Raising Butterflies As A Hobby Part 1

I am really glad you are here to visit my column today. We're going to listen in on a conversation between four people that share the fascinating hobby of raising butterflies for release into their gardens? I made their acquaintance through the gardenwithbutterflies email discussion group. Our four participants are: Gerald Mines, Melany Serafis, Stan Westfall, and Sue Allie. Won't you pull up your favorite chair and listen in on this discussion?

Diana: I'd like to encourage my readers to try their hand at raising butterflies. What species would you suggest they start with? Are there any legalities involved -- i.e. illegal to collect any species?

Melany: I'd suggest the Black Swallowtail. Although it's not found all over the US, it is very common in the east, and is easy to raise. The host plants (Parsley, Dill, Fennel) are pretty common and easy to grow. This is also a big caterpillar that stays in the open so you can watch the progress as it grows. While Monarch caterpillars are many people's favorites, I've found that they are 'piggies'. You must have lots of milkweed to sustain them. They are great to raise, but you must do your homework first. I don't think there are any legalities in collecting, but it is illegal to ship butterflies across state lines.

Stan: I'd suggest Eastern Black Swallowtails or Monarchs for beginners as the larval plants for both can be purchased a any good gardening center. (Parsley or dill for the Eastern Blacks and butterfly weed for the monarchs) These types are also fairly plentiful and should be easy to attract in quantities that will provide prospective butterfly raisers with a good quantity of caterpillars to raise. They can start with a couple for starters and then raise larger quantities if they desire.

Sue: It depends upon what species are prevalent in their areas. The easiest butterflies to attract are the monarchs and the black swallowtails. One must plant flowers for both the butterfly (nectar plants) and the caterpillar (host plants).

There are strict laws and licensing with the transportation of live butterflies over state lines. I know of a collector in a suburb near me that was heavily fined, but I think he had exotic mounted butterflies. As far as collecting, if each person in the world kept one butterfly, how many would be left flying free?

Gerald: I would suggest the Monarch or Black Swallowtail butterflies. They are both found throughout most of the United States and their food requirements can be easily provided from plants grown in the garden. For persons with disabilities and for reasons I'll explain below, I would go with the Monarch.

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