nesters
American crow
Blue Jay
Cedar Waxwing
Great horned owl
Hooded oriole
Inca dove
Lesser goldfinch
Mourning dove
Northern oriole
Orchard oriole
Pewee
Pine siskin
Purple finch
Red-tailed hawk
Screech owls
Platform nesters
American robin
Barn swallow
Black Phoebe
Cliff swallow
Eastern phoebe
Say's phoebe
Water tip
Provide water at varying levels for your backyard birds. Each avian species bathes a bit differently.
Depending on size, a bird may need water from only a half inch to several inches deep. Try placing
several flat stones around the edge of your bird bath. This allows the birds to gradually enter the
water.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
Treating Finch Eye Disease
Treating finch eye disease takes patience and consistency in applying treatment. It becomes more pronounced and obvious during spring migration.
Migration spreads finch eye disease from one location to another rapidly.
The North American Wildlife Health Care Center's network of rehabilitators have used the following treatment successfully.
The eye lesions have ranged from slightly swollen eyelids with a clear ocular drainage to severe swelling with loss of sight.
When there is loss of sight, there has been nasal exudate simultaneously. In other words, the bird had a runny nose.
The disease outbreak has been investigated by SCWDS, the National Wildlife Health Center, wildlife agencies in various states, and veterinary diagnostic labs in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.
The disease is a conjunctivitis that has been identified as a bacterium usually associated with chronic respiratory disease in domestic chickens and infectious sinusitis in turkeys.
One recommended treatment is 14 days of oral tetracycline (Panmycin Aquadrops, by Upjohn, at 250 mg/kg, PO, BID approximately .0.05 cc per finch, BID) and 21 days of Tylson.
(Tylan 10, powder for addition to drinking water, Elanco-a division of Eli Lily) at 1/4 teaspoon powder per quart of water. After 21 days of Tylson, continue to use every other day until the bird is released. Make the Tylson the only source of water. Do not offer bathing water during treatment time.
Initially gently clean and open the sore eyes with a sterile saline solution and a Q-tip. Put oxytetracycline eye ointment which is Terramycin by Pfizer in both eyes BID until all swelling and redness is gone. Do this twice daily at least an hour apart from using the drops.
Be patient. It may take close to a month to successfully treat finch eye disease using this treatment.
There are other treatments being tried. As soon as we learn of their success, we will let you know.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
Migration spreads finch eye disease from one location to another rapidly.
The North American Wildlife Health Care Center's network of rehabilitators have used the following treatment successfully.
The eye lesions have ranged from slightly swollen eyelids with a clear ocular drainage to severe swelling with loss of sight.
When there is loss of sight, there has been nasal exudate simultaneously. In other words, the bird had a runny nose.
The disease outbreak has been investigated by SCWDS, the National Wildlife Health Center, wildlife agencies in various states, and veterinary diagnostic labs in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia.
The disease is a conjunctivitis that has been identified as a bacterium usually associated with chronic respiratory disease in domestic chickens and infectious sinusitis in turkeys.
One recommended treatment is 14 days of oral tetracycline (Panmycin Aquadrops, by Upjohn, at 250 mg/kg, PO, BID approximately .0.05 cc per finch, BID) and 21 days of Tylson.
(Tylan 10, powder for addition to drinking water, Elanco-a division of Eli Lily) at 1/4 teaspoon powder per quart of water. After 21 days of Tylson, continue to use every other day until the bird is released. Make the Tylson the only source of water. Do not offer bathing water during treatment time.
Initially gently clean and open the sore eyes with a sterile saline solution and a Q-tip. Put oxytetracycline eye ointment which is Terramycin by Pfizer in both eyes BID until all swelling and redness is gone. Do this twice daily at least an hour apart from using the drops.
Be patient. It may take close to a month to successfully treat finch eye disease using this treatment.
There are other treatments being tried. As soon as we learn of their success, we will let you know.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
Grow your own butterflies
Have children or a class, or maybe just your own curiosity dictates that you grow your own butterflies this winter. Whatever the reason, it is a fun project for all ages, and increases the appreciation of what it actually takes for a butterfly to go from an egg to a beautiful insect floating from one flower to another in our back yards.
You can raise butterflies indoors this winter with very little trouble or special preparation. Next spring your efforts will kiss the earth as they take their place in nature.
Regardless of how old or young you are, it is simple fun to watch the metamorphosis from egg to beautiful butterfly.
"If you have just one square foot of space, you can easily raise 50 to 100 butterflies," Rick Mikula, butterfly raising expert says. "It's relaxing and rewarding."
