Butterflies who flutter through Lincoln should head toward 27th and A streets, because Dan the Butterfly Man (aka Dan Staehr) at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo has a green floral buffet set up for just for them. And it’s right next to the Strolling Rose and Perennial Gardens, which might make a great dessert spot for the winged wonders.
Getting our own backyards to be equally enticing is a bit of a challenge, but one that can be achieved with the right plant choices, said Staehr, who has observing the butterflies’ favorite landing spots for the past 11 years at the zoo.
If you are hoping to attract butterflies to your own yard, a quick biology review can help. The insects have a four-cycle development process: egg, larva or caterpillar, chrysalis and adult. Your garden may be a place to lay the eggs, a host for a hungry caterpillar, a resting spot for the chrysalis or a spot for butterflies to seek nectar. In some cases, it is all four.
In Nebraska, according to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension NebGuide publication, butterflies may produce one, two or more generations a year. That can make for a continuous stream of them in your garden throughout the season.
Staehr grew up tending to plants in his parents’ garden near York. Even then, he noticed which plants attracted butterflies and which they turned up their proboscis at and flew away.
This year, butterflies have arrived earlier than usual, he said, because of the warm and early spring. There already have been many sightings of Red Admiral and Painted Lady butterflies, he said. Monarchs, one of the most widely recognized butterflies, usually come up from their southern migration a little later, but a few have been spotted. Two hundred species of butterflies make their way to Nebraska each season, Staehr said.
In your yard, start with the basics, Staehr said. A sunny spot is better than a shady one because butterflies love sunning themselves — opening their wings wide while resting on a flat stone or wide leaf. With Nebraska’s wind, having this in a slightly sheltered area helps, too.
Water is another key component. The insects use it for drinking and also “puddling” in the soil.
Also, pesticides are not compatible with butterflies in your garden. If you want one, you can’t have the other.
Essentially, a good butterfly garden has nectar options and host plants for caterpillars. Native plants work best, Staehr said. “These plants have been attracting butterflies for decades,” he said. Some hybrid plants — which over the years may have been bred for color or bloom size or something else — may have lost what attracted butterflies to them in the first place, he said.
Clumps of plants are attractive to the butterflies, as are splashes of color, large blooms and single flowers. Flower shape does make a difference; something with a broad bloom gives the butterflies a place to land, Staehr said.
Plant the plants in an easily viewed area so you can see the butterfly show, Staehr said. And don’t worry if there is a small “weed patch,” because butterflies love the protection it offers.
Be sure to deadhead plants because having blooms all summer long helps keep butterflies in the garden, Staehr said. Optimum time for viewing begins around 10 a.m. or mid-morning, when the nectar warms up and goes up the plant, so butterflies can begin sipping.
Reach Kathryn Cates Moore at 402-473-7214 or at kmoore@journalstar.com.
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