Aristolochia of some kind?

Morning glory?

That's it, Jaynine! Dutchman's Pipe. Now... to decide where to grow it in my yard....

Host plant for swallowtail butterfly larvae.

That would be great then, because I already have TONS of every kind of butterfly imaginable (in my area)! Went looking for this vine locally today... will probably have to haul my cookies back to the larger nursery. Bummer. LOL! (Cuz I'll spend another $150 before I can get out of there!)

Aristolochia, host plant to the Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) and the Polydamas Swallowtail (Battus polydamas)

Does this vine climb on its own? Or does it need to be tied to its trellis or fence or support?

Makes me miss the South!!

Well, come on back!! :)

Thanx, and all this snow and ice is getting old....
Aristolochia will twine around any trellis.
It should be given a lot of room, a tall trellis away from everything taller, as it tends to reach for the moon. Easy target for wandering Swallowtails....
The cats actually can keep this vigorous vine in check.
(This host will not be able to support cats until it is at least 1 year.)

Ok... so it's going to act like my Wisteria??? (God forbid!) (Note to self, add Wisteria to trade list)

What can I do to hold back the Swallowtail swarms until it's mature enough?

I'm new to the whole butterfly 'thing.' I've gotten as far as recognizing the general family a flutter-by belongs to, and buying just about anything that attracts them and hummers.

Right up my alley; I can help with any info you may need and what you need to get.
First of all: no pesticides or chemicals of any kind!!
As for holding back the cats, Nature will take care of that, in the form of all kinds of insect predators, esp wasps. I would encourage these natural predators until there is enough vine for the cats to hide in.
I would compare its growth habit to that of Morning Glory or
possibly Passion Vine (a must for Butterflies!)
Passion Vine needs lots of room, too.
Another must is Milkweed, depending on your zone. There's a tropical milkweed and there are several temperate species.

What's your zone?

Pesticides: We haven't used any chemicals at ALL for 5 years…. until recently, but now it's only the front yard because the HOA cares more than we do. I'm planning to get rid of as much grass as possible as this year progresses so I can stop with even that much.

Wasps: I have in spades. *Groan of despair!* I understand it's the natural order and all that… but how sad that the wasps will be holding back the Swallowtails! At least the Assassin bugs will eat some of the wasps, too. Fair is fair.

Passion Vine: Did you see on another post that I've got it coming from the canal and crawling on our fence? I pulled a bunch out before my eyes trained on it and I thought "wait… that's not Kudzu!" So I'll let it keep coming.

Morning Glory: To someone like me, those are four-letter-words. They choke everything and never STOP. Is this Dutchman's Pipe going to smother everything? I like the habits of all of my Jasmines, my Coral Honeysuckle, and my Bleeding Heart Vine. The Wisteria reaches for the sun, moon, and stars… free-reaching 20-30' away from its trellis trying to grab my Grapefruit tree! Will this be like that?
Not that it's relevant, but the house came with the Wisteria, and it's planted in the wrong spot (complete shade) So It's got beautiful foliage, and never ever ever ever blooms. I'm afraid to move it because what if it grows even faster and further???

I can give it a lot of room, but I need to know exactly how much. I love yard work, but pruning back the Wisteria 2-3 times a week is just crazy-town.

Milkweed: I just bought twenty of these, 16" tall, on clearance from Wally World for .74 each! (I had two plants last year and noticed how much the flutters love it!) Going in the ground this weekend.

I'm in Zone 9B. Central east-coastal Florida.

Congrats on your drug free environment:)
Try some of these other magnets:
Lots of Lantana, and some Cassia for the Sulfurs...
Aristolochia isn't quite as mad as Wisteria; it needs about 10'x10' .which will also accomodate your Passiflora if the two are planted together. Will not reseed like MG's! Passiflora suberosa will attract Julias. You can plant this amongst your Wisteria and other vines and it will disappear....

Quick note: Aristolochia and Passiflora are constantly under assault, so their growth will be kept in check whereas Wisteria and MG are not host plants, making them much more aggressive.
P. suberosa is a small vine that grows about 3 to 4 feet high at its max, and will attract several spp of butterflies. You'll need several of these to achieve numbers.

I have had Lantana before (at my last house, same area) but haven't been lucky here with it. Not really sure why, but I'll keep trying.
That's good news about Passiflora and Aristolochia. And explains my feelings about Wisteria and Morning Glory.

Here's the link to my Passion Vine post. I ripped it out! *Gag!* I'll let it come back, if it's willing!

Here is a link that might be useful: Poor Passiflora

Lantana love it hot, sunny and very well drained. Is it too cold in your area for Pentas or Porterweed? These work just as well as nectar sources. Day Blooming Jessimine is a magnet for male butterflies.
These are all well behaved plants (2 out of 3 native) and require little care. They prefer full sun and average well drained soil.
You may try Jatropha, though it may get a little chilly for those...

