Milkweed Gardens

The BEST Gardening Gloves

2012-03-10T07:27:00.000-05:00

It's time to start your spring gardening and I'd like to share my favorite gardening tool with you. Well, they are not so much a tool like a shovel or clippers but they certainly make gardening an even more pleasant experience... they are the Atlas Gardening Gloves.

As much as I enjoy working with soil in the garden, I do NOT like the way it looks or feels under my fingernails. I came across these gloves at a local gardening shop, Apenberry's. At first, I was just drawn to the bright colors they come in: green, pink, purple, and blue (black too). So I purchased a pair in my favorite shade of Robin's Egg blue and set to work in the garden with them. WOW! They fit really well and stretch easily so that I can accomplish all of my gardening tasks. And you can just throw them in the washing machine when they need a good cleaning. They are quite durable - I have had my current pair for a couple of years now. Did I mention they are inexpensive too? A 4-pack on Amazon is $12.50. I think I paid about $5 for my pair at Apenberry's.

Enjoy!

A Chrysalis Movie

2012-02-15T18:23:00.000-05:00

Remember the caterpillar that was hanging upside down in my last posting? The next day I caught him in action...

Chrysalis Patch

2012-01-31T09:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess I did a good job of protecting those caterpillars during the cold snap a few weeks ago. We found SEVEN chrysalises in and around our milkweed patch last weekend!

And this little guy was getting ready to spin his chrysalis...

Valentine's Day at the Florida Museum of Natural History

2012-01-23T06:17:00.000-05:00

I think this might be my version of a perfect Valentine's Day with my husband- an Italian dinner accompanied by live music followed by a moonlit stroll through the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History! This is one of my all time favorite butterfly gardens. They are hosting a special Valentine's Day event that sounds like so much fun. You can make your reservation here. Here's a glimpse of what you will see...

Photo by fuzzcat on Flickr

Photo by greaterrumbrage on Flickr

Photo by spakattacks on Flickr

Overlook Milkweed

2012-01-10T07:31:00.000-05:00

We went to Disney last weekend - my husband ran the Disney Marathon and had an awesome run! As we took a walk around the Wilderness Lodge one evening, we came upon this scenic overlook.

As I looked out over the hotel grounds, I noticed some orange flowers right in front of me: milkweed! What a nice surprise!

That's my son enjoying the view too! Have you ever come across milkweed in any unexpected places?

Change & the New Year

2012-01-02T07:55:00.000-05:00

"If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies."

My poor blog has been neglected over the past few months and I have missed it! I have been working on a new business with my husband and trying to tend to my garden here and there. Things have finally settled down and I can return to writing here on Milkweed Gardens (I hope!).

I hope the New Year has started off well for you... my milkweed patch is full of caterpillars but there is a cold front approaching. I plan to cover the patch later today to try and protect those caterpillars. They are still young and need another 1-2 weeks to mature. I noticed several tiny eggs under the milkweed leaves as well.

Happy New Year to all of my gardening friends! I hope your garden is full of butterflies!

We like birds too!

2011-10-15T14:45:00.000-04:00

We are participating in Audubon's Birding the Net! What a fun game!

A Very Cute Chrysalis Kit

2011-09-27T18:08:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite nurseries, Palmer's Garden and Goods, is having a huge sale today and tomorrow (25-60% ALL items). I stopped by this afternoon and saw this display next to the cash register...

Despite the fact that we have raised many butterflies, I felt inclined to purchase the pink and orange chrysalis container on the right. Besides we have never raised a Gold Rim Swallowtail butterfly and it was 25% off with the sale - see how easily I talked myself into this purchase? :-) They also have Monarch chrysalises available. I'll let you know how our newest addition progresses!

Chrysalis kits are $7.99 plus 25% off until tomorrow and come with complete instructions.

PBK & The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2011-09-17T06:16:00.003-04:00

For you Pottery Barn Kids, butterfly loving moms out there, check this out...

Oh my goodness - I am just dying over this! I love how this theme is available for a boy or a girl. The terrarium next to the boy's bed is darling too - I see this little project in my children's craft future. You can caterpillarize the bathroom too...

That is an amazing green free standing tub!