Step 1: Make a butterfly aviary. Identify the host plant for the species of butterfly you wish to raise. Pot one and bring it inside.
Step 2: Make a teepee-type framework over the host plant. Cover the entire framework with mosquito netting or an old sheer curtain or panty hose. Secure the bottom of the net to the pot with a rubber band.
Step 3: Check your backyard. Find a female butterfly of the species you wish to raise. A good insect field guide will show you how to tell a male from a female butterfly of a select species.
Mikula has his own sexing tip:
"Holding the butterfly upside down by its wings, look at the abdomen tip," he advises. "You'll see claspers on a male, but not on a female.
"Almost any female you catch in your garden will already be fertilized," Mikula says. "Put her in the teepee cage and add a small piece of melon to supply sugar, or a few nectar type flowers, such as cosmos or zinnias."
Also, you can use a never-used orange pot scrubber in a shallow dish filled with sugar-water.
Step 4: Cover the entire teepee with a brown paper sack to provide privacy and keep the butterfly calm. Strong light causes her to become active and she might hurt her wings on the enclosure.
After 24 hours, begin checking the host plant for eggs. A female will begin laying eggs anywhere from one to seven days after you place her in the teepee.
Step 5: After she lays a few eggs, release her back into nature.
Swallowtail eggs will hatch in about five days, but it takes some 14 days for a mourning cloak to reach the hatching stage.
Butterfly caterpillars have insatiable appetites. They need lots of food. A monarch caterpillar increases its size some 2,700 times in just two weeks!
If the host plant looks spent after a few day, add fresh leaves for the caterpillars. You will probably have to replenish the leaves at least once a day, and maybe more often. Also, it is important to remove the caterpillars every day. They make great fertilizer for your pot plants.
In two to three weeks, the caterpillar will begin changing to the pupal stage. It climbs onto the netting, attaches itself and pupates. Keep the chrysalises or pupae out of direct sunlight or they will become too dry.
Check a reputable insect field guide to determine how long you must wait for your particular species to mature. At room temperature, a monarch emerges in about 14 days, but some butterflies overwinter before the adult emerges.
Butterfly raising is fun and a great way to entertain your children, friends, and yourself.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
You can raise butterflies indoors this winter with very little trouble or special preparation. Next spring your efforts will kiss the earth as they take their place in nature.
Regardless of how old or young you are, it is simple fun to watch the metamorphosis from egg to beautiful butterfly.
"If you have just one square foot of space, you can easily raise 50 to 100 butterflies," Rick Mikula, butterfly raising expert says. "It's relaxing and rewarding."
Step 1: Make a butterfly aviary. Identify the host plant for the species of butterfly you wish to raise. Pot one and bring it inside.
Step 2: Make a teepee-type framework over the host plant. Cover the entire framework with mosquito netting or an old sheer curtain or panty hose. Secure the bottom of the net to the pot with a rubber band.
Step 3: Check your backyard. Find a female butterfly of the species you wish to raise. A good insect field guide will show you how to tell a male from a female butterfly of a select species.
Mikula has his own sexing tip:
"Holding the butterfly upside down by its wings, look at the abdomen tip," he advises. "You'll see claspers on a male, but not on a female.
"Almost any female you catch in your garden will already be fertilized," Mikula says. "Put her in the teepee cage and add a small piece of melon to supply sugar, or a few nectar type flowers, such as cosmos or zinnias."
Also, you can use a never-used orange pot scrubber in a shallow dish filled with sugar-water.
Step 4: Cover the entire teepee with a brown paper sack to provide privacy and keep the butterfly calm. Strong light causes her to become active and she might hurt her wings on the enclosure.
After 24 hours, begin checking the host plant for eggs. A female will begin laying eggs anywhere from one to seven days after you place her in the teepee.
Step 5: After she lays a few eggs, release her back into nature.
Swallowtail eggs will hatch in about five days, but it takes some 14 days for a mourning cloak to reach the hatching stage.
Butterfly caterpillars have insatiable appetites. They need lots of food. A monarch caterpillar increases its size some 2,700 times in just two weeks!
If the host plant looks spent after a few day, add fresh leaves for the caterpillars. You will probably have to replenish the leaves at least once a day, and maybe more often. Also, it is important to remove the caterpillars every day. They make great fertilizer for your pot plants.
In two to three weeks, the caterpillar will begin changing to the pupal stage. It climbs onto the netting, attaches itself and pupates. Keep the chrysalises or pupae out of direct sunlight or they will become too dry.
Check a reputable insect field guide to determine how long you must wait for your particular species to mature. At room temperature, a monarch emerges in about 14 days, but some butterflies overwinter before the adult emerges.
