Of all the things in nature that throughout history have captivated the minds, hearts and souls of people, perhaps the most powerful and most universal are butterflies. To gardeners and naturalists, butterflies are considered the most beautiful and popular representatives of the insect world. In this 40 minute program, Dr. Gary Noel Ross, a lepidopterist whose lifelong love of butterflies has led him around the world in his studies, invites us to uncover the mysteries of butterfly behavior and development. We'll share in his on-going research, and learn about the special habitats and life cycles of butterflies.
As a tool for elementary school science teachers, butterfly gardens become a treasure chest of natural history. And more home gardeners want to know how they can landscape for butterflies in their own backyards. This program gives valuable information on starting and maintaining a garden that's friendly to caterpillars and butterflies.
Butterfly houses, long established in Europe, are becoming increasingly popular exhibits in the United States. We'll look at butterfly species from around the globe that are represented in these living collections. We'll also look at the current practice of "butterfly releases" at special events such as weddings, anniversaries or memorial services.
But this program examines more than just science and modern culture. The magic of metamorphosis has served as a literary metaphor for thousands of years, as we discover in examples of native myths, readings and dream imagery. Costume and dance help tell ancient stories from around the world. The symbolism of the butterfly is one that even young children understand. As we look at examples of this symbolism in art, as it is expressed in various cultures, there is a universal theme that helps explain the popularity of these delicate and ephemeral creatures.
"Psyche" was the name Greeks gave to both butterflies and the human soul. For Hospice members and clients, the symbolism of the butterfly is used as a source of solace and spiritual expression. An Enchantment of Butterflies visits a magical world, where science and art combine in one of the glories of nature.
Dr. Gary Ross Biography
Dr. Gary Noel Ross is a native Louisianian educated at Louisiana State University. He received early professional distinction as an entomologist (insect scientist) specializing in lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) at the age of 23 when his graduate research on the unusual life history of a Mexican butterfly was featured in the Science Section of Time magazine (Dec. 6, 1963). After receiving his doctorate in 1967, Dr. Ross pursued a teaching career at Southern University in Baton Rouge. In 1991, after a 24 year tenure and at the rank of Professor, he retired to devote full time to his primary passion, butterflies.
Louisiana's "Butterfly Man" enjoys an outstanding international reputation as natural history writer, photographer, lecturer, and tour leader among both professional and popular audiences. He has nearly 100 articles and/or photographs in professional journals and popular magazines such as Américas, Audubon, Brooklyn Botanic Garden Series, International Wildlife, Louisiana Conservationist, Louisiana Environmentalist, National Geographic, National Wildlife, Natural History, Reader's Digest, and Wildlife Conservation. His two recently published books, Gardening For Butterflies In Louisiana and Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Butterflies, are now standard references.
Dr. Ross has been the technical consultant to the Moody Institute of Science, National Audubon Society, National Geographic Society, National Wildlife Federation, The Nature Conservancy, and the Instituto de Biología (Mexico). Within the Baton Rouge Audubon Society (President, 1993-1995) he promotes "Fourth of July Butterfly Counts" and the establishment of butterfly and hummingbird sanctuaries throughout Louisiana.
During spring, 1993, Dr. Ross' pioneering work documenting a trans-Gulf route component of the annual migration of the Monarch butterfly was highly publicized throughout the national media (and included in "The Wonders of God's Creation," a three-part video presentation of Moody Institute of Science & Questar Video, 1994).
Currently, Dr. Ross holds a seat on the Advisory Commission on Pesticides (La. Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry), Baton Rouge Earth Day, Inc., and the Botanic Council of Independence Park. In the fall of 1994, he accepted the position of "Consultant for Educational Programming" for the new BUTTERFLIES IN FLIGHT exhibit at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. In February 1996, Dr. Ross was awarded a research grant from the National Geographic Society for research on the life history of the Diana butterfly in Arkansas. In April 1996 he was awarded the John Burroughs Award of Recognition for best essay in natural history for 1995. In August, 1997, Dr. Ross was instrumental in permiering the first annual Mt. Magazine International Butterfly Festival in Paris, Arkansas and the first annual Festival of Butterflies at Powell Gardens in Kansas City, Missouri. As the result of these projects, Dr. Ross was appointed in 1997 Director of Butterfly Festival Development for the North American Butterfly Association.