Okay, I know this didn't have a whole lot to do with gardening but I enjoy butterfly shopping almost as much! :-)

Hope you are having a great weekend!

Purple Coneflower

2011-09-09T21:51:00.000-04:00

I'm back! I was on a brief hiatus while getting my children ready to return to school. Now they have settled in and I can return to my blog (Yeah!). I took this picture earlier this year while on vacation in North Florida and have been meaning to write about it ever since.

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

Purple Coneflower (N) is a wonderful nectar plant. Okay, I admit I am impartial to pink (one of my favorite colors) but I also love how these blooms stand up and reach for the sun.

They grow 2-4 feet tall and bloom in the spring and summer here in Central Florida. They prefer light shade which promotes flower and leaf color. Aside from attracting butterflies, Purple Coneflower is also useful as cut flowers, mass plantings, or as a border in the garden.

Cute Butterfly Container

2011-08-10T10:23:00.000-04:00

I recently parked my car in this special spot at Palmer's Nursery. How cute it that?

New Butterfly Gardening Friends

2011-08-05T07:30:00.000-04:00

I'd like to thank my new gardening friends, Nadine and her family, at Bouler Design Group for the shout-out on her blog, Bouler Architecture today. We met Nadine and her family while on vacation last week in Costa Rica. You might recognize her artist/author daughter, Olivia, of Olivia's Birds . My daughter certainly did as Olivia was featured on the Disney Channel's Friends for Change. Thanks so much Nadine! Happy Butterfly Gardening to you and your family!

Before & After

2011-08-04T09:31:00.000-04:00

Our Milkweed patch has rebounded and I would like to show you how quickly this occurs!

Before (July 15th)

After (August 4th) - Just 3 weeks later!

AND we already have caterpillars again...

Add caption

The Circle Continues

2011-08-03T08:27:00.000-04:00

We found several chrysalis in the garden since the caterpillars dispersed from the Milkweed patch. We were about to go on vacation (a little over a week ago) so I was worried that we might not see any of them "hatch." Well, these two butterflies emerged the day before we left!

Under my children's picnic table

The butterflies hang for several hours while their wings dry. It is important not to touch them so they are not damaged.

Thank you Mr. Caterpillar!

2011-07-19T20:28:00.002-04:00

Thank you Mr. Caterpillar for attaching your chrysalis to our window screen. Now we can easily see you through the bedroom window!

Inside view.
The chrysalis is right in the center of this photo.

Outside view.

Another Common Question...

2011-07-15T08:11:00.005-04:00

Another common question that I receive is "My plants look terrible. The caterpillars ate everything! What do I do?" To me, this is a good thing! This means that the gardener has a successful butterfly garden. The garden has attracted the right butterflies to his/her host plants. These butterflies have laid eggs which have hatched. Now those caterpillars have eaten well and are continuing on their life cycle journey. I usually assure the gardener that their plants will return. In fact, I find that the caterpillars are natural pruners - otherwise the milkweed would grow out of control!

Here is my milkweed patch today - all sticks, no leaves (please see my previous posting for comparison). Those caterpillars are hungry!

Leaves are almost all gone.

The caterpillars have migrated towards the north side of the
Milkweed patch where some leaves still remain.

We counted at least 24 caterpillars!

Have a great weekend!

Are There Caterpillars in My Garden?

2011-07-11T16:13:00.000-04:00

One of the questions I am often asked is "how do i know if there are caterpillars in my garden?" I have a few tips for determining that. Have you seen any butterflies land on your host plants recently? If so and the butterflies laid eggs, they should hatch in about a week. So that is a good time to check your plants for caterpillars. Now the baby caterpillars will be very tiny so you will have to look very carefully UNDER the leaves of your host plants. This is where the eggs are laid. For those of us with bad eyes, including yours truly, you can begin your search two weeks later and the caterpillars will be much bigger. You should look under leaves that have holes and missing parts. This means they are mostly likely being eaten by caterpillars and they will be nearby. One last tip is if you see caterpillar frass (that is a fancy word for poop), the caterpillars are definitely present.

I saw some Monarchs lay eggs in my Milkweed patch during the last Fourth of July Weekend (about 10 days ago). Those eggs have hatched and our garden is full of caterpillars right now.

