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AFTER FREEZE NECTAR SOURCES
This week much of Georgia suffered through the first freezing temperatures of the season. At our home in Monroe County, the temperature fell to 27º. Realizing that spelled trouble for many pollinators my wife and I brought in two plants (scarlet sage and pineapple sage) that have been hosting cloudless sulphurs for the past few weeks.
When the weather returned to normal, we put them back on our deck. In a matter of minutes, they were once again being visited by cloudless sulphurs, syrphid, and hover flies. While our efforts did not benefit many pollinators, they did provide a few with much-needed food. In addition, we extended the time we can enjoy watching pollinators at work in our yard.
Based on our success I decided to visit our local nursery (Mossy Creek) to see if any of their plants had survived the cold and were hosting pollinators.
I no sooner got out the door of my vehicle when one of the nursery’s staff called me over to look at a stunningly beautiful butterfly. The butterfly turned out to be a zebra longwing; it was the first I have seen this year. The whole time that I was there, the butterfly fed at lavender pincushion blossoms.
While I watched, an American lady joined it. Nearby, an Ocola and fiery skippers, and a couple of American ladies visited marigolds. All of these plants had survived the severely cold weather.
Later, our daughter told us that a hover fly was feeding on a late four-o’clock bloom beside her house. She also saw several pollinators visiting coneflowers at a nursery in Columbia County.
Admittedly, the weather was not kind to our gardens this year consequently; we did not have many sources of nectar available deep into the fall. However, we pledge to do better next year.
If you want to help late pollinators in your yard, the first thing you need to do is find out which pollinator plants can survive cold weather in your neighborhood. One great place to learn find this information is your local nursery. There is no better time do so than after our recent freeze. Armed with this knowledge you will be better able to address the food needs of the pollinators living close by.
When I returned home, I was carrying four pots containing cold-hardy plants that we are going to add to our yard.
DEAD LEAVES ARE IMPORTANT TO MANY MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES
Most of us do not enjoy raking fallen leaves in autumn, however, not raking leaves around butterfly and other host plants is one of the most important ways to ensure you will see your favorite butterflies and moths flying about your yard next year.
A beautiful day-flying moth, the snowberry clearwing, is a great example of a moth that benefits from not raking leaves beneath its host plants.
The snowberry clearwing is a day-flying moth that frequents our flower gardens during the summer. This stunning moth uses a handful of plants as its larval host; one such plant is coral honeysuckle. This native honeysuckle bears long red tubular flowers throughout the spring and summer. After the moth’s bright green caterpillars have grown as big as they are going to get, they literally drop to the ground beneath their hosts and hide among the fallen leaves. They then enter the next stage of their life; forming a cocoon and pupate during the winter. This miraculous process only works if the caterpillars fall into a protective blanket of leaf litter.
Other moths and butterflies also spend the winter in leaf litter. With that in mind, when we refrain from raking the leaves under host plants, we benefit the moths and butterflies wintering among these fallen leaves too.
BACKYARD SECRET – WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO SEE MONARCHS IN GEORGIA DURING THEIR FALL MIGRATION?
The best time to catch a glimpse of fall migrating monarch butterflies is during the months of September and October. Records, however, suggest the greatest number of these butterflies pass through the state in mid-October.
With that in mind, if you want to see these large orange and black butterflies, spend some time outside during the next few days.
Good luck!
TELLING GULF FRITILLARIES FROM MONARCHS
During October, we see more monarch butterflies in Georgia than at any other time of the year. Because monarchs have become so rare, when we spot a large orange butterfly flying about our yards, it is easy to assume we are looking at a monarch when it is actually a gulf fritillary. In fact, since gulf fritillaries are more common in our backyards at this time of the yard, the majority of the orange butterflies we see are actually gulf fritillaries. With that in mind, here are a few tips that will help you tell the difference of a gulf fritillary from a monarch.
The dorsal side of the gulf fritillary’s wings is bright orange and displays black spots scattered about its wings. Three black-rimmed white spots decorate the leading edge of each forewing. When this butterfly closes its wings, you will notice large silvery spots cover most of the underwing.
