I love Sphinx moths!! The 1st time I saw one you could have knocked me over with a feather!! I had to google the sulphurs, as I am still learning which is what and found this, which might make you feel better about the clover:

'Relationship to Humans:

Clouded Sulphurs don't help people in too many ways, other than providing beauty in a garden. They do help pollinate plants, such as clover. Some people consider clover a weed, so this doesn't help. Others, such as beekeepers, like this since bees use clover to make honey. You could also look at it a different way. Sulphur caterpillars eat clover, so they help control it. Most of the caterpillars won't be alive long enough to pollinate the weeds, since they will most likely be prey to other animals first.'

Edna - not sure if I did this correctly, but which kind of Skippers do you get? Again, newbie to butterfly identification needs to know!!!
I can't wait to get gardening again, and see all the wonderful things the flowers attract!!

Nancy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Skippers

Don't forget about cudweed, very popular host for Painted Ladies; vetches for the Blues; plantains for the crescents and checkerspots; and nettles and thistles and violets and wild carrot....

"Dig, dig, dig; Pull, pull, pull. Bermuda grass shall not win." That's my mantra as I fight it. There will always be some bermuda grass for the little critters, the roots go several feet into the ground. If the skippers can't find some, they will eat your beans, never fear.

Nell,
who doesn't have a very neat garden, but has plenty of butterflies.

Nancy, I couldn't begin to ID the Skippers. There are so many I see my the garden. I do know they are VERY playful! They follow me around the garden. I posted a picture below of a Skipper. I also attached a link to a map site. On that site you can research butterflies, moths, skippers that are native to your area.

What type of beans, Nell? I'll be sure to plant some. I don't see Painted Ladies in these parts. There was a huge migration of PL about 3 years ago. It was an awesome sight.

I mostly get Skippers, Sulfers, Tigers and Monarchs. I've seen an occasional Hairstreak and Cabbage White. I found one Mourning Cloak and one Buckeye.

I planted native CA pipevine hoping to attract the Pipevine Swallowtail (native to these parts). I also planted passion vine as well.

I'm beginning to weed and closely watching for cocoons of any kind....such a dilemma! :-)

I'm leaving the clover and let it die back naturally. Clover is good for the soil anyway.

I'm a slave to sweet peas as well. Seems like the carpenter bee's look forward to them every year.

So many mouths to feed.

Skipper
{{gwi:492177}}

Here is a link that might be useful: .Butterflies and Moths of North America

I bought some Bermuda grass seed, then I chickened out and didn't plant it. I've seen how invasive it can be in a park setting. I had been thinking about planting it for a dog area. Now you've got me thinking about it again, Edna.

I saw a caterpillar yesterday. I have no idea what type of butterfly it will become. I get a lot of butterflies because there aren't many gardeners in my area. There are a few Swallowtails and Monarchs.

Years ago one of my cats was chasing a Swallowtail. I hollered from afar for him to leave it alone. He leaped up and snatched it with a paw. Then he laid on top of it, trying to fool me that he hadn't caught it. I hustled over, scruffed the cat to put him in the house, whilst fuming at him for killing the butterfly. To my astonishment the Swallowtail was spread-eagle on the ground, unharmed. It flew away.

Lorna

Oh drat, Edna - the map ends at the 49th parallell (metaphorically speaking, of course). I've got to find my butterfly and moth book - still trying to find things after the move!! I know we had sulphur's in my childhood in SW Ontario, but I'm not sure I've got them where I am now....in my old home I got lots of Monarchs as I left the milkweed in the garden. It is so beautiful, and fragrant. I have seen the occasional Lunaria, as well as my beloved Sphinks'. I really must start paying more attention!!

Edna, you totally inspire me with your love of butterflies and moths. I LOVE that you encourage the hornworms whereas most people are getting rid of them left and right.

I worry about encouraging the butterflies as my cats have run of the garden and I worry they will attack them.

ThreeOrange, Mama's orange tomcat walked across the back porch once and a red wasp flew out from under and popped him. The cat jumped about three feet in the air. I laughed and another wasp flew out in the yard and punished me for laughing.

But I don't think butterflies will attack your kitties -- oh, you mean the kitties will catch the butterflies? They'll have to be quick, butterflies are clever about escape. A shadow falls and they are gone.

Edna, the longtailed skipper's larvae feast on regular garden beans, the green bean kind. There's also the 'east coast vs. west coast' butterfly thing, too. My butterflies may not be yours. Fiery skippers are the grass eaters.

Will you sacrifice snapdragons to Buckeyes? I have. Lately they've found other things, plantains maybe, to munch on and left the snaps alone.
Nell

LOL Foxesearth, yes I mean the cats will attack the butterflies. My big orange boy caught a swallowtail last summer, and it broke my heart.

Here's another question for ya'll about good versus bad bugs in the garden. As I start digging this time of year, I come across HUGE grub looking things. I am pretty sure they are beetle grubs but I'm not sure what kind. What do you do with them? Mush them? Throw them out? Edna, I always think of you thinking, she'd probably keep them and grow them into some beautiful bug. I haven't had bad japanese beetle trouble ( KNOCK ON WOOD!!) and I hate to kill anything without really know what it is, but they just don't look like they'd be good for the garden!

That's a tough one, TOBoys. I usually hit the bug forum for an ID.

Edna :-)

TOB, we have those grubs by the dozens, especially in the nice, well amended soil but also in the cement type soil that we have.

We use them for fish bait. I figure at least that way we are making them part of the food chain and not just killing them.

:)

MeMo

Memo you are so right they make great Koi food, every time I come across one of the nasties it's up to the Koi pool I go, they love these little tidbits from the garden.

Annette

Count me in as a fearful gardener as well. After pruning my rugosas I suddenly wondered if there might be lady bug eggs on the branches so stored them in a corner rather than toss them in the compost bin. I almost mistook their newborns for baddies and thankfully checked before hurting them.
About those grubs, when my toad friend was visiting one summer I used to drop them in front of her nose and watch them disappear. Mine were crane fly grubs and I couldn't find anything good about them, only bad, here is a link, M

Here is a link that might be useful: crane fly grub