60 birdsandblooms.com SEPTEMBER EXTRA 2020
Q What are these red bugs, and can they
harm my butterfly weeds?
Nancy Dietrich DUNDALK, MARYLANDMelinda: These colorful insects are milkweed bugs in their
immature stage. Adults are flatter, more elongated, and
orange and black, and they resemble a boxelder bug.
The immature bugs feed on the plant’s sap and
seeds. To get at the sap, they inject a chemical
into the plant tissue. This liquefies the tissue,
allowing them to suck it up. They don’t cause
significant harm to plants, but gardeners in
warmer areas, where the bugs may overwinter,
can remove leaf litter and spent stalks to help
reduce next year’s population.Q This gorgeous moth
took a break from the
heat on our patio post.
Can you identify it?
Barbara Fisher ROUND ROCK, TEXASKenn and Kimberly: The large size and
streamlined shape mark this as a member
of the sphinx moth family, and that bold,
beautiful pattern of black, white and gray
is characteristic of the rustic sphinx. This is
mainly a southern species, rarely wandering
as far north as Canada. Fast-flying adults
are active mostly at night, resting in the
daytime. Caterpillars feed on the leaves of
several plants, including bignonia, jasmine
and Cape honeysuckle.Q Are butterfly houses
more wishful thinking
than practical?
Sue Gronholz BEAVER DAM, WISCONSINKenn and Kimberly: While most kinds
of butterflies survive through the winter
in the egg, caterpillar or pupa stage, a
few hibernate as adults. Examples include
mourning cloaks, commas, question marks
and tortoiseshells. These hibernating adults
usually seek out bark crevices or other
sheltered spots, but they’ll also use butterfly
houses that feature vertical grooves cut
deep into the wood. Even if they use your
butterfly house, you may not see them
as they slip inside sometime in fall and
stay for weeks. So it’s hard to gauge their
effectiveness, but it doesn’t hurt to put
one of these shelters near your garden.Q What’s this beautiful butterfly?
Donnakay Floyd TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA
Kenn and Kimberly: The zebra heliconian, also called
zebra longwing, seems well named—even though its
stripes are black and pale yellow, not black and white.
These butterflies are widespread in the American tropics;
in the U.S. they’re found mainly in Florida. Smaller
numbers call Texas home, and they may wander into other
southern states. Adults are often seen flying through the
shadows of open woods, with shallow, shivering beats of
their long wings. You can find their caterpillars feeding
on the leaves of passion vines.