The multi-colored White Peacock has no problem sitting still while other butterflies fly around it. We are fortunate here in Florida to be home to more than 180 species of butterflies, of which 40 are endemic to our state. That is the highest number of varieties in any state east of the Mississippi River. Our warm climate and lustrous flora make Florida very appealing to these insects. You can enjoy butterflies around your own home by planting a butterfly garden. You don’t need a lot of space, since a small planter placed on your patio or balcony can be used to attract them. With a little planning and know-how, you can enjoy butterflies all year long in your own yard. To get started, it’s helpful to understand the lifecycle of the butterfly, as well as the food sources of caterpillars and butterflies. With this knowledge, you can make your yard or planter an attractive place where butterflies can refuel, or a home where they will live and multiply. The life of a butterfly consists of four stages – egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis) and adult. The female butterfly lays her eggs on a larval host plant. Once the eggs 106 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 Butterflies are one of nature’s beautiful and graceful creatures. hatch, typically within about three days, the resulting caterpillars begin to dine on the host plant. They eat a lot. The larvae will molt several times during their maturation and once fully grown, will attach themselves with their silk to a leaf or twig and molt into a pupa or chrysalis before eventually becoming butterflies. Unlike the caterpillars that only eat the host plant, the butterflies also feed on nectar from other flowers. Here are some important things to keep in mind when attracting butterflies. Don’t use pesticides on your host plants or those around them, as pesticides can be deadly to both butterflies and caterpillars. Learn about and provide plants that will attract butterflies to your garden because not all butterflies feed off the same varieties. We asked Tampa Bay area “Butterfly Lady “ Lois Weber to advise us. Lois’s entire yard is a butterfly garden, which attracts dozens upon dozens of Monarchs. When we visited her, in addition to Monarchs, we saw Zebra Longwings (Florida’s state butterfly), White Peacocks and Gulf Fritallaries. Other common butterflies in our area include various species of Swallowtails and Sulphurs. Adult Monarchs feed almost exclusively on the flowers of the milkweed plant, which is their only host plant. Growing milkweed is easy, however, there are several varieties of it, and only three types are recommended for attracting Monarch butterflies. Swamp Milkweed is most suitable for wetter sites, however, Butterfly Milkweed is most suitable for Lois Weber of Lake Tarpon is well-known for her love of and expertise with caterpillars and butterflies found in the Tampa Bay area.
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