Butterfly Garden

Would you like to see butterflies in your garden?  There are a few things you should know, and websites with information can be more than you really want to know.  Here are the essentials:

There are two kinds of plants that interest butterflies.

Nectar plants.....  where butterflies come to eat, and

Host plants... where the butterflies will lay their eggs. 

Butterflies are species specific, meaning that most species of butterfly can only lay their eggs on one plant.  So if you have host plants in your garden the butterflies will make special efforts to find you.  Of course that means you will have caterpillars eating the leaves, but we think that is the fun part!  These plants need direct sun.

Monarchs can only lay eggs on Milkweed.  The Monarch populations are so threatened that I strongly recommend that  you plant Milkweed!  It comes in different colors.

Gulf Fritillaries can only lay their eggs on Passion Vine ( the "3 fingered" leaf only)

Swallowtails will seek Sweet Fennel  and parsley.

Giant Swallowtails want Common Rue (Ruta graveolens) .

Sulphurs need Cassia or Senna

There are many more you can find online if you are interested.

Pretty and desirable nectar plants I recommend are:

#1  Star Clusters / Pentas ...Pentas comes in a lot of colors but the red attracts the most butterflies and hummingbirds! The red can get big but I cut it back to keep it at 4 feet.  The butterflies in my home and school gardens will fly right past the other plants to feed at the Red Pentas!  These flowering plants also come in white, different pinks, lavender, and a great violet color!  Pentas in these colors stay low... around 2 feet, and spread out to 3 feet wide, so you can buy them small and space them.

Here are some good nectar plants, but butterflies can really go to any nectar plant.

Echinacea

Common Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) and Yellow Cosmos (Cosmos silphureus)

Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa spp.)

Asters, Chrysanthemums, and Marigolds.

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia spp.)These can get REALLY BIG! (15 feet!)  Feel free to cut them back.

Camara Lantana (Lantana camara) and Lilac Lantana (Lantana montevidensis)

Good luck!  Let me know if you have questions.

Ellen Bialik

2nd grade Teacher

Where are the butterflies?

Butterflies are very temperature sensitive! When it gets cool, some will hibernate in trees, some will migrate to warmer climates, some do both. Our Monarch butterflies travel to Goleta near Santa Barbara to “overwinter”. There is a grove in a preserve where thousands of Monarchs from west of the Rockies come to cluster close together on Eucalyptus trees for warmth. (Monarchs East of the Rockies migrate to central Mexico.) I took my family to Goleta in January to see the marvel! Scientists come to count them and record the information to evaluate the effects of climate change and habitat destruction. This year the count was 27,000!! In the morning and evening the Monarchs snuggle close together and look just like leaves to those of us standing underneath. We got there on a warm day and marveled to watch the sun rise and warm the butterflies on the branches. First they fanned their wings showing flashes of orange. When they got warm enough, thousands took flight simultaneously as children and adults below “oohed” and “ahhhhed”! Then the air was filled with thousands of flying Monarchs! Everywhere we looked we delighted to watch the spectacle!

I hope you have a chance to take your family there next year. The Monarchs are there from November until February. Last year I took my family there near the end of February and the Monarchs were gone, migrating back to Canada, Baja, New Mexico, Arizona and other states west of the Rockies. That is why we planned the trip this year in January.

27,000 sounds like a lot of Monarchs! But it wasn’t that long ago that the counts were 150,000! Hosp Grove in Carlsbad (across from the Mall) used to be an overwintering site! The Monarchs stopped coming. That is why we have created a butterfly habitat garden at Christa McAuliffe. We are helping our planet by providing necessary pollinator habitat, while we educate our children about science as we emphasize the importance of learning how to care for the environment.

As our days get longer and warmer, we will see the Monarchs return to our garden! Come to help us prepare the habitat for their arrival! Your help is needed! As class size has increased, teachers have an overload of responsibilities! We need you! No experience is needed. Please contact Ellen Bialik: ellen.bialik@oside.us, or stop by room 16 before or after school.

If you would like to learn more about the overwintering site near Santa Barbara, check out this website: www.sblandtrust.org/coronado.html

The Christa McAuliffe Butterfly Garden donated over 60 Monarch Caterpillars to the Monarch Program!  This local organization supports the education of environmental issues, and works on habitat reconstruction.  We at Christa McAuliffe are actively teaching our children about how to respect nature, while we provide interaction with this community organization that helps others to learn the science and beauty of our world.

Thank you to the Village Garden Club of La Jolla! The Butterfly Garden at McAuliffe has been selected to receive an $800 garden grant. The funds from this grant will support the upkeep and maintenance of our Butterfly Garden. Thank you to the parents and students that keep our garden looking great. If you are interested in working in and supporting our garden, please contact Ellen Bialik, McAuliffe Garden Coordinator.