Temperatures have finally risen to the point that many of our favorite insects are active after a long winter, and are already seeking their host plants in gardens throughout Ohio. This past week, two beautiful examples were discovered in one of our team member’s home gardens: American Lady and Black Swallowtail butterflies.
American Lady butterflies don’t stay year-round in Ohio, but instead winter further south in warmer climates. Each spring they migrate back north and search for their host plants, such as Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) and Plantain-leaved Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia). This individual was seen on the latter, and enjoyed nectaring from the flowers in between laying eggs on the foliage!
Black Swallowtail butterflies have a different winter strategy in Ohio. The last caterpillars of the fall find somewhere safe to pupate, like leaf litter, and wait to emerge until the following spring. This past weekend must have had the right temperatures or amount of daylight, because two of these lovely butterflies emerged from a garden bed’s leaf litter nestled along the house’s foundation and were climbing the siding! They were presumably looking for a safe, sunny place to dry their bodies before starting their adult life. After they were discovered, they were relocated to their host plants, Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), that are flowering now in the same bed they emerged from.
May 2024 Newsletter
