Hi, there! Not many folks on the forum right now, but am feeling butterfly-deprived right now.

I am getting ready to wintersow some milkweed, A. viridis, A. purpurescens, A. tuberosa; Sassafras, Sweet Gum, Amorpha fruiticosa, Passiflora incarnata, and some nectar plants.

I added a few last year including Baptisia australis 'minor', Artemisia ludoviciana hybrid, some Blueberries that may or may not attract an Elfin, finally got my Tulip Tree planted out, and a few Plantago major plants I pulled up in a yard where my daughter lives.

I am going to run out of room soon, so trying not to do too much more. Of course there are some things I remove in order to plant something else that I am wintersowing.

I don't blame you for wanting to attract the MT. They are gorgeous! I didn't know they used nettles, though. If you could find some False Nettle seed on the net, you could probably just sow in situ now and it would sprout this spring. Stuff grows like wildfire!

Susan

Hi Susan, I think we are sympatico on the effects of weather: birdfeeding and this forum! How fast does A. incarnata grow from seed? I've been thinking about growing some., but I don't think I get any butterflies that use it. I think it's a beautiful plant anyway.

I may try wintersowing again; I tried last year, but it didn't work out for me--think it was the seed that I had.

PM now has A. ludoviciana--might order some, but I may just expand the Pearly Everlasting in my beds since that's native here.

I don't know if MT will use False Nettles, but I am going to try planting nettles in the unmowed along the woodland's edge, or I should try to get some wood nettle. False Nettle grew okay for me, but it didn't self-seed itself up here. sigh.

One of my goals this year is to try find larvae on pines, and some of the heath plants that butterflies in the hairstreak/blue (Lycaeninae) family use.

I agree with you - I am also going into caterpillar withdrawal! I saved some common milkweed pods from a vine growing on the fence. Can anyone tell me if I got them too soon? Will they still germinate if I picked them while they were still green? It's been hard to get them to dry in the house - I put them out on a paper plate but the dog and cat decided to play "football" with one, so I moved them to a big plastic bin, hoping they would still have enough air to finish drying. I noticed a small amount of mold develop on the outside of one of the pods so far. If anyone has any ideas on how to get them to finish drying, it would be greatly appreciated. I can't wait until time to plant them! Is March about right?

BG, do you not get Monarchs in NH? A. incarnata is one of the milkweeds that hosts the Monarch. Easy to grow from seed, mine grew about 1-2' tall the first year after wintersowing them. I don't know if they would get that big for you in your colder zone, but maybe Cathy will pop in here. I believe she grew hers from seed in Pennsylvania.

Catobsessed, since the pods on your vine were still green, don't know if the seed is viable or not, but I would sure sow them anyway. If it is a vine, it could be Cynanchum laeve, but I believe there are a couple more vines in the milkweed family that it could be as well. I have Cynanchum laeve, and while my Monarchs have never layed eggs on it, they will eat it if there is nothing else to feed them. I keep it as a backup plant. It may be that your vine had some seeds that may have already dispersed, and if so, you will probably get some self-seeding from them like I did. I have it pop up all over the yard.

MTs will use False Nettle, and I highly recommend it as the alternative to Nettle, which has stinging hairs. FN does not. It should come back from the roots, too, BG. I had trouble with mine the first year I planted them, but after that I now have seedlings coming up all over the place. It is a very hardy plant. My stand of it is now about 5' tall x 6' wide, and I had tons of Red Admirals on it this last summer. I hae also found QMs on it, but they mostly prefer Elm and Hackberry in the yard. I also grow Hops (humulus) and the RAs use it occasionally. If you decide to grow them, don't grow from seed, but order rhizomes. Pinetree sells them, and if you order now, you will get them in March. This is the only time of year they sell them. I bought the Golden Hops because the foliage is decorative, too.

Wintersowing for me varies from year to year. We have such temp fluctuations here in Oklahoma. The first year was great; second year okay. I am trying again this year, though, cuz it is so much easier than growing them indoors where I don't have any room.

I have to make up some suet today for the birdlings. So far, it is mostly HOSPs and Tree Sparrows, but I have had White-breasted Nuthatchs, Carolina Wrens, Cardinals, House Finches, Bluejays, and Eurasian Collared Doves.

Susan

bg, i've grown a. incarnata from seed here in pa. wintersowing works well for me although it also comes up outside on its own from fallen seeds. monarchs lay their eggs on it.
cathy

bg, i just thought of something. i'm taking out some incarnata plants the end of march/beg. of april to make room for some carassavica plants. if you'd want to pay the postage, i could send you some plants then & you'd have fully grown plants this year.
cathy

Hi Cathy and Susan, I have all kinds of A. incarnata--you are so sweet Cathy, but I think I'm all set w/ MW, and I spread a bunch of seeds this fall. I'm growing hops (did it from seed a couple of years ago), and last year it really took off, but I didn't get any of those fun cats you get, Susan.