Note the holes and chewed appearance of the Milkweed leaves

Monarch caterpillar eating Milkweed leaves

Don't forget to look under the leaves!

There is some frass in the center of the plant - to the left of the top caterpillar.

Landscaping for Wildlife & Butterflies

2011-07-05T06:50:00.000-04:00

Our friends at the local extension office will be hosting a presentation on Landscaping for Wildlife & Butterflies on August 3rd. There is a newly installed Butterfly Garden that you can visit before the lecture AND you will receive a butterfly plant and two books - wow!

Interested in Becoming a Master Gardener?

2011-06-21T07:51:00.000-04:00

Local Friends - a new Master Gardener class is forming at the Orange County Extension office. I have loved being a Master Gardener and have made so many plant loving friends because of it. Check out the information below!

Bee balm (Monarda punctata)

2011-06-02T07:23:00.001-04:00

Hello Gardening Friends! I have been preoccupied with end of the school year activities recently but things are now coming to an end. It was a fun and busy year that honestly, went by quickly!

Bee balm

Today I would like to tell you about Bee balm (Monarda punctata). My daughter and I came across some Bee balm growing around Lake Baldwin during our one of our walks. It is also known as Spotted Horsemint, Dotted Horsemint, and Spotted Bee balm. This is a wonderful nectar plant that also attracts hummingbirds. I also love its crownlike appearance. It is a perennial native that grows 1.5 - 3 feet tall in full sun with tall pinkish flowers. Bee balm is moderately drought tolerant and not easily affected by pests and diseases. This makes it an easy plant to grow and it looks lovely en masse in a perennial border. An interesting note about Bee balm is native Americans use it to brew a “sweating tea.”

Reference
Gilman, E. amd Terry Delvalle, T. Monarda punctata Bee Balm, Horsemint. Retrieved June 2, 2011, from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fp413

Bambi's Butterfly Garden

2011-05-11T06:15:00.001-04:00

This year's butterfly garden at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival WAS bigger and better! I really enjoyed it's scale and scope - such a nice variety of host and nectar plants in a woodland setting. It also included a chrysalis house, butterfly identification and life cycle signs, and a puddle. I'd say there was a moderate amount of butterflies. We saw Monarchs, Queens, Gulf Fritillaries, Zebra Longwings, and a Giant Swallowtail.

Entrance to the garden. We were given packets of Zinnia seeds here.

Bambi's Butterfly Garden is this year's theme.

Queen Butterfly on Bambi

I found these stick trellises inspiring. There was passionvine and coral honeysuckle growing on them.

A puddle for the butterflies to sip from.

Chrysalis House

Queen caterpillar on Milkweed

Butterfly Topiary outside of the garden. The topiaries are one of our favorite features of the whole festival.

The festival ends on the 15th so there is only a few days left to visit Bambi's Butterfly Garden!

Come See Me at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival!

2011-04-29T07:12:00.000-04:00

I love the butterfly on Mickey's nose!

The annual EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival is open until May 15th and the Butterfly Garden is bigger and better! This year it is called Bambi's Butterfly House and is located behind Future World. I can't wait to check it out! I will be working in the Master Gardener Booth in the Garden Town Pavilion tomorrow, Saturday, April 30th, from 10am - 1:30pm. Come visit us!

At the 2010 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

A Lovely Butterfly Thought for the Day

2011-04-28T08:20:00.000-04:00

Butterfly Habitat for the Classroom

2011-04-17T06:44:00.004-04:00

We found a number of caterpillars and eggs in our Milkweed recently so my daughter and I decided to put together a butterfly habitat for her classroom. We have "hatched" caterpillars numerous times. You might recall the Black Swallowtail from a previous posting. We used a recycled cheeseball container then. Well, this time we had Monarch caterpillars which feed on Milkweed. Milkweed is much taller than the parsley we put in the cheeseball container so we needed something new.

I prefer to put a live plant on our containers. It is much easier to maintain because the caterpillars have a constant supply of food. Then I later add the host plant to the garden. I have tried putting branches in floral water picks but they seem to wilt quickly and thus need to be replaced quite often. I did a little online research but couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. So I decided to check out the gift shop at the Butterfly Encounter at Luka's Nursery. There I found the perfect indoor habitat for Monarch caterpillars:

It is a rectangular container with mesh on 5 sides. One side is transparent so that the caterpillars' metamorphosis can be viewed easily. The Milkweed plant fits well inside. I lined the bottom of the habitat with paper towels to make cleaning easy. Next, I placed a plastic saucer under the plant to catch any water. Make sure you throw out any excess water so the caterpillars do not drown in it!!

