Many gardeners want immaculate foliage, but to us perfect foliage means there aren’t enough caterpillars munching leaves to produce the diaphanous moths and bright-colored butterflies that we want. Many folks have lost the connection between the butterflies and moths they want, and the need to grow host plants for the larvae of those same butterflies and moths.
While bees and butterflies seem to be opportunistic generalists, sipping any flower—native or not—that pumps the most sugary nectar at the moment, caterpillars are fussy eaters, with most species eating only a few kinds of plants. Here are just a few of the host plants we grow within the garden, and the caterpillars they nourish.
Monarch.Photo: Kenneth Dwain Harrelson/courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Clouded sulphur.Photo: Megan McCarty/courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Clouded sulphur
Plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) including:
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa, annual)
White clover (Trifolium repens, Zones 3–10)
Pea (Pisum sativum, annual)
American lady
Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea, Zones 3–8)
Plantain-leaved pussy toes (Antennaria plantaginifolia, Zones 3–8)
American lady.Photo: Derek Ramsey/courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Black swallowtail.Photo: Gordon E. Robertson/courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Black swallowtail
Dill (Anethum graveolens, annual)
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum, annual)
—John Gwynne is a landscape architect who splits his gardening time between New York City and Little Compton, Rhode Island.
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The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
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The Nature of Oaks reveals what is going on in oak trees month by month, highlighting the seasonal cycles of life, death, and renewal. From woodpeckers who collect and store hundreds of acorns for sustenance to the beauty of jewel caterpillars, Doug Tallamy illuminates and celebrates the wonders that occur right in our own backyards. He also shares practical advice about how to plant and care for an oak, along with information about the best oak species for your area.
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Maintaining a healthy relationship over an extended period of time requires https://showbox.run/ honest and open communication, compromise, and a willingness for both people to grow together.
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