Entomologist Anna Platoni wears a floral hat to attract the butterflies at RHS Garden Wisley.
Woking, UK
Photograph: Luke MacGregor/RHS/PA
Photograph: Luke MacGregor/RHS/PA
Lotho can tell you it's exceptionally good juju if a butterfly lands on you and Ms Platoni has at least five. That's what they say in the Philippines and we figure it works anywhere like that.
There was good luck with butterflies and hummingbirds in Lotho's backyard and it's partly because he plants things he knows they like but there's something deep about Tennessee and you need to go there to feel it. Hummingbirds and butterflies know it. Lotho found it and he's been there ever since.
Note: tiny hummingbirds fly all the way to Mexico and back for their migration. They seriously love Tennessee.
Note: tiny hummingbirds fly all the way to Mexico and back for their migration. They seriously love Tennessee.
Here's the closest thing to a landing in the files and this was in Lotho's backyard. This type of butterfly liked my truck and this wasn't the only time one visited when I was out there.
11 comments:
Those butterflies like milkweed. And if more people plant it in thier yards along fence rows etc.
The migration will be easier. Thier numbers are dwindling drastically
I've seen that about Monarch butterflies and they sure don't ask much! I suspect people could do quite a bit just by planting gardens. There's lots of 'landscaping' with those ugly evergreen shrubs but not much gardening. And communal vegetable gardens would help also. I've seen many places developing those. I've never got it happening for growing snow peas but that would be one grand way to do it. Sure all these things attract bugs but we've been seeing quite a bit lately on how much we don't want to lose them.
I just throw milkweed seeds everywhere
But there are books in every local that will tell you what to plant to attract which caterpillars. From insect lore you can order egg pods. I do butterflies last year we added praying mantis (very cool to watch them hatch)
There is one other favorite in coneflowers which are a big hit with yellow finches. Those birds have speed like hummingbirds and it was cool to watch them zoom in for these odd-looking seed pods coneflowers would grow.
Hummingbirds are easier than butterflies. Plant reds pinks and purple flower with deep shapes. Honeysuckle Crepe Myrtles etc
Or just a feeder with colored sugar water.
But dont atrract them if you dont plan on repeating each season. As a migrating bird if you change it pattern you need to sustsain it as they have to est constsntly
That's an interesting point on the need to keep doing it once you start.
I saw somewhere hummingbirds have such high metabolism their bodies need to shutdown overnight or they will starve to death before morning!
I know I have found them barely moving. Then feed them suvar water and within 10 minutes or so off they go flitting about
I never thought of hummingbirds flitting about so much as zooming like Star Wars spaceships. What unbelievable speed and reaction time.
they flit about while at a food source then hit the afterburners to go to the next food source
The food source the camera could catch but the afterburner part was impossible! Wildlife photographers who get such incredible footage of them must be magicians.
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