58 birdsandblooms.com SEPTEMBER EXTRA 2020
Q Do any types of shade tolerant plants
attract butterflies? Adrianne Long FREDERICK, MARYLANDASK THE EXPERTS
Melinda: You may be surprised to find a variety of native
plants that tolerate shade and support butterflies. Always
be sure to match the plant to the level of shade in your
garden. Here are a few woodland natives to try. Start the
season with Virginia bluebells, mixing them with other
perennials to mask the large leaves that die back soon after
flowering. Wild geraniums (Geranium maculatum), rose
pink to lavender, appear during the cooler months in spring.
Woodland phlox, with bluish flowers, appear in late spring.
Foam flowers (Tiarella cordifolia) produce spikes of white
flowers, and their foliage remains attractive all season long,
even evergreen where winters are mild. Add a spark of color
with the red and yellow blooms of Indian pinks, move on to
the stately blooms of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) and
finish up the season with native turtleheads.Eastern tiger
swallowtail
on woodland
phloxQ How can I keep
wasps away from the
caterpillars I raise?
Margie Sloane OVIEDO, FLORIDA
Kenn and Kimberly: When we’re raising
caterpillars, it’s sad to see them killed by
parasites or eaten by predators, and it
doesn’t help to know that this is a normal
thing. If every one of the hundreds of eggs
laid by female monarchs were to hatch
and survive to adulthood, we’d soon be
knee-deep in butterflies. It’s possible to
bring caterpillars indoors and raise them
in a cage or terrarium, but there’s some
evidence that monarchs raised indoors
may have trouble navigating in their
migration. You can also put a small fine
mesh enclosure around outdoor milkweed
plants that are hosting caterpillars to keep
most insects out. That approach requires
constant monitoring, however.Q Is there a way to control
the cabbageworms on
my vegetables without
affecting the caterpillars
and butterflies I’m trying
to attract?
Paula Anderson BEMIDJI, MINNESOTA
Melinda: Cover susceptible transplants
and seeds with a lightweight floating row
cover at planting. These fabrics allow air,
light and water through but prevent the
adult cabbageworm moth from laying its
eggs on your plants. The cover also protects
seedlings from hungry birds and rabbits.PLAN FOR LATECOMERS It may be easiest to see your favorite butterflies in summer,
but be sure to plant some blooms that flower in autumn to support migrating fliers.
Some of their favorites include sedum, asters, lantana, bluebeard and pentas.