![\"Searching](\"http:\/\/ezpixels.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/mjensen_cazba-outing-2593.jpg\")
<\/a>Searching for Butterflies with CAZBA<\/p><\/div>\n
Someone suggested I check out a local butterfly group (cazba<\/strong><\/a>). When I did, I was excited to see their list of great looking outings. What better way to find butterflies than to tag along with people who know how to find them. Duh! I joined their group, of course.<\/p>\n By the end of that first outing (2009), I became enlightened to the secret to finding butterflies. You simply go to places where butterflies lay their eggs. The most interesting thing I learned that day, though, was how specific each species of Butterfly is as to where they lay their eggs!<\/p>\n SO in summary…if we want lots of butterflies in our gardens, not only do we need to provide flowers to feed the adults (nectar<\/strong>) but if we want them to stay and continue to come back year after year, we must learn which plants their caterpillars require. These are called Larval<\/strong> plants.<\/p>\n After researching which butterflies would most likely visit my yard, I took inventory of my plants and was happy to learn I already had many native Larval<\/strong> plants\/shrubs and trees on my property. They are: Mesquite<\/strong>, Cat Claw Acacia<\/strong> and Palo Verde<\/strong> (for a variety of Blues, Hairstreaks and Duskywings), Desert Hackberry<\/strong> (for Empress Leilia and American Snout), Buckwheats<\/strong> (for Blues and Metalmark), Desert Senna<\/strong> (for Sleepy Orange), Mallows<\/strong> (for Skippers) White Ratany<\/strong> (for Mormon Metalmark) and more.<\/p>\n So far, I have found caterpillars on only one of the existing hosts (Desert Senna<\/strong>) but I’m sure I will find more eventually!<\/p>\n Next I started adding more\u00a0Larval<\/strong> plants to my yard. I put in:\u00a0 Milkweed<\/strong><\/a>–\u00a0Asclepias subulata,\u00a0angustifolia,\u00a0fascicularis, linaria<\/em> (for Queens<\/strong><\/a> and Monarchs<\/strong><\/a>), Dutchman’s Pipe<\/strong> – Aristolochia watsonii<\/em> and fimbriata<\/em> (for Pipevine Swallowtail), Native Muhly grasses<\/strong> (for Skippers) and Saltbush<\/strong> (for Western Pygmy Blue).<\/p>\n To be added: Dyssodia<\/strong> (Dainty Sulphur). Chapparel Beardtongue<\/strong> (Variable Checkerspot) and Datura<\/strong> (for Sphinx moth)<\/p>\n I have documented two species of caterpillars so far….. Queen Caterpillar on Milkweed<\/p><\/div>\n Sleepy Orange on Desert Senna<\/p><\/div>\n CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/a> for a video of a Queen caterpillar becoming a Chrysalis<\/p>\n CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/a> for a video of a Chrysalis becoming a Butterfly (Eclosing)<\/p>\n One butterfly I’m most hopeful to see soon is the Pipevine Swallowtail.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Pipevine Swallowtail<\/p><\/div>\n Aristolochia fimbriata<\/p><\/div>\n These beauties come through my yard regularly so they are bound to see my plants soon….maybe this fall! Their host plant is Dutchman’s Pipe<\/strong><\/a> which is a very cool plant. A successful butterfly gardener friend of mine suggested I also plant the non-native variety because of the larger leaves which I did recently. This species (Aristolochia fimbriata) has an incredible flower! See photo below and also a photo of our native Aristolochia watsonii.<\/p>\n
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