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Wildflowers and Butterflies, a Bit of Nature's Delicate Balance

© Gregg Pasterick

Each autumn Monarchs migrate to their winter habitats. In the Western U.S. they migrate to locations in Southern California. In the Central and Eastern U.S. their migration takes them to Mexico. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has listed this amazing annual occurrence as the planet’s only “Endangered Phenomenon”.

What does this have to do with wildflowers? Everything.

Wildflowers from Canada, the northern limit of milkweed, all the way to Mexico provide neccessary nectar sources for Monarchs. Without wildflowers, Monarchs would not be able to make their journey and these delicate bits of orange and black would perish. And though Monarchs might be an extreme example of this dependence, all butterflies rely upon wildflowers, either as a nectar source, or as a host plant.

Host plants are those on which butterfly larvae feed. Monarch larvae, for example, feed only milkweed species, while the larvae of Fritillaries will feed only on Violets. Any wildflower, on the other hand, can be a nectar source for a variety of adult butterflies. That isn’t to imply that the absence of any one wildflower will have no impact on butterflies. Consider Dandelions, one of the first wildflowers to bloom each spring. As a consequence, it is also one of the few nectar sources available to butterflies that emerge early.

Butterflies and the wildflowers they depend upon for survival also provide us a snapshot of nature’s delicate balance.

The federally endangered Karner Blue butterfly depends upon Wild Lupine, its sole host plant. It also depends upon a specific environment that includes a heavy winter snowfall. Wild Lupine’s habitat ranges far beyond the narrow conditions necessary for the survival of the Karner Blue, but this butterfly cannot survive without a heavy snow pack to protect its larvae during the winter.

The Xerces Blue butterfly, which laid its eggs on Lupine and Deer Weed, required a habitat found only in the coastal dunes of the San Francisco area. In 1943 an expanding military facility claimed the land on which the last remaining colony of Xerces Blue thrived. They are gone forever. Not only are specific wildflowers necessary for the survival of some butterflies, but they often must thrive in a specific environment as well.

Wildflowers, whether ubiquitous “weeds” or rare treasures, are necessary if butterflies are to thrive. In some cases, a wildflower is all that stands between survival and extinction. Natural habitats must be left alone and wherever possible, encouraged to spread. Our own backyards can become more butterfly friendly by allowing wildflowers, even the “weedy” varieties, to flourish. We would benefit not only from a colorful garden of native wildflowers, but from the wide variety of colorful butterflies that would be attracted to the blossoms.

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