We moved the habitat into the classroom and the children are enjoying it. I spoke to them about the basics of the butterfly life cycle and they were full of questions. They asked "How many butterflies are in the world?" and "Do you know everything about nature?" They are so cute and enthusiastic!

Please let me know if you need help in establishing your butterfly habitat. I'd love to help you out!

Places: JW Marriott Orlando Butterfly Garden

2011-04-11T13:38:00.001-04:00

During our recent Spring Break, I took the kids to float in the lazy river at the local JW Marriott (lots of fun by the way!) and I was delighted to stumble upon their petite lakeside butterfly garden.

Although small, this butterfly garden has all of the essential elements: host plants, nectar plants, trellises, sun and shade, and a water source. I also like the sign that identifies the garden and describes the butterfly life cycle. The extra lighting is a nice touch too.

Trellis covered with passionflower

The Passionflower and Dutchman's Pipe vines were growing vigorously. Passionflower is the host plant for the Gulf Frittilary (in sun) and Zebra Longwing (in shade). The Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillars feed on the Dutchman's Pipe.

Dutchman's Pipevine on the trellis and Mexican Milkweed in the front

There is Mexican Milkweed for the Monarch caterpillars and fennel for the Black Swallowtails.

Fennel surrounding the Oak Tree

Nectar plants included Tropical Sage which hummingbirds love as well.

Tropical Sage on the lower right and Passionflower on the trellis

I really love the pink shade of this Passionflower...

Passionflower

Hope this posting gives you some inspiration for a petite butterfly garden!

Florida Roses and Butterfly Gardening

2011-03-27T08:04:00.000-04:00

I'm still here! I'm so sorry for the lack of posts - I have been busily working on an upcoming lecture for the Orlando Area Historical Rose Society entitled "Florida Roses and Butterfly Gardening." I will be providing general butterfly gardening information as well as discussing butterfly plants that make good companion plants for roses. I also plan to bring my caterpillar condo and butterfly gardening handouts. You will find information about the lecture here and below. I would love to see you there!

Orlando Area Historical Rose Society

April 3, 2011 2:30pm (doors open at 2pm)

Harry P. Leu Gardens

(407) 647-1219

Places: Butterfly Garden at Disney's Ft. Wilderness

2011-03-14T20:04:00.000-04:00

Hello! Just back from the annual Girl Scout camping trip at Disney's Ft. Wilderness. We had a great time swimming, making smores, trading SWAPS, and spending time with the other Girl Scouts and their families.

At the Ft. Wilderness' Reception Outpost, there is a colorful butterfly garden that I enjoy visiting each year...

Ft. Wilderness Reception Outpost

The garden is filled with Snapdragons, Dianthus, Milkweed, Pansies, Nicotiana, and Passionflower.

The Black-Eyed Susans are particularly vibrant.

The Black-Eyed Susans look lovely en masse.

Tiger Swallowtail on Dianthus

Look at the amazing variety of nectar plants.

More Signs of Spring

2011-02-25T06:45:00.001-05:00

Spring weather is definitely here. It's expected to be in the mid-80s for the next week and I've noticed more butterflies flying around. I spotted another one earlier this week. It was a Black Swallowtail on Viburnum in our garden.

Black Swallowtail on Viburnum

Of course we love birds too here at Milkweed Gardens and were delighted to see Robins this week as well.

Robin by Opusbloo on Flickr

Have a wonderful weekend!

Free Veggie Seeds & Gardening Gloves

2011-02-18T06:11:00.002-05:00

My children are fans of Annie's Homegrown macaroni and snacks so I was fortunate to come across this FREE offer. With the purchase of two Annie's products between January 5 and April 30, 2011, you can receive a Gardening Gift pack consisting of Baker Creek Heirloom seeds and gardening gloves (adult or child)! Order yours here.

