GOOD BUGS:
An Introduction of Green Lacewings
Mysteries of the Dragonfly and Damselfly
BUTTERFLY UPDATE:
I’ve seen a few, but I expected more given our heat had us in “June” during May and “July” during June. One success has been the pipevine butterfly, Battus philenor. . in the Bee Better Teaching garden in full force!
Recently, I registered the Bee Better Teaching Garden with the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail. Have you looked into this?
We offer Caterpillar Support to those who are in need of butterfly caterpillars rescued. If you have butterfly caterpillars and are running out of host plants, or if you don’t want your plant defoliated, just email me at helenyoest at gmail.com. We can arrange for you to drop them off, and I will raise and release them.
Host Butterfly Plants
Bronze fennel is the host butterfly plant for the Eastern black swallowtail butterfly. The caterpillars feed on the fennel until time for the metamorphosis.
In our area, we don’t tend to see Eastern black swallowtails until a little later in the summer. But they will come. It’s not too late to plant their host plants. While they like fennel best, the caterpillars will also feed on curly parsley, dill, and carrot tops; anything in the carrot family. To purchase the full list of host plants for butterflies within our Raleigh and Ecosystem 231, click HERE.
MONARCH UPDATE:
It is possible to see monarchs in the Raleigh area in July, but we are more likely to see a bunch of them in the fall as they migrate south again. Have you planted your milkweed?