Lesson 1: Butterflies
Objective: Lesson One: What do butterflies do?
The objective of the first lesson is to increase the students knowledge about the role that butterflies play in an ecosystem.
Course goal:
When you have completed the course you will have, on paper, designed a garden and be ready to create an ecosystem that will attract butterflies and encourage them to set up home.
You will learn about host plants and nectar plants. You will know which herbs butterflies prefer, and how to put all the information together so that you garden thrives and butterflies can’t resist settling in. Butterflies bring more than beauty to your garden. They provide services which are essential for the plants to flourish.
You will need:
-2 drawing pencils
- graph paper
-sharpener (sharp pencils draw best)
-eraser
HOW TO MAKE BUTTERFLY GARDENS: Attracting butterflies to you garden requires some thought and planning. You need to know which butterflies are native to your region. You need to know what they like to eat and where they sleep, in short, you need to know butterfly habitats and habits. Let's start with a look at the butterfly.
Adults
Adult butterflies and moths have mouthparts shaped into a long, coiled tube. Forcing blood into the tube straightens it out, allowing butterflies to feed on liquids.
Butterflies get all their food from this tube, which limits them to nectar and standing water. Larvae, on the other hand, have chewing mouthparts, which they use to defoliate leaves.
Butterflies have large, rounded compound eyes which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, and are more attracted to large stands of a particular flower than those planted singly.
They do not see "red" as well as we do, but they can see polarized light (which tells the direction the sun is pointing) as well as ultraviolet light, which is present on many flowers and guides them to nectar sources.
Butterflies also have a very well-developed sense of smell from their antennae. All butterflies' antennae are club-shaped, as opposed to moths, which can be many shapes but often are feathery.
Attracting Butterflies
Section Two: Attracting Butterflies
Objective: the student will create a plant list which includes nectar and host plants.
Nectar Preferences
Different species of butterflies have different preferences of nectar, in both colors and tastes. Provide a wide range of plant posssibilities and the butterflies will flock to feast.
Diversity is the key word here, ecosystems thrive on biodiversity. This is an opportunity to explore and have some fun. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage your imagination.
For example:
Try staggering wild and cultivated plants, as well as blooming times of the day and year. Groups of the same plants will be easier for butterflies to see than singly planted flowers.
Food plants
Another way to attract adult butterflies to your yard is to offer places (food plants) for females to lay their eggs. Some females are pickier about which host to lay their eggs on than others.
The larvae can also be very noteworthy. Some caterpillars have hairs or forked spines, which may be or may not sting (often the hairs are just for show). It's better to be safe than sorry, so wear gloves when handling these larvae.
Certain swallowtail caterpillars imitate snakes or bird droppings. Other caterpillars, like sulphers, blend into their surroundings very well. If caterpillars are eating excessive foliage from a prominent or desirable part of a plant, try moving them with gloves on (if they're hairy) to the backside or another less noticeable portion of the plant. All insects are cold-blooded and cannot internally regulate their body temperature. Butterflies will readily bask in the sun when it is warm out, but few are seen on cloudy days. It is a good idea to leave open areas in a yard for butterflies to sun themselves, as well as partly shady areas like trees or shrubs, so they can hide when it's cloudy or cool off if it is very hot. A flat rock placed in full sun will provide the spot that butterflies need to bask. Butterflies like puddles. Males of several species congregate at small rain pools, forming puddle clubs. Permanent puddles are very easy to make by burying a bucket to the rim, filling it with gravel or sand, and then pouring in liquids such as stale beer, sweet drinks or water. Butterflies love overripe fruit,that has been allowed to sit for a few days.
Butterfly Gardening
Flying flowers or jewels of the sky are just two of the terms that have been used to describe the beauty and fascination that people have for butterflies. By following a few simple steps, you can attract these flying beauties to your garden.
WHY DO BUTTERFLIES VISIT A GARDEN?
Butterflies are looking for two things when they enter a garden: nectar, the food that adult butterflies need, and host plants, the place where the female will lay her eggs and the food that caterpillars need. Both are necessary to create a successful butterfly garden.
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1...
