Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • S P R I N G 2 0 2 0 58 JERSEY SHORE NATURE ATTRACTING & RAISING BUTTERFLIES, continued from page 57 will provide essential nectar to feed mature butterflies (see the Fall/ Holiday 2019 issue), having an abundance of host plants is equally valuable. NABA-NJ has a handy list of host plants and the species they attract at: www.naba.org/chapters/ nabanj/Butterfly_Caterpillar_Host_ Plants_for_New_Jersey_Gardens.pdf. For instance, a Common Buckeye likes snapdragons to lay its eggs; and a Pearl Crescent requires asters. Some plants and trees, like bluegrass- es, attract eight different butterfly species; while some butterflies aren't as picky as monarchs. A Mourning Cloak, one of the first butterflies to appear (as early as mid-March), will lay eggs on a wide variety of broadleaf trees including willows, poplars, cottonwoods, elms, hackber- ry, and birches. More information about New Jersey butterflies can be found at: www.naba.org/chapters/nabanj/ butterflies.html. The website includes pictures and descriptions, distribu- tion in New Jersey, habitat informa- tion, flight period, larval or host food plants, best locations to spot them, and other comments as well. A crucial point to note when plant- ing for pollinators is ensuring the plants you select have not been treat- ed with a systemic insecticide. If you aren't sure, ask. Or try growing your own plants from seed. "Many plants from big box stores are treated with neonicotinoids and that will cause problems," comments Traylor. My Experience Raising Swallowtails Of course, once you have estab- lished host plants in your yard, you can watch for eggs and tiny caterpil- lars, or you can even try raising them into butterflies yourself—as I've done the past two summers. Two of the most common caterpillars to raise in our area are monarchs and swal- lowtails because it's relatively easy to find nectar and host plants. An avid gardener, one year I plant- ed my usual assortment of herbs, only to notice that I had an inter- esting caterpillar or two munching away. When I googled, I discovered they were black swallowtails. In the two years since, I have purposely cre- ated a large "swallowtail planter" full of their favorites, which are herbs in the carrot family, including fennel, parsley, and dill. How exactly they find it each year, I'm not sure, but like the Field of Dreams movie, it's an "If you plant it, they will come" scenario. Last year, my husband even caught sight of a black swallowtail butterfly laying a ton of yellow eggs in my planter in early spring. (Later, I counted over twenty-five tiny cat- erpillars.) These tiny eggs hatch into very tiny caterpillars that appear black with a white dot in the center. At this point, if you would like to raise a few caterpillars yourself, this is what I do: Cut off a large hand- ful of herbs (with tiny caterpillars attached), place the cut end of the herbs in a jar of water (to keep the herbs alive), and place the jar into a tall, mesh laundry hamper. I try to pack the herbs tightly into the jar, because if the caterpillars fall into the water, they will drown. I also place a piece of cardboard over any opening in the top of the hamper and keep it away from direct sun on my screen porch—or outside in nice weather. Then, you can mostly just have fun watching your caterpillars grow. Black swallowtails will outgrow their skin five times, and each stage is known as an instar. The caterpillar's appear- ance will also eventually morph into one with bright green stripes and yellow and black dots. They will eat— and poop—voraciously, especially just Monarchs on a milkweed plant. A black swallowtail that just emerged from its chrysalis. Christine Menapace Live Slow

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