I'll try the FN again--it just didn't do too much for me here. Will it be okay in full sun? I tried it in a couple of shady areas, so maybe it would be more productive in a sunny spot? I had no idea that FN could get to 5' tall! What kind of super-soil are you growing them in? :)

Catobsessed--you could try planting the seeds in the pod, and timing of seeds depends upon whether the seeds some cold-stratification. Nice to have another caterpillar-guardian on board here! :)

Threads like this are what keep me going thru winter right now. Especially since we are having such a bitter cold winter here. I am used to the temperate winters we have had over the last few years. I want them back!!!!

BG you could probably grow FN in full sun in NH. Here we get so hot and humid that a bit of shade is almost a requirement for plants that grow in full sun in the north. I think Judy Burris said in her book that she grows hers in full sun in Kentucky and that they just need a bit more water than those in shade. FN does require regular watering in my garden and you can tell when they need a drink. It is in a bed that I amended a few years back with top soil, chicken manure, etc. I didn't think it would get that big either, but wow! it sure did. I know there is a good info out there about it on the net. Do you get Red Admirals in NH? It took 3 years before I actally had significant egg-laying on my FN. But all it takes is one fertile mama!

I guess I misinterpreted your statement concerning A. incarnata - apologies. I just ordered some seed for Calatropis - Giant Milkweed, but since it is a tropical, won't winter sow it. Now I just need some Gomphocarpus and I'll be set on milkweed.

I also ordered some Antennaria seed that sends up deep Orange flowers. Looked very interesting to me so can't wait to try it. Cathy, do you get any reseeding off your pussytoes? Forgot to mention that as a host plant.

Susan

susan, i've never heard of one that gets orange flowers. what's the name of it? actully, no i don't get reseeding off of mine because i think the cats eat all the seed heads. you should see them crawl up on the in the evenings. wow! to get extra plants, i cut rooted pieces off of the big plants that I have. i started out with 3, as you know, and now I probably have 2 dozen, although some are just starting out, so i hope they do well over the winter.
i agree with you about posts like this getting me thru the winter. this is my least favorite season of the year and i always look forward to spring so much. i'm looking forward to doing my winter sowing after my hand and arm heals up from my carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel surgery. i'm doing fine. have to have the left one done after my right one heals. my seeds are supposed to get here on thursday from PMN. my daughter said she'd help me so maybe i'll just go ahead and do them with her. it also might get her more interested in the garden and butterflies. she's interested but not like me. i just love it!
cathy
cathy

Cathy, it is called Antennaria 'Autumn Sunrise'. I just hope I can get it to grow from seed. I was intrigued by the orange flowers.

Ooh, hope your carpal tunnel surgery gets better soon. I know a few girls who had it done. Altho I worked in law offices most of my employment career, I never developed CTS, thank goodness! I did a lot of typing over 40 years, too! I first started out on a manual typewriter in high school in the 1960s, typing 85 WPM, which is fairly decent on a manual. The IBM correcting Selectric came next, and then our office got their first computer in 1977 that we called Old Blue. LOL! One of our lawyers was a real computer geek, so we always had computers before a lot of the attorney offices in town.

Oh, the memories of Old Blue where we had to key in certain symbols to achieve such simple things as a signature line! Heehee. You're taking me down memory lane here.....

Susan

Trying to get lots of cassia going, so I don't have to keep "borrowing" branches around town.

My back is kiiiiilllling me...I've been busy planting A. curassavica seeds and transplanting all the Cheeseweed (Malva parviflora) that has come up all over my butterfly sanctuary. I went through two humongous bags of organic soil and who knows how many pots. I am teaching a butterfly class in March so the Cheeseweed will be perfect for little prizes.

Yesterday I took Chelsea for a walk through the park and I was shocked to find one of the Milkweed plants that I'd sown years ago had come up again. The tree that was behind it had fallen (died from some disease) and they'd removed it so I decided to walk by and couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted the little plant struggling to grow. THEN, imagine my shock when I noticed Monarch eggs on it! I brought 'em home since there was no way it could possibly sustain a caterpillar let alone half-dozen! Did I see a Monarch adult? Nope.

I know what you mean about the caterpillar 'fallow'-ness. All of a sudden, we've had the most incredibly beautiful weather lately where it's been around 75 or so and it feels more like spring/early summer. I was in shorts and a tank top all day! If only there were butterflies out it would've been perfect. :)

I'm going to try Asarum canadense - Wild ginger - it's in the Aristochlea family - I had to pull out my Pipevine, it got too invasive.

I don't think you will get any PVS on Asarum. I have never heard of it being used. Just like I have never heard of Monarchs using Stephanotis altho it is in the Aesclepias family, along with the milkweeds.

Do you have any of the vines, like macrophylla or tomentosa? They might work better for you. Are you talking about serpentaria being invasive? I am assuming so since that would be the only one that might be invasive and that is hardy in your zone.

I wish I had your problem with my serpentaria. It has plenty of room to be invasive, but it is growing very slowly.