Yeah! A Butterfly

2011-02-15T20:54:00.000-05:00

Is Spring around the corner here in Central Florida? My daughter and I were out for a run and ride on the scooter this afternoon when a Monarch crossed our path. I pointed it out to her and we stopped to watch it fly about. This was the first butterfly we have seen this year. I noticed there was some purple lantana growing next to us and realized the Monarch wanted to eat. We kept still and it finally landed to sip some nectar. Hmmm... maybe warmer days are upon us.

Monarch on Lantana

Florida's Native Milkweed

2011-02-06T09:46:00.003-05:00

I recently found a wonderful posting about Florida's native milkweed on Tales from the Butterfly Garden: Lepidoptera Curious. Here it is: Preparing for the Caterpillar Season: Milkweed. Check it out!

Purple Milkweed (N), Photo by Ggallice on Flickr

Caterpillar Condo

2011-02-03T08:54:00.000-05:00

I spotted this at the farmer's market - a Caterpillar Condo! How cool is that? I really want one!

Caterpillar Condo

GIANT Milkweed

2011-01-20T07:18:00.005-05:00

Welcome back! I hope the new year is off to a good start for you!

I would like to introduce you to Giant Milkweed (Calotropsis gigantea). I was not familiar with Giant Milkweed until I came across it at my local farmer's market. Boy, was I excited! I imagined Giant Monarchs (milkweed are host plants for monarchs) coming to visit this plant. I immediately purchased a couple and planted them in our garden.

Giant Milkweed on the left

Giant Milkweed is also known as bowstring hemp, crown flower, lechoso, and swallow wort. It is native to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and India and thus prefers zones 10a-11. It can grow up to 6 feet in Florida with leathery pale green leaves and white-lavender flowers. Giant Milkweed will produce fruit (similar to a large pod) that contains seeds in white fibers. As with most Milkweeds, it prefers full sun and drier soil. You can trim it back to encourage a bushier plant. Beware: its sap is poisonous!

Local friends: there is a lovely specimen on Park Avenue in Winter Park

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T13:10:00.000-05:00

Photo by Jurvetson on Flickr

Hello Friends! I hope you have a Merry Christmas and I wish you all the best in the New Year! Thank you for joining me at Milkweed Gardens and here's to more butterflies in 2011! Cheers!

Where are the butterflies?

2010-12-22T09:16:00.000-05:00

Photo by London looks on Flickr

Cold weather has arrived in Central Florida. For our northern friends, that means highs in the upper 60's-low 70's and lows in the 30's -40's. Sadly, I have not seen many butterflies flying about. Butterflies are cold-blooded so they head for warmer temperatures in places such as Mexico, Central and South America in the winter. They can not fly when it is too cold and prefer temperatures between 82°-100° F. In the butterfly garden, my milkweed was affected by the freezing temperatures and has died back. No worries though - in my previous experience, they seem to always come back in warmer weather.

Despite the lack of butterflies, I so enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We are getting ready to have our family and friends over for Christmas Eve dinner. Hope you and your loved ones are enjoying this holiday season!

"Butterfly Gardening for Beginners" on Central Florida Gardening

2010-12-10T14:31:00.000-05:00

Remember this posting? Here it is!

Central Florida Gardening - Butterfly Gardening

If the video above doesn't work for some reason, you can watch it here online. It will also be shown locally all this month on "Central Florida Gardening" which airs on Orange TV (Brighthouse Channel 199, Comcast Channel 9, or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99) or Vision TV (Brighthouse Channel 198, Comcast Channel 98, or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99). You can check Orange TV's schedule here and Vision TV's schedule here.

It is a little nerve wracking watching yourself on tv, especially when they only wanted to do one "take." But I hope you learned a little bit more about butterfly gardening and are inspired to plant your own butterfly garden!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T06:25:00.000-05:00

Tiger Swallowtail on Coneflower by Audreyjm529 on Flickr

For flowers that bloom about our feet,

Father, we thank Thee.

For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,

Father, we thank Thee.

For the song of bird and hum of bee,

For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky,

Father, we thank Thee.

For pleasant shade of branches high,

Father, we thank Thee.

For fragrant air and cooling breeze,

For beauty of the blooming trees,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For this new morning with its light,

Father, we thank Thee.