Butterfly raising is fun and a great way to entertain your children, friends, and yourself.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
Common backyard butterflies may be becoming endangered insects
Have you missed something beautiful in your backyard a little more each year? Nature's flying jewels are becoming more scarce each summer. Numerous species are being eliminated to never more grace our flowers and mud puddles.
Several butterfly species are actually nearing extinction, and several have been listed on the endangered wildlife list. What will our summer yards - our lives - be like without nature's jewels?
If you want butterflies in your yard, or want to increase the numbers you already have, you can have your way by following a few suggestions.
"Good wildlife habitats provides the four basic life requirements of all terrestrial animals: food, fresh water, cover or shelter, and sufficient territory to carry out their life functions, particularly courtship and breeding," advises Billy McCord, "Gardening for Butterflies," South Carolina Wildlife, May-June,
1993.
***Inform all your neighbors about how you feel about pesticides. This includes what your neighbors choose to spray on their yard. Give them a choice...Tell them who to call in your area that can help them not kill birds, mammals and insects through a thorough spraying session.
***Encourage your state, your community to allow the sides of the highways to remain natural feeding local butterfly species all summer.
*** Allow the edges of your own lawn to grow literally wild, and remain uncut. Remember. Butterflies cannot dine on the perfectly manicured lawn.
***Encourage such plants as wild thistle and nettle to grow. These are among the most valuable food sources for butterflies.
*** Do not kill, poison, or eradicate Joe-Pye weed, ragweed, goldenrod, milkweed, knapweed, dandelions, mallow, majoram, bugle, wild thyme, clover, meadow sweet, vetch, currant, blueberry and tick trefoil. Many different species of butterflies enjoy feeding on these plants.
*** Provide numerous butterfly habitats on your property. Establish sunny areas. Also include shaded and partial shaded areas. In addition, provide a shallow pool for butterfly drinking.
*** Never use insecticides. Encourage your neighbors to not use pesticides on their lawns.
*** Trim shrubs in season to promote more growth. Pruning is best done in the spring rather fall.
Butterflies enjoy specific shrubs. To increase the numbers in your own back yard, planting from the following will help feed the butterflies visiting your yard.
"The most successful butterfly garden incorporates a selection of various flowering plants that ensure
blooms from early spring through late fall when adult butterflies are on the wing," McCord, "Gardening for Butterflies," South Carolina Wildlife, May-June 1993.
*** Alyssum--blooms summer to mid-fall.
*** Cosmos--blooms late summer to fall.
*** Hellotrope--blooms late spring into summer.
*** Marigold---blooms summer into fall.
*** Salvia--blooms summer through fall.
*** Zinnia-- blooms midsummer into fall.
*** Sweet William--blooms spring through early summer.
*** Asters--blooms late summer into fall.
*** Bee balm--blooms summer through fall--comes in red, lavender, and white.
*** Butterfly bush--blooms mid-summer into fall--white, pink, red
*** Butterfly weed---blooms summer through fall. Collect the seed from a fall ` plant, and relocate by
planting them where you want in the fall.
*** Coreopsis--blooms all summer.
*** Purple coneflower--blooms late summer into fall.
*** Lavender--blooms in the summer.
*** Phlox--blooms all summer-red, pink, lavender, white, and tangerine.
*** Black-eyed Susan--blooms mid-summer into fall.
*** Yarrow--blooms mid-to-late summer.
All of these domestic garden plants are easy to care for year-after-year, add color to your yard, and provide valuable nourishment for visiting butterflies.
"Though all adult butterflies feed by sucking fluids through a tubular proboscis, many species rarely if ever actually feed at flowers. These species dine on a variety of organic fluids from such sources as decomposing animals, fermenting tree sap, rotting fruit and even excrement.
"For this reason, including fruit-producing plants such as grapes, pears, apples or peaches in a garden helps attract more types of adult butterflies than only planting flowers. Fruit must be allowed to overripe and begin to rot or ferment to be attractive...
"Liquids containing sugar or fermenting sugars also attract butterflies and may be poured onto the open ground with some success. I have even seen butterflies gather at puddles of spilled beer or soft drinks," notes McCord, "Gardening for Butterflies," South Carolina Wildlife, May-June 1993.
Do not forget to keep or create a small mud-puddle in your backyard for butterflies. All adult butterflies require water particularly during hot, dry summer periods.
Usually morning dew and normal rainfall supply all the moisture needed, but when the weather is dry, butterflies appreciate a mud-puddle. Minerals, and especially nitrogen is gotten from sipping mud.