It's not too cold for Pentas. I have one large pink and five new red Pentas. I also have one 5' tall purple Porterweed, and four new clearance ones I'm trying to decide where to put.
Jessamine? I'll have to look it up... not sure what it is.
Jatropha I've either seen or heard of, I'll look that one up too.
Thanks so much! Keep the info coming!

Day Blooming Jessimine is related to the night blooming "jasmine" ; both are in the Nightshade (Solanaceae) family. This native thrives in Fla's sandy, rocky soil.

Note:Day blooming Jessimine is Cestrum diurnum; I couldn't think of the name earlier. Old brain...

Also, try Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia obtusifolia).
Lots of sun, hot and moderate water ,well drained soil.

I'm overlooking the obvious:
Have you any access to Butterfly Bush (Buddhlea davidii)?
If ever there was a butterfly Swiffer!!!

I thought I had replied already, but it's not showing up! GRRR!
I don't have Butterfly Bush. I've seen it for sale, but even small plants are pricey, so I put it on my "plants I'm looking for" list.
Also, you mentioned Cassia. I have Cassia seeds (several types) How long would it take a plant grown from seed to be anything of significance?

In Zone 9, there are probably a bunch of different Aristolochia vines you could grow, and none of them are thugs. Shame on all the people on here who want to dis this vine. I'm glad mine are hibernating and won't read your talking about control.

I've grown A. gigantea (in the greenhouse), A. durior/marcrophylla and take care of another species, and all are great vines. Yes, they get very thick, and none are for a formal setting without an unreal amount of pruning.

First, let me explain the normal growth on an A. vine. It makes a zillion sprouts that can grow 20ft, easy, in a growing season. Unlike most other vines though, the growing season extends long after most other plants are settling in for dormancy (dry season for the tropical ones, winter for durior. (durior is hardy deep into Zone 4, and is the only temperate climate Aristolochia vine. Snake root is hardy, but not really a vine.) Durior will continue growing until frost, and the caterpillars are still eating.

The following year, 3/4 of the small vines die, and the new growth grows in through the tangled brown stems. One wall of my open building is thick enough with vines that some birds have nested there. The vines is a twiner that only grows up. Any vine that is not growing a little bit vertical dies. It will grow long whips looking for something to twine on, but after a couple of feet, the tip dries and the vine quits growing at that point. If you attach this whip to something, almost every leaf axil grows a vine. for this reason, it takes pruning well, indeed, it improves the look from where I sit.

When the butterflies hit the vine, you will understand the lush growth. The volume of foliage eaten borders on criminal. Sometimes the thickly shingled leaf wall gets windows cut through the foot-thick greenery. Then the birds come in and thin the larva, and the vine grows the hole shut. One evening I thought some of the birds had lost whatever brain a bird has. Blind birds was the first thought that came to mind. These birds were flying into the vine like you see a bird flying into a window. Over and over, some birds were flying headlong into the vine without slowing down.

After watching a wile, I was able to figure out that the stems of the leaves are not visible from the outside. Each heart-shaped leaf hangs like a shingle over the top of its lower neighbor. The birds knew the approximate area of the stem, but couldn't hover to find them exactly. When they flew into the vine, their feet were out to catch the first stem to slide through the claws. from that perch, they can look around and grab any close by caterpillar. Out of the hundreds of small caterpillars I see, only a few get to fly away. Sometimes there are a dozen chrysalis hanging from the rafters, but something gets most of them. Here's one just drying its wings:
{{gwi:142710}}

The species I'm familiar all make a 6 sided (or is it 8?) bolus with a zillion seeds in it. Durior doesn't make too many seed pods, but the tropical ones seem to go gaga making pods. they never grow up from a root like Wisteria. They tolerate some shade, but it is nice if you have a tall place for them to climb. Chicken wire string up between sturdy poles, or a wall of an outbuilding is ideal.

The pic is of a building 12X14. This is one vine after a dozen years.
{{gwi:142711}}

I think you could grow A. gigantea in Z9. I really like my durior (got rid of gigantea, it is too big for my greenhouse) and would recommend them highly.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:142708}}

This post was edited by Dzitmoidonc on Sat, Feb 23, 13 at 1:17

What type of Cassia seeds do you have? The time line varies from species to species. Most come easily from seed, but the fastest seem to be the Candellabra and Popcorn varieties.
C. bicapsilaris and C. serratensis are a little longer lived, but take a little longer to grow from seed.

Just a couple more things I thought of:
Fennell for the Black Swallowtail and Citrus (esp orange) for the Giant Swallowtail.
There is also a native plant called "wild Lime" but it is very prickly. It is the natural host for the Giant.
And of course, Cannas for skippers.

I've got one little newbie Fennel plant out there. I have two grapefruit trees, a lime tree, two lemon trees, and three orange trees.
I only have one Canna, but I used to have a ton at my last house. They're not cheap, so I'm just going to have to add them slowly.