For rest and shelter of the night,

Father, we thank Thee

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Good Morning!

2010-11-23T06:30:00.001-05:00

I am using my new coffee mug this morning...

Cute, huh?

WInter Park Harvest Festival

2010-11-16T09:26:00.000-05:00

I am so excited about the first Winter Park Harvest Festival! It is this Saturday, November 20th at Central Park's West Meadow. It is described as "one part feast, one part farmer's market, and one part gardening seminar" (Orlando Home & Leisure, November 2010) - can it get any better? I will be working with other Orange County Master Gardeners in the Gardening Demonstration tent during the day and attending the Farm to Table dinner in the evening. Hope you'll check out this momentous event!

Local friends: Need a rain barrel or compost bin? Check this out!

2010-11-11T10:00:00.002-05:00

Places: The Butterfly Garden at Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orlando, Florida

2010-11-10T19:29:00.000-05:00

We have had beautiful weather here in Central Florida so I took my children on a picnic at Leu Gardens. I'm so glad we did - the butterfly garden was brimming with activity. So many butterflies, caterpillars, and flowers! My daughter brought her journal to document her observations "like a real scientist."

Entrance to the Butterfly Garden

Gulf Fritillary caterpillar on its host plant, the Passtionflower

Gulf Fritillary caterpillar - love those spikes!

Gulf Fritillary chrysalis

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly

Chrysalis Box - Butterflies are released from here several times a day after they hatch and their wings dry.

A puddle is a nice element for the butterfly garden. Butterflies will sip water and obtain
other essential nutrients from it.

Monarch caterpillar on Milkweed

Monarch butterfly

Fall Senna is in full bloom everywhere. It is the host plant for the Cloudless Sulphur and Orange-barred Sulphur.

Mexican Sunflower, a great nectar plant

The exotic looking Calico Flower, host plant of the Polydamus Swallowtail caterpillar

If you are looking to start your own butterfly garden, the butterfly garden at Leu Gardens is a wonderful place to obtain ideas for design and plant materials. And if you have little ones, they will enjoy hunting for caterpillars and watching the butterflies fly about.

Thank You Little Ladybugs!

2010-10-19T19:39:00.008-04:00

One of of the pests that "bug" milkweeds are aphids. These are tiny insects that damage plants by piercing the plant and sucking the plant juices. This causes leaves to curl and flowerbuds to harden. Aphids can transmit harmful plant viruses too. They are usually about 1/8 inch in size and can be green, yellow, black, brown, pink, blue, or white.

Photo by Eran Finkle, Flickr

So what can you do about these little creatures? Well, I found this beneficial insect on my milkweed yesterday...

Ladybug on Milkweed

Ladybugs eat aphids and I found a trio having a mid morning feast. I find ladybugs so cute and delightful. I love their vibrant red color and black polka dots. And of course, they keep those pesky aphids in check for me.

If you do not find ladybugs eating your aphids, there are a couple of other things you can do. You can blast them off with a stream of water or you can spray them with insecticidal soap. Both of these methods are safe for people and the environment and have worked very well for me. You can purchase insecticidal soap at your local nursery or make you own. Mix two tablespoons of dishwashing liquid (without a degreaser ) to a gallon of water. Add this to a spray bottle and apply weekly as needed.

I'm heading off to my brother's wedding so i'll be out of touch for a short time. 'Til then, happy gardening!

The Butterfly Alphabet Book

2010-10-18T09:56:00.004-04:00

I read this charming book with my daughter last night, the Butterfly Alphabet Book. We learned several new facts about butterflies as we went letter by letter through the alphabet. Did you know the Kamehameha is only found in Hawaii and is named after a Hawaiian king?

Did I mention?

2010-10-14T21:24:00.001-04:00

I recently taped an episode of Central Florida Gardening with local gardening legend Tom MacCubbin! I was thrilled to be interviewed by him as I am a big fan of his. I grew up in Orlando watching Tom on TV, reading his articles in The Orlando Sentinel, and cultivating my garden according to his books. Our segment was about Beginning Butterfly Gardening and is scheduled to air this December on Orange TV (Bright House Channels 198 and 199, Comcast Channels 9 and 98, and AT&T U-Verse Channel 99). Exact date and time is not scheduled yet but I will let you know. Hope you will tune in!