Butterflies also appreciate protruding rocks in ground level bird-baths. This gives them a place to sun and rest.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
Several butterfly species are actually nearing extinction, and several have been listed on the endangered wildlife list. What will our summer yards - our lives - be like without nature's jewels?
If you want butterflies in your yard, or want to increase the numbers you already have, you can have your way by following a few suggestions.
"Good wildlife habitats provides the four basic life requirements of all terrestrial animals: food, fresh water, cover or shelter, and sufficient territory to carry out their life functions, particularly courtship and breeding," advises Billy McCord, "Gardening for Butterflies," South Carolina Wildlife, May-June,
1993.
***Inform all your neighbors about how you feel about pesticides. This includes what your neighbors choose to spray on their yard. Give them a choice...Tell them who to call in your area that can help them not kill birds, mammals and insects through a thorough spraying session.
***Encourage your state, your community to allow the sides of the highways to remain natural feeding local butterfly species all summer.
*** Allow the edges of your own lawn to grow literally wild, and remain uncut. Remember. Butterflies cannot dine on the perfectly manicured lawn.
***Encourage such plants as wild thistle and nettle to grow. These are among the most valuable food sources for butterflies.
*** Do not kill, poison, or eradicate Joe-Pye weed, ragweed, goldenrod, milkweed, knapweed, dandelions, mallow, majoram, bugle, wild thyme, clover, meadow sweet, vetch, currant, blueberry and tick trefoil. Many different species of butterflies enjoy feeding on these plants.
*** Provide numerous butterfly habitats on your property. Establish sunny areas. Also include shaded and partial shaded areas. In addition, provide a shallow pool for butterfly drinking.
*** Never use insecticides. Encourage your neighbors to not use pesticides on their lawns.
*** Trim shrubs in season to promote more growth. Pruning is best done in the spring rather fall.
Butterflies enjoy specific shrubs. To increase the numbers in your own back yard, planting from the following will help feed the butterflies visiting your yard.
"The most successful butterfly garden incorporates a selection of various flowering plants that ensure
blooms from early spring through late fall when adult butterflies are on the wing," McCord, "Gardening for Butterflies," South Carolina Wildlife, May-June 1993.
*** Alyssum--blooms summer to mid-fall.
*** Cosmos--blooms late summer to fall.
*** Hellotrope--blooms late spring into summer.
*** Marigold---blooms summer into fall.
*** Salvia--blooms summer through fall.
*** Zinnia-- blooms midsummer into fall.
*** Sweet William--blooms spring through early summer.
*** Asters--blooms late summer into fall.
*** Bee balm--blooms summer through fall--comes in red, lavender, and white.
*** Butterfly bush--blooms mid-summer into fall--white, pink, red
*** Butterfly weed---blooms summer through fall. Collect the seed from a fall ` plant, and relocate by
planting them where you want in the fall.
*** Coreopsis--blooms all summer.
*** Purple coneflower--blooms late summer into fall.
*** Lavender--blooms in the summer.
*** Phlox--blooms all summer-red, pink, lavender, white, and tangerine.
*** Black-eyed Susan--blooms mid-summer into fall.
*** Yarrow--blooms mid-to-late summer.
All of these domestic garden plants are easy to care for year-after-year, add color to your yard, and provide valuable nourishment for visiting butterflies.
"Though all adult butterflies feed by sucking fluids through a tubular proboscis, many species rarely if ever actually feed at flowers. These species dine on a variety of organic fluids from such sources as decomposing animals, fermenting tree sap, rotting fruit and even excrement.
"For this reason, including fruit-producing plants such as grapes, pears, apples or peaches in a garden helps attract more types of adult butterflies than only planting flowers. Fruit must be allowed to overripe and begin to rot or ferment to be attractive...
"Liquids containing sugar or fermenting sugars also attract butterflies and may be poured onto the open ground with some success. I have even seen butterflies gather at puddles of spilled beer or soft drinks," notes McCord, "Gardening for Butterflies," South Carolina Wildlife, May-June 1993.
Do not forget to keep or create a small mud-puddle in your backyard for butterflies. All adult butterflies require water particularly during hot, dry summer periods.
Usually morning dew and normal rainfall supply all the moisture needed, but when the weather is dry, butterflies appreciate a mud-puddle. Minerals, and especially nitrogen is gotten from sipping mud.
Butterflies also appreciate protruding rocks in ground level bird-baths. This gives them a place to sun and rest.
© Copyright North American Wildlife Health Care Center
P.O. Box 155
Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA 28711
A non-profit 501-3-C organization dedicated to wildlife research and education
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