"The butterfly's attractiveness derives not only from colors and symmetry:  deeper motives contribute to it.  We would not think them so beautiful if they did not fly, or if they flew straight and briskly like bees, or if they stung, or above all if they did not enact the perturbing mystery of metamorphosis: the latter assumes in our eyes the value of a badly decoded message, a symbol, a sign."

-Primo Levi

Periodically, I'll be showcasing some of the more common butterflies typically found in Southern California gardens. In no apparent order, we'll start off with one of the most written about butterflies species in the Americas, if not the world:

 Shown here is a male Monarch.  Males sport black dots on either side of their lower wings close to the abdomen, and have narrow black wing veins. Females lack the dots, while their wing veins are thicker than the males.

Monarch Butterfly Danaus Plexippus

Monarch Caterpillar

Monarch Chrysalis

The Monarch Butterfly of North America is an iconic butterfly specie that in the last decade or so has seen an abrupt decline in population, especially in the Midwest and Eastern strains.

Several factors are involved in what are considered severe population crashes. One is the eradication of much of the native milkweed plants that Monarch caterpillars exclusively dine on in Midwest farms and ranches. That is why it is so important to plant milkweed in private gardens, community parks, and anywhere anyone is willing to tend some.

The bulldozing of wild, open spaces for building is another.

Thirdly, the overwintering sites in Central Mexico for the Midwest and Eastern strains have been systematically destroyed through logging, poaching, and land clearing for agriculture. The western strain found in California and the Northwest, overwinters along the Southern California coast, are faring better, but have also been impacted due to host plant and habitat loss.

 

 Monarch Butterfly fall overwintering routes. Reverse directions in spring and summer.

Monarchs travel many miles from southern overwintering sites back home up north, and back down again. Along the way, they need milkweed plants to lay their eggs upon to produce more progeny; no milkweed, no progeny, no progeny, extinct creature. Once they get down to their overwintering grounds and the areas are seriously decimated or even extinct, there is no safe place for them to ride out the winter's cold, and subsequently die or are severely reduced in numbers.

Here is more on the Monarch Butterfly

Tropical, or Mexican Milkweed Asclepias curassavica

There are quite a few native North American milkweed species and several exotic non native ones that monarchs host on. One of the most common for gardeners is Tropical, or Mexican Milkweed. Prolific and easy to grow, this handsome plant makes a fine addition to any garden. It can be found in almost any local nursery center nowadays.

Many of the North American natives make good garden plants also. The species endemic the the western half of the United States tend to be more xeric (growing in dry places), so care must be taken to not over water them in the average garden. Many of these are well suited to growing in large pots where watering regimes can be better monitored. To list all of the different milkweed plant species here would be daunting, so an online search for milkweed would be better served.

Here is a list of the milkweed species currently growing in the container garden:

Asclepias curassavica, a Mexican and Central American native. Average watering.

Asclepias eriocarpa, native to California. Xeric.

Asclepias fascicularis, a California native. Xeric; can take average watering also.

Asclepias incarnata "Cinderella", also known as Swamp Milkweed, is an Eastern U.S. native. Found in swampy areas, does well in moist garden environments.

Asclepias physocarpa (Gomphocarpus physocarpus), a South African native. Average watering.

Asclepias speciosa, native to parts of California. Xeric, but will tolerate garden watering routines.

Asclepias speciosa "Davis"  is a lower elevation cultivar. I'm curious to see which one will do better at close to sea level.

All of these do well in containers, but A. eriocarpa may prove to be a bit of a challenge due to its long taproot. I'll keep you posted.

“Some people are settling down, some people are settling and some people refuse to settle for anything less than butterflies.”

- Candace Bushnell

(Just a gentle, persuasive reminder... please?)

 MONARCH BUTTERFLY FACTS:

• Eggs: 3 - 8 days incubation.
• Caterpillars: 9 - 16 days as cats. (Except for the California Dog Face butterfly. HA! That's silly.)
• Caterpillars go through 5 instar stages.
• Chrysalises: 8 - 15 days as chrysalises.
• Adults: Live for about 2 - 6 weeks during active season. Overwintering adults live longer.

Different butterfly species have different life cycle times.


All three Monarch cats are gone; hopefully crawled off to chrysalissize (made up word. verb: to make, create, or turn into a chrysalis.)

I finally spotted my first Monarch butterflies of the season today. Must be a swarm of them migrating back north passing through my neighborhood. These are a few of them I captured with my camera phone. It's amazing what good photos these little contraptions produce.

 

Other species observed:

California Dog Face Butterfly, Zerene eurydice

I also spotted these two unidentified butterflies. I'll let you know what they are when I get a positive I.D. on them.

 

These two I find particularly attractive and beautiful. Instinct tells me they are migrating back to Redmond, Washington.

One particularly gaudy looking specimen.

A dear blog follower from Laguna Beach, California snapped this photo of an elusive butterfly flitting about the Irvine Bowl/ Laguna Theater village area. A delicate, petite, and lovely creature! If anyone can identify it, please share that info with the rest of us. Its gossamer wings are quite fetching:

Grace and elegance.