On the set of Central Florida Gardening with Tom MacCubbin

Wild about Wildflowers

2010-10-03T21:27:00.000-04:00

The Florida Wildflower Foundation's 2010 Symposium was great! I really enjoyed learning about the many native wildflowers that entice butterflies in our area. During his lecture, Dr. Daniels shared some of his favorites like the Sparkleberry, Snow Squarestem, Scorpion-tail, and Narrowleaf Sunflower. He also gave me a large quantity of one of my favorite butterfly brochures, Florida Wildflowers and Butterflies. It describes the butterfly's life cycle, has many pictures of Florida's butterflies and wildflowers, and offers butterfly gardening tips. If you would like one, drop me a line and I'll send one your way!

A new favorite book

The Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative was on hand to share advice about growing wildflowers and had a wonderful selection of seeds for sale. I can't wait to grow this Butterfly mix that I purchased!

Reminder!

2010-09-24T05:27:00.000-04:00

I'm just back from vacation but wanted to remind you that tomorrow is the Florida Wildflower Foundation's 2010 Symposium and Plant Sale. This is a great opportunity to learn about wildflowers that also serve as butterfly plants and to purchase plants! You will find the agenda here. Hope to see you there!

Some of My Favorite Butterfly Gardening Articles

2010-09-11T07:47:00.000-04:00

Not sure if I mentioned this before but I have two Westies!

I've been doing some research for an upcoming Butterfly Gardening presentation and I thought I'd share two of my favorite butterfly articles with you. These are two readings that I often find myself turning to first when doing research. They are Getting Started in Butterfly Gardening and Butterfly Gardening in Florida. Both of these are articles can be found on EDIS, the Electronic Data Information Source of the University of Florida IFAS Extension. Here you will find many helpful articles by University of Florida affiliates related to horticulture.

(photo by alicejamieson on Flickr)

Coffee Anyone?

2010-08-31T22:01:00.000-04:00

I bet you are thinking "What does coffee have to do with butterflies?" Well, one of the goals for this blog is to share general gardening tips as well as information about butterfly gardening with you. This posting was inspired by a recent visit to my local Starbucks where I came across this cute display:

So there's another reason to stop at Starbucks besides a coffee fix!

Inside the pot was a 5 pound bag of spent coffee grounds free to take home to your garden. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, a nutrient essential for plant growth. You can side dress your plants with coffee grounds, add it to your compost pile, or feed it to your worms if you are vermicomposting. Wow!

Find your local Starbucks here.

The Caterpillar Guy

2010-08-28T17:11:00.000-04:00

My family visits the Winter Park Farmer's Market often and we regularly find ourselves in front of the "Caterpillar Guy"(as my daughter calls him). The "Caterpillar Guy" is Lorenzo Zayas, owner of Nature's Way Butterfly Gardens and he graciously agreed to meet with us on a recent Saturday morning at the market. Lorenzo has been a vendor at the Winter Park Farmer's Market since May, 1993. He has a wonderful display of many different caterpillars and their host plants. On this visit, we saw Spicebush Swallowtails, Polydamas Swallowtails and Zebra Longwings (Lorenzo's personal favorite).

Nature's Way Butterfly Gardens is located next to the entrance of the old
train depot at the Winter Park Farmer's Market.

Lorenzo sharing butterfly knowledge with customers.

Look at the chrysalis! You can purchase a Desk Pet (left of chrysalis box) or Caterpillar Inn (above chrysalis box) and raise your own caterpillar at home.

Lorenzo gave my daughter a Buckeye butterfly to hold.

Visit the Winter Park Farmer's Market and check out Nature's Way Butterfly Gardens!

Florida Wildflower Foundation's 2010 Wildflower Symposium and Plant Sale

2010-08-21T06:40:00.000-04:00

The Florida Wildflower Foundation is having their annual symposium on September 25, 2010 in Winter Park, Florida. This is a great opportunity to learn about (and buy!) native butterfly plants. In addition, the author of one of my favorite butterfly books, Jaret Daniels (see reading list), is giving a presentation entitled, "Pollinators and Wildflowers." Hope to see you there! You can register here.

Tickseed or Coreopsis is Florida's state wildflower and a great nectar plant.

