It is early yet, but I hope that the habitat I am creating will soon lure butterflies to my yard. I have already seen what I believe to have been a Meadow Fritillary. About a week ago I saw my first Swallowtail of the season sipping at the iris; and yesterday I saw what may have been a Great Spangled Fritillary. Butterfly identification is difficult because the differences can be very subtle. I believe butterfly ID is much more difficult than bird identification, especially since they rarely stay put in one place for more than a few seconds. I am further challenged by the fact that there are different species here in Wyoming than those I was accustomed to seeing in Virginia.
The less desirable Cabbage White butterflies, so named because they feed on cabbages, mustards, and those plants of the Brassica family, have unfortunately been abundant in my garden already. The Cabbage White is a troublesome species because it eats those plants that we are trying to grow in our gardens. They are easy to identify by the black dots towards the tips of their wings (two dots for females and one dot for males). However they can be confused with the Veined White butterfly, which is slightly smaller. Most birds find the Cabbage Whites unpalatable, but House sparrows and Goldfinches are known to eat them. I will be checking my broccoli and my nasturtiums (which the butterflies are also fond of) for signs of eggs, which they lay in clusters of about twenty on the undersides of the leaves. (The nasturtiums have been planted as a trap plant to lure them away from the broccoli.) Hopefully, with the birds as my allies and an army of beneficial insects, I can prevent damage to my broccoli.
I NEVER use pesticides or herbicides of ANY kind. I strive to mimic Mother Nature and to show by example, that there is a better way. Most of the people in this town look upon my natural approach with a kind of condescension. I don’t mind. I know, in my heart and in the very depths of my soul, that gardening with the intent to do no harm, my garden will flourish and so will the butterflies.