An interesting observation: all of them seem to be females. The absence of males is baffling to me. My guess is they could be congregating in certain sections of Laguna Beach, North Hollywood, and areas in and around San Francisco.

Since we are on the subject of Monarch butterflies, here is a milkweed that produces drop dead flowers, and can take average to moist garden soil:

Butterfly Encounters was an excellent source for various milkweed seed species. Unfortunately, the owner is shutting down his site in order to focus more attention to his family, which is a very good thing.

If interested in purchasing Asclepias incarnata "Cinderella" milkweed plants, check out these online sources: Cinderella milkweed. Makes for good cut flowers. There are several other varieties of Asclepias incarnata, or Swamp Milkweed available also. "Ice Ballet" is a very popular white variety. All varieties of Swamp Milkweed are good candidates for Monarch butterfly host plants with their abundant leaf output supporting caterpillars, and its profusion of attractive to both people and butterfly blooms.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly."

-R. Buckminster Fuller

YAY!!!

I found my first Monarch butterfly caterpillars on the milkweed growing in the container garden! Counted three Monday morning as I was watering the plants. Haven't seen many butterflies, but they are apparently making the rounds, as the three cats can attest to. Man, those little buggers grow fast!

Other News: 

•  Submitted the container butterfly garden site to the Monarch Joint Venture Program. They have a Map of Success Stories featuring sites submitted throughout the U.S.

• Registered the garden with the Monarch Watch Waystation Program. Those of you who are familiar with the Alta Laguna Park Butterfly Garden may remember it was registered with them and received a green and white waystation sign. I should be receiving my sign soon.

  

Update: One cat got lost, one slinked away to turn into a chrysalis methinks, and the third is about half grown and growing bigger every day.

"I saw a poet chase a butterfly in a meadow.  He put his net on a bench where a boy sat reading a book.  It's a misfortune that it is usually the other way round."

-Karl Kraus

Starting to see several butterfly species passing through the container garden here. Saw several Gulf Fritillaries (many mistaken this species as a Monarch butterfly), with one visiting my Garlic Passion Fruit vine. Haven't noticed any cats on it, so it was either a male or non-fertile female. This particular passion fruit vine will be replaced with a more vigorous grower, Possum Purple. I hope to also get some delicious passion fruits from it! Alas, the Garlic Passion Fruit is not putting out enough leaves to feed a decent amount of GF cats, therefor the switch. I love its flowers, so I'll be putting it in its own pot and relegate it to the front porch where it will be allowed to cascade over the side.

Back in the  January 31st blog entry, there was a post written about Butterfly Farms of Vista, California being the new home of The Monarch Program. Well, things have changed a little bit since then. The center is located fifteen minutes away from where I live.

The Monarch Program has decided to pull out of Butterfly Farms and relocate somewhere else. There will still be a HUGE vivarium built, school field trips held, butterfly specific plants sold, and tours offered to the general public at Butterfly Farms.

I went back there fairly recently to check it out and get an update on their digs and to buy some milkweed for the Butterfly Container Garden. They want $10 for 1 gallon milkweed plants which is waaay too steep a price in my opinion, but it is a nonprofit, so the added cost is going to a good cause and not necessarily lining someone's pocket. They are also offering plants in 4 inch containers, but unfortunately I didn't get a price quote.

© Butterfly Farms

 Plant propagation greenhouse

It's going to be a very vibrant and aggressive center of butterfly related activity. Unfortunately, with The Monarch Program pulling out, the timeline for opening up the vivarium, hosting school field trips, and access to the general public has been set back by several months.

© Butterfly Farms

This vivarium will be the largest free flight butterfly house in Southern California once completed.

If they accomplish all they intend on doing, this endeavor will be a hub of west coast butterfly activity and influence. They are selling plants now, but the selection, size, and quantities are still a bit low. That should all change in May when plant stock should be up to snuff.

They also have a Butterfly Farms Facebook presence.

"My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view."

-H. Fred Dale  

The container garden is really beginning to show its colors (pun).

This photo taken towards the front of the house, the containers are beginning to fill in nicely.

I'm not too pleased with the way the passion vine, Passiflora loefgrenii "Iporanga" is growing in the yard. As it climbs, the lower leaves wither and die, leaving a skeleton of vine branches and less food for expectant Gulf Fritillary caterpillars down the road.

It will most likely be replaced with either Passiflora edulis or possibly Passiflora caerulea, both very full and dependable Gulf Fritillary host plants. How unfortunate, as the "Iporanga" sports such unique and colorful blooms. If anyone wants it, it's theirs for the asking.

Hot pink flowers of Centrahthus ruber (Jupiter's Beard, Red Valerian).

Tried Centranthus when I took care of the Alta Laguna Park Butterfly Garden, but the deer nipped off the flower buds before I could assess its usefulness as a nectar plant. Supposedly a good butterfly plant, I'll be watching this one as the season progresses. Self sows readily without being invasive, easy to grow, and quite drought tolerant once established. Comes in various shades of pink, red, and white.