Success!

2010-08-06T13:30:00.005-04:00

Remember the Butterfly Container I planted for my presentation at the Maitland Public Library last month? Look what happened...

I found eight Monarch caterpillars crawling around earlier this week.

This is one of my favorite photos.

We found this chrysalis hanging off the side of the pot this morning.

And this little guy was just hanging out on the Milkweed.

Our Eastern Black Swallowtail Continued

2010-07-29T06:26:00.007-04:00

Our Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterfly "hatched" at about 12:30p yesterday. He hung for a couple of hours to allow his wings to dry. Then he spread his wings out to let me snap these pictures of his vibrant colors. I moved his container outside later in the afternoon and he flew away!

What's up next? We found some tiny Monarch caterpillars on our milkweed yesterday!

Our Eastern Black Swallowtail

2010-07-28T07:47:00.005-04:00

It looks like our Eastern Black Swallowtail Butterfly will emerge from his chrysalis today! His chrysalis has become more translucent and you can see his black wings with yellow and blue markings. My daughter has been anxiously awaiting his arrival. He has been in his chrysalis for about two weeks. She is excitedly contemplating a name now. Any suggestions? Stay tuned for more pictures!

My Little Caterpillars

2010-07-20T07:40:00.010-04:00

Just returned from some sun and fun at the beach! We visited the Enviornmental Learning Center and snapped these cute pics of the kids as caterpillars!

Baby Caterpillar

Big Sister Caterpillar

Florida-Friendly Butterfly Container Gardening Follow-Up

2010-07-06T22:35:00.004-04:00

We had a great turn out for my Butterfly Gardening presentation at the Maitland Public Library last Friday. Thank you to all of you who came to hear my talk and to the library for hosting me! There were a lot of questions and I wanted to follow up on one in particular. Someone asked if passion vine attracts one type of butterfly when planted in the shade and another type when planted in the sun. I recalled that this was true but could not remember at the time exactly which butterflies these are. I consulted my references and it is the Zebra Longwing (photo by justchaos) that prefers passion vine in the shade...

and the Gulf Fritillary that prefers it in the sun.

The Zebra Longwing is the state butterfly of Florida and there are several types of passion vine, such as the Maypop (N), that are native to Florida.

This is the container I planted for the presentation. That's Mexican Milkweed in the back. Second row has (L-R) parsley, Black-Eyed Susans (N), and Pentas. In front are Lantana and Indian Blanket (N).

My daughter brought along our Black Swallowtail caterpillar for everyone to see. His container is a recycled plastic cheese ball container!

Come see me!

2010-06-30T06:34:00.000-04:00

Why Milkweed?

2010-06-29T10:52:00.001-04:00

I decided to name my blog after one of my favorite butterfly plants, Milkweed. I have had a lot of success attracting Monarch butterflies with this plant. It is also a host plant to the Queen butterfly. Milkweed is both a host and a nectar plant. A host plant is the plant that the butterfly lays her eggs on. After the eggs hatch, the caterpillars begin munching on the host plant. Each type of caterpillar has a specific host plant. That is a monarch caterpillar munching on milkweed in the photos below my header. A nectar plant is the plant that the butterfly obtains its food from. So milkweed serves both purposes and grows pretty easily. It also self-sows which saves both time and money.

There are several types of Milkweed – probably the most common is the Mexican Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica). I snapped this picture at the Butterfly Garden at the Palm Beach Zoo last weekend (more on that trip in a future posting!)

Here is White Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias perennis). It is a Florida native (Photo by starmoon00).

By the way, children love these striped caterpillars. My daughter and I have raised several from caterpillar to butterfly!

Come fly with me!

2010-06-21T03:00:00.000-04:00

It's the first day of summer and I'd like to welcome you to Milkweed Gardens! I am a Master Gardener who loves butterfly gardening. On my blog, we'll learn to identify butterflies and caterpillars as well as host and nectar plants. We'll learn to design and maintain butterfly gardens including general gardening tips. We'll take field trips to butterfly gardens near and far and I'll also post fun butterfly related activities to share with your family. Send me your questions or pictures - I'd love to hear about butterflies or caterpillars you have encountered. You can subscribe to my blog by entering your email address or become a fan on Facebook. Here we go!