Susan

susan, thanks for the name of that antennaria. so do you know for sure if it hosts ALs? it looks like a pretty flower. i hadnt heard of it before. i might try it out sometime if its a host plant. im about out of room to plant new things, and i cant dig up more for gardens. digging sod with a trowel is how i ended up with my hand & arm problems. yes, youre lucky you dont have it. oh, its nice to think back on days gone by when things were simpler. i love the butterfly gardening...its relaxing.
cathy

WELL,

I am planning an entire GARDEN! Does that count? Since I have moved back to teaching middle school math, I figured I need to get a butterfly garden going. There IS a garden club and the teacher who is the advisor has quite a few Milkweed plants, courtesy of moi, but he doesn't really have a 'butterly garden,' per se. I am teaching a butterly science course in a few months and I think it is sort of important that I have an actual garden up. SO, I went ahead and planted a bunch of pots of A. curassavica this week AND bought a Monarda ('Coyote Mint') and dug up and transplanted bunches of pots of Cheeseweed (Malva parviflora) and I have a humongous potted Buddleia that's been waiting to go in the ground and...you get the drift.

DH said, "You may want to think about WHERE you want the garden" but I already have an idea where...right out the front of my classroom door (I only have ONE door). After all, it would make sense, right? So, I think I shall get my booty in gear this week and start digging around the area. :) I do have a number of kids who are in my informal 'butterfly club' and they've been bugging me about when our next meeting is (we've had a few before the holiday). I figure this is perfect! Junior high kids are good for labourers...hehehe! Gotta love it!

In addition to the milkweed from vines in my yard that I mentioned above, I'm ordering some other milkweed varieties from a seed catalog that I want to try to grow from seed. I'm also going to grow much more dill, fennel and parsley this year for the GSTs. One of my winter building projects is to make a caterpillar cage (hopefully shaped like a gazebo, if DH wil cooperate) to set in the garden, so I want to have plenty of potted host plants ready to go. I think I have all the things I need, so the biggest challenge will be keeping the cat from examining (and knocking over) the seedlings! Wish me luck!

I was sitting here thinking about how a cat (as in caterpillar) was going to knock over your seedlings (not probable, but certainly possible) when I realized you were talking about the feline persuasion. Heehee! and, oh, to have a DH or even a DS or DD or DB who would actually BUILD things.....sigh.....

Sherry, it always seems like you have so many things on your plate! What kind of Buddleia did you get, or did you grow take a cutting from an existing plant? They root so easily.

Cathy, I don't know if it will host the ALs for sure, but I was so fascinated by the thought of orange blooms I had to try it! LOL!

Sherry, do you grow any Salvias and if so, what species/hybrids? I am trying to incorporate Salvias in my garden for the butterflies and hummers. California has more native Salvias than any other state, so thought you might have some in your garden.

I also finally found seeds of Caelsipinia gillesii (Bird of Paradise), which is hardy to my zone 7, and can't wait to grow this. It is also supposed to be a big draw for hummers and butterflies.

Susan

You're right susanlynne48, I need to specify which "cat" I'm referring to at any given time!! Yes, in this case, I was referring to my feline cat "Geronimo" or "Mo" for short, who likes to jump up on the windowsill and examine my seedling flats and occasionally knock them over :-(
And he can climb anywhere, so the top of refrigerator and countertops aren't any safer. That's why I'm building a screened caterpillar cage outside, because I can't have the little plastic tupperware dishes of caterpillars sitting inside - Mo would consider thosde 'kitty snacks'!! And that's not my goal!! Wish he was an outside cat...

Hmmm...I have Bird of Paradise but have never found ANYTHING interested in it except for spiders. ;P

I picked up a native the other day called Monardella villosa subserrata aka'Coyote Mint.' Ahhh...the fragrance is just delightful! Can't wait for it to blossom.

As for my Buddleia? I have quite a number of 'em in pots that I really have no need for in my own backyard. I figure (as does DH) that they can easily be taken to school and transplanted there. The kids can help with the planting.

In fact, just yesterday, I did some cutting back of the roses that are under a Magnolia tree outside my classroom door. Three of the boys in my 7th grade class came over, asked loads of questions about what I was doing, saw the 'rose hips' and I ended up giving a mini science lesson as they stood around and watched me. They went and got me the bigger trash can (I decided it was better suited for my needs) and they then took my mess away for me. :)

So, butterfly garden is coming soon, for sure!

Child labor, Sherry? LOL! How nice!

I guess we will have to wait and see what the outcome will be for the Bird of Paradise shrub, but how could a butterfly or hummer decide on whqt to eat when it comes to a California garden? So much nectar, so little time.

Did you guys happen to see the PBS hummingbird show? Gosh, it was wonderful. It was fascinating to see the Rufous hummingbird's mating dance, which is to dive from 60' in the air, to the female. If she is impressed with his dive she will mate with him. If not, she will go on her way in search of a male that does. We females are so discriminating! So many interesting hummers, like the ground feeding hummer that nectars on a groundcover flower, the hummer that nests where the Cooper's hawk nests. Apparently the tiny hummer is too little a meal for it, and it feeds on other animals that are considered predators of the hummer, so it is safer nesting near the hawk.

You can see the show at PBS website if you are interested.

Susan

no man unfortunately this time i m not planting any new ones in fact i m not even gardening for few days i m extremely busy in house hold work and my garden has also gotten angry with me...i know now it will be very hard for me to bring its mood to normal....lol...:-)