Tips for Beginning Butterfly Gardeners
by Donna LaFleur
The gardeners I interviewed for
An Enchantment of Butterflies were all very enthusiastic about sharing their experiences in gardening for butterflies. I enjoyed hearing their success stories with plants that the butterflies enjoyed. So if you know someone in your area that gardens for butterflies, look to them as a source of information. They have probably tried many plants and determined what's good or not-so-good for your area. This might give you a head start and some immediate success in attracting butterflies to your garden. Once the butterfly "bug" has bitten you, then you'll be zeroing in on other plants to experiment with in your yard. (Oh, that's right, butterflies can't bite, but I have heard of butterfly kisses!)
NECTAR AND HOST PLANTS
There are two different kinds of plants you can grow for butterflies: plants that the butterflies will feed upon - nectaring plants; and plants they will lay their eggs on - host plants. Each butterfly species has evolved so that it can only feed on certain plants, sometimes just one plant family will be a food source for the caterpillars. Most of the gardeners I talked with promote the idea of using both nectar and host plants to encourage butterflies into their gardens.
FEED THE CATERPILLARS
If you want butterflies dancing in your garden, you have to give them time to grow up, and that means allowing those caterpillars to munch their way through some of your plants. The surprising thing is that in most gardens, the caterpillars rarely do a great deal of damage to the plants. Remember any given butterfly species is limited to a specific host plant, so the caterpillars will only eat that type of plant, not everything in sight. A healthy ecosystem in your garden means that birds, and other animals and insects, will have opportunities to eat the majority of caterpillars before they reach maturity. They are a food source for a lot of other creatures. And if you have these creatures working for you to keep the garden in balance, and have enough host plants growing in your garden, the plants will survive nicely with a little natural "pruning" from the caterpillars.
DON'T USE INSECTICIDES
They are deadly for pests as well as butterflies and caterpillars. That goes for biological controls, too. Look for organic ways of handling your insect problems. A garden that has been "out-of-balance" for some time will need a chance to recover its' natural defenses. That means time for the praying mantis and lacewings and ladybugs to set up house and the birds and toads to move into your backyard again. And they will once they find that a natural "buffet" has been set up for them to enjoy. Many gardeners get as much satisfaction out of the habitat they provide for these backyard creatures as the flowers and vegetables their gardens produce.
TOP CHOICES
The most popular plants for butterfly nectar sources that I found in my research are:
Lantana (many varieties available, natives, hybrids, shrubs and creepers)
Red Pentas (Pentas lanceolata) Pentas come in a variety of colors, but the red ones seemed most popular with the butterflies I saw.
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), perennial
Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)
Zinnias
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) or other milkweeds
Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans), perennial
Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia), annual
Popular host plants for these butterfly species:
Passion Vine (Passiflora incarnata and other species): Zebra longwing, Gulf Fritillary, & Variegated Fritillary
Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia spp.): Pipevine Swallowtail
Fennel, Dill, Parsley, or Queen Anne's Lace: Black Swallowtail, Anise Swallowtail
Citrus (lemon, orange, satsuma, etc.): Giant Swallowtail
Milkweeds: Monarch
Some trees that serve as host plants:
Paw paw: Zebra Swallowtail
Black Cherry: Tiger Swallowtail, & Red-Spotted Purple
Dogwood: Spring Azure
Willow: Viceroy, Mourning Cloak
Hackberry: Hackberry, Snout, Question Mark, Tawny Emperor, and others
Besides the plants mentioned above, there are hundreds of others to choose from. These are just ones that seemed to have a successful reputation throughout my research. Some may do better in your area of the country than others. One good tip I got is to go to a park or arboretum in your town and see what the butterflies are feeding on there. Wildflowers are a good choice for butterfly gardens: sunflowers, asters and violets are some plants that butterflies look for. Other "wild" plants like nettles and thistles serve as host plants, and though you might not want them in a formal border, they can be tucked away in an area of the garden that has a more woodland feel to it.