 In the process...

Some of the containers shown above are in place while others are waiting for their new spots in the container garden; others still waiting to be planted and spotted. The yellow flowering plant under the window is dill for attracting various swallowtail species as a host plant for their larvae; and added bonus is the large yellow flower umbels that make for good nectar sources. Great as a fresh culinary herb in the garden too!

 There doesn't seem to be any butterflies to be found in the immediate San Marcos area it seems, at least in my neighborhood. Others in the San Marcos/Escondido vicinity see butterflies and some even have Monarch cats on their milkweed plants already. The only thing that has fluttered by recently is a Cabbage White. I did find some Cabbage White caterpillars in the geraniums growing on the porch, but those are unwanted, so I dispatched them. Little buggers eat the flower buds of geraniums and make lace doilies out of cabbage and kale leaves. BLECH!

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant."

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Took a jaunt out to one of many small nursery growers tucked amongst the little valleys and hillsides in and around Fallbrook and Rainbow, California.

My goal was to find a decent, reliable, and inexpensive source of Asclepias (milkweed) for the container garden. My efforts were rewarded in the combination wholesale/retail grower, RZ Nursery. Owned and operated by an affable gentleman named Rogelio, the search was rewarded by finding several Asclepias species offerings at RZ.

 RZ Nursery, Rainbow, California

I wanted to photograph Rogelio in his nursery, but he is a shy and retiring man when it comes to picture taking, but not in conversation. We started out discussing butterfly plants, which evolved into the ethics of good and gracious business practices, which in turn expanded into the proper ways to raise children, that ultimately turned to government and how corrupted both sides of the aisle are. What a fun and many branched discussion!

Rogelio grows an eclectic mix of common and not so common plant varieties in order to fill in those niches not covered by larger growers. I was so pleased to find a decent selection of milkweed plants that most nurseries don't grow, unless they specialize in milkweed production - and he's local to boot.

His stock is healthy and well grown, much of it actually overgrown for their containers, as he apparently doesn't have that big of a turnaround, except for his milkweed plants, as they are in demand by local nursery centers such as Green Thumb. Here is what I found there:

Asclepias curassavica

Asclepias curassavica "Wildfire"

Asclepias fascicularis

Asclepias tuberosa

If one is out roaming around in the San Diego North County/Riverside County areas and are looking for a good source of various milkweed species, Rogelio's RZ Nursery is the place. He only gives over-the-phone price quotes and availabilities to the trade, so one must go in and inquire. 1 gal. Ascleipias are $5, and 15 gal. Asclepias are $15. He only has A. fascicularis in 1 gal.

UPDATE: The container butterfly garden is going full bore! I'll be sharing some pics soon. 

 "Love is like a butterfly: It goes where it pleases and it pleases wherever it goes."

-Author Unknown

Went on a little photo safari to the San Diego Botanic Garden (formerly known as Quail Gardens) in Encinitas, California on the 1st.

It's a beautiful little jewel of a well maintained garden that is chock full of plants collected from many lands around the globe. Being blessed with the fantastic weather we enjoy here in SoCal - especially along the coastal strip - the variety is enormous. In one little section of the grounds, personnel installed a small butterfly and bird garden next to the children's garden section.

As far as a butterfly garden is concerned, it is very nondescript; more of a garden suited for young children whose parents would like their progeny to wander around a bit and possibly learn some gardening, bird, and butterfly lore.

It contains a small vivarium that houses several potted milkweed plants for the benefit of showcasing Monarch butterfly larvae and adults. The vivarium was devoid of any insects while visiting, the poor milkweed plants in sore need of some TLC. I'm sure when the weather gets warmer, the garden will refresh the milkweed and place Monarch cats on them for viewing. As a dedicated butterfly garden destination: fuggetaboutit, but as a botanical oasis, Quail Gardens is a gem of a place to visit. Bring a picnic lunch!

As for butterfly sightings, I noticed only one butterfly the whole time I was there, but it was my first swallowtail sighting of this season. It flitted by very fast, but I believe it was an Anise Swallowtail.

Vivarium, and actually most of the butterfly and bird garden.

I was in Laguna Beach visiting friends Wednesday, and had a chance to stop by the Alta Laguna Park Butterfly Garden. It hasn't been tended to, and since the last time I was able to work on it before my shoulder injury, it has steadily and rapidly gone down hill.

BUT, I was rather surprised at how well it has withstood the test of time. My biggest anticipation was seeing how many - if any - milkweed plants survived. Lo and behold, there are vestiges of them sprouting up through that tough, nutrient poor, poor excuse of a soil. As the days get longer, sunnier, and the ground warms up, there is hope that more will pop through that crap of supposed dirt. With a little bit of attention they could be coaxed into surviving, and even thriving.


Remember:

1. The Butterfly Festival in El Cajon is on Saturday the 5th.

2. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is hosting their annual Butterfly Jungle exhibit April 5 - 27.