Building a Butterfly Garden
If
you are thinking about planting a butterfly garden, remember to feed the
caterpillars too. Many caterpillars will only eat certain plants. Black
swallowtail caterpillars eat plants in the carrot family - parsley, Queen-Ann's
Lace, dill. Monarch caterpillars follow a strict diet of milkweed leaves.
Other plants that caterpillars enjoy include butterfly weed, cheeries,
privet, dogwoods, beans, sweet peas and blueberries. Adult butterflies
eat nectar from flowers. Some of the plants that attract them are black-eyed
Susan, liliacs, coreopsis, mints, liatris, asters, purple coneflower and
verbena.
Pictured
left is a monarch butterfly. Visit Jennings
State Park in Butler County to see some of these beautiful creatures.
This 310-acre nature reserve has seven miles of self-guiding trails and
a relict prairie where the blazing star (Liatris spicata) blooms
in profusion each August. The nature center also offers a variety of environmental
programs and activities.
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