Check out any local nursery for the more popular planting options, but don't be afraid to look up a nursery that specializes in the native plants that grow in your area. Native plants are usually easier to care for once they are established, and the butterflies that have evolved with them will truly feel at home in a natural landscape, however structured you might make it.
BUTTERFLIES LIKE OTHER LIQUIDS, TOO
Provide water for the butterflies in shallow dishes. Put some sand in the bottom of the dish, and you may find male butterflies "puddling" there. They absorb minerals from this behavior and pass this along to the females during mating.
Fruit attracts certain butterfly species, and they will use oranges, apples and bananas as a food source. Butterflies will also absorb other liquids like tree sap and even human sweat (which contains electrolytes that they find valuable).
RESOURCES
Check your local library, as there are some good books now available on gardening for butterflies. Here are several I found useful:
Ajilvsgi, Geyata. 1990. Butterfly Gardening for the South. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company.
Ross, Gary Noel, Ph.D. 1994. Gardening for Butterflies in Louisiana. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Division.
Sedenko, Jerry. 1991. The Butterfly Garden. New York: Villard Books.
Stokes, Donald and Lillian/Ernest Williams. 1991. The Butterfly Book, An easy guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification & Behavior. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Tufts, Craig and Peter Loewer. 1995. The National Wildlife Federation's guide to Gardening for Wildlife. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press.
Xerces Society/Smithsonian Institution. 1990. Butterfly Gardening, Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Book & DVD
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Butterflies by Dr. Gary Noel Ross gives you information on these facinating creatures! Learn about their history, habits and many other exciting facts. Additionally, you will learn how to plant and maintain a butterfly garden!
A DVD copy of An Enchantment of Butterflies is available.
Go to ShopLPB for your copy!
Check your local library, as there are some good books now available on gardening for butterflies. Here are several I found useful:
Ajilvsgi, Geyata. 1990. Butterfly Gardening for the South. Dallas: Taylor Publishing Company.
Ross, Gary Noel, Ph.D. 1994. Gardening for Butterflies in Louisiana. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Division.
Sedenko, Jerry. 1991. The Butterfly Garden. New York: Villard Books.
Stokes, Donald and Lillian/Ernest Williams. 1991. The Butterfly Book, An easy guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification & Behavior. Boston: Little, Brown and Company.
Tufts, Craig and Peter Loewer. 1995. The National Wildlife Federation's guide to Gardening for Wildlife. Emmaus, Pennsylvania: Rodale Press.
Xerces Society/Smithsonian Institution. 1990. Butterfly Gardening, Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.
Resources
Books
Daccordi, M., P. Triberti and A. Zanetti, 1987. Simon & Schuster's Guide to Butterflies & Moths. Simon and Schuster. New York.
Klots, A. 1951. A Field Guide to the Butterflies of North America, East of the Great Plains. The Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston, Massachusetts.
Opler, P.A. and G.O. Krizek. 1984. A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies. The Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York.
Ross, Gary Noel, Ph.D. 1995. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Butterflies. Gary Ross, Baton Rouge, LA.
Ross, Gary Noel, Ph.D. 1994. Gardening for Butterflies in Louisiana. LA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Natural Heritage Program, Wildlife Division.
Stokes, D. and L., and E. Williams. 1991. The Butterfly Book: An Easy Guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification, and Behavior. Little, Brown and Company. Boston.
Organizations
North American Butterfly Association
39 Highland Ave.
Chappaqua, NY 10514
The Lepidopterists' Society
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
The Xerces Society
10 Southwest Ash St.
Portland, OR 97204
Web Sites
The Butterfly WebSite
Monarch Watch
Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)
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Sunshine by the Stars: Celebrating Louisiana Music
Capitol Beat
Against the Tide: The Story of the Acadian People
Forever LSU
Morris Lessmore and the Amazing World of Moonbot Studios