I saw at Rockledge Gardens in the butterfly house that they had Tibouchina, so I got one yesterday. They also had a Wild Lime, but didn't have any for sale.

In the fall, I added four red Porterweed, too. They haven't grown much yet, but should be pretty popular once they do!

Sweet. Sounds like you've got the beginnings of a terrific Butterfly Garden. In a year or so, you should be producing squadrons of butterflies!!
Note on the Tibouchina: very cold sensitive, so protect from frost.
Also, try Flame Bush, Hamelia patens.

I have three Firebush. They don't have any leaves right now, and I just installed them last spring/summer. Hope they survived.
When it's not winter here, my back yard is full of butterflies, hummingbirds, dragon flies, bees, ladybugs, Egrets, Ibis, wild ducks, Hawks, squirrels, tree frogs, toads, one armadillo (grrr!) and a partridge in a pear tree!
I love it. (Except the Florida Grasshoppers)

Cool, I'd trade 100 rabbits for 1 armadillo!! AARRGGH!!

You must grow veggies then. The Armadillo is huge. He's huger than any I've seen and he lives in the fern berm in my back yard. The real issue is that pretty much all wild animals carry Leptospirosis. Since humans can get it, I'd like him to get gone.

A pest is a pest, even on the half shell.

Turtle power!

'.....but even small plants are pricey.....' I'm amazed Buddleja davidii are expensive. They are incredibly easy to grow from cuttings or seed. If you can find someone with one just beg some off cuts and push them into the ground somewhere. But check they are not a pest in your area. They're a nuisance here where they reseed everywhere and can pull apart masonry. They like to grow in old walls. Here's one growing down the road from me. You sometimes see them on rooftops growing out of chimney stacks.

Shear, I'd be happy to send you a box of Lantana and Buddleia cuttings. I know you have some things I'd like too, email me if you'd like to work a trade.

Dzitmoidonc, I like the idea of chicken wire between poles. I'm looking forward to growing this vine!
And that picture of a butterfly drying it's wings… I saw the exact same butterfly today, dead.

Leafhead, I just realized I missed your question regarding Cassia. I have seeds for Candlestick (Cassia alata), Winter Cassia (Senna bicapsularis), Golden Shower/ chain Tree (Cassia fistula), Pink Shower/Pink Lady (Cassia javanica).

Purple, remember I don't know any local gardeners personally. I've seen Butterfly Bush in St. Augustine, but it's part of their garden tour thing. I've seen it behind people's fences, and I wish I were a door-knocker plant-beggar, but I'm just not. They're not a pest as far as I can tell, they're just sorta scarce.
Emailed regarding trade!

Guys
I like rhe thread, but please be careful of what you plant, that is NOT native to your area.
Here in Australia, we have had great 'fun' introducing all sorts of different plants for our pleasure.
Most of the Sennas/Cassias you mention are environmental weeds here, and Lantana is classified as a Weed of National Significance. Echium plantagineum, Purple Viper's Bugloss, is now the dominant pasture weed through much of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania, costing millions of dollars, annually, to keep under 'control'.
I don't want to sound like a spoilsport, but please be awaire that once introduced, an alien species can wreck havoc with the the native flora.
Enjoy the butterflies, and your gardening.

You raise a very valid point indeed. We have our share of pest spp up here in Wisc., too, mainly Buckthorn and (yucch) Garlic Mustard.
The Candlestick Cassia and C. bicapsularis are native in Fla; so is Lantana. Sorry they're wreaking so much havoc over there...
I try to stay with natives whenever possible. If I use exotics, I'll stay c well behaved plants, and never would I recommend anything that is considered a pest or weed.
I'm not sure about Buddhlea, but it is not a pest up here in Wisc.

Leaf, can you tell me anything more about the Cassia? Does it grow fast from seed? Would it be suitable in a large pot in the garden to stop it from becoming 50' trees?

As for the Buddhlea, I looked it up. It says that it "can become invasive in wide open areas or disturbed land."

I will admit I'm not sure what that means. Maybe I'll grow it in pots so I can control it?

C. alata and C. bicapsularis are small trees, measuring around 6-8' high at best, and C. fistula grows to a height of around 15'.
Pink Lady is somewhere in between.
As for Butterfly Bush, it spreads by seed so growing it in a pot will not contain its spread.

Ah... but growing in a pot either on a patio or over weed barrier cloth would to at least SOME degree, no?

No, growing it in a pot or over weed barrier will not stop the seeds from blowing far & wide in the wind. You could prevent it from spreading by NEVER letting it go to seed, ie: remove the flower before the flowers are spend and throw them in the trash (do not compost them.)

Well, that I can do. I do that with a lot of things already. I boil them and make "weed tea" and feed it to my desirables.
I know, sorta cannibalistic.