In comparison, the duller, orange-colored monarch is noticeably larger than the gulf fritillary. The topside of its wings is marked with prominent black veins. In addition, two rows of white spots are present near the tips of the wings. Its underwings display black veins set on a muted orange background.
Another clue to the identity of the monarch is its flight pattern. Monarchs flap their wings and they glide for a brief time; gulf fritillaries do not glide.
Both of these butterflies are beautiful; however, I wish that we would see as many monarchs as we do gulf fritillaries.
HOW FAR DO MONARCHS FLY IN A SINGLE DAY DURING THEIR FALL MIGRATION THROUGH GEORGIA?
Each fall untold numbers of monarchs pass through Georgia enroute to their winter home in Mexico. If you are a fan of these amazing insects, you might be wondering how many miles do monarchs fly southward in a single day.
As you might expect, the distance travelled depends on several factors. For example, with favorable winds, thermals, and temperatures, these winged jewels might cover up to 100 miles in a single day. On the other hand, they often fly as little as 25 miles per day. On average though, they typically fly an average of 25-30 miles per flight. The record distance flown in a day is an amazing 265 miles!
STUDY FINDS MONARCHS MIGRATING LATER
According to an article that appeared in the magazine Wildlife (published by the National Wild Federation), a study conducted on Iowa’s Camp Dodge military installation, revealed that monarchs are beginning their fall migration later in the year.
According to Montana State ecologist Diane Bebinski, the study found that monarchs are departing their fall migration an average of nine days later than they did in 2003. The results are based on the arrival and departure dates of monarchs recorded from 2003 and 2019. It should be noted that the time of milkweed flowering and monarch spring arrival dates did not change during the study.
Basbinski, the lead author of a report on the study, “This longer breeding season could have benefits and it could also have costs.” On the downside, researchers theorize that the butterfly’s later departure time could possibly harm monarch populations by exposing the butterflies to an increase in late season predators and parasites that attack monarch eggs.
It will be interesting to see if similar studies in other parts of the monarch’s range are also delaying the time they leave for Mexico each year.
DO NOT PLANT THIS MILKWEED IN YOUR GARDEN
With each passing year, more Georgia gardeners are planting milkweeds in hopes their efforts will bolster the dwindling monarch butterfly population. The University of Georgia’s Cooperative Extension Program recommends we do not plant the common milkweed in our gardens (Asclepias syriaca) in the state.
This reason they want us to defer from planting this particular milkweed is it is not native to Georgia. This recommendation is based on the fear that this milkweed could potentially become invasive and usurp habitats currently occupied by Georgia’s native milkweeds and other wild plants.
DO NOT PLANT THIS MILKWEED IN YOUR GARDEN
With each passing year, more Georgia gardeners are planting milkweeds in hopes their efforts will bolster the dwindling monarch butterfly population. The University of Georgia’s Cooperative Extension Program recommends we do not plant the common milkweed in our gardens (Asclepias syriaca) in the state.
This reason they want us to defer from planting this particular milkweed is it is not native to Georgia. This recommendation is based on the fear that this milkweed could potentially become invasive and usurp habitats currently occupied by Georgia’s native milkweeds and other wild plants.
THE BLACK-EYED SUSAN – A BEAUTIFUL HOST PLANT
If you are searching for a native plant that has stunning blossoms, provides food for pollinators, and is a butterfly host plant, look at the black-eyed Susan.
I doubt there is a Georgia gardener that cannot identify the black-eyed Susan. It provides beauty to the countryside and backyard gardens alike. It also does well in containers; my wife has raised black-eyed Susans in large containers on our deck for the last couple of years. While we enjoy the beauty the plants provide just outside our backdoor, we also like the fact its blooms are favorite dining spots for many pollinators. While we occasionally see butterflies such as pearl crescents on the blooms, small bees seem to visit the blossoms more often than any other insects.
On top of all of these virtues, this tall native plant also serves as a host plant for the silvery checkerspot butterfly.
If you do not have the black-eyed Susan growing in your gardens, give this one a try.
