Garden jewels
In 1962, I wrote a poem for the “Verse and Rhyme in Children’s Time” booklet, called “Fuzzyworm.”
“I saw a little fuzzyworm
A crawlin’ on the walk
An’ I said, “Fuzzyworm
We gotta have a talk.”
I laid down on my tummy
So we could get together,
But he just kept a crawlin’
On past me like he’d rather
Keep a going ’til he got
To someplace that was newer.
He didn’t seem to hurry by-
Just movin’ slow and sure.
I watched that little fuzzyworm
A climb up in the brush
An I said, “Fuzzyworm,
I’m not in any rush.”
So I sat up then an’ looked
To see if he would listen,
He stopped and looked at me
With eyes that seemed to glisten,
As if he had a secret
He didn’t want to share.
But I had a question for him
An’ I really didn’t care.
I had found a fuzzyworm
Oh, it was way last fall.
I put him in a great big jar
To keep him safe and all.
He wrapped up in a blanket
When the cold winds started,
This spring I looked an’ found
The blanket then had parted.
To my surprise, a pretty moth
Was flitting to and fro.
Oh, fuzzyworm, please tell me-
Where’d MY fuzzyworm go?”
I have been intrigued, amazed, enamored, and delighted by butterflies and moths metamorphosing, all my life.
I now work at the Butterfly Estates and daily ask people if they know the difference between a moth and a butterfly?
They are both members of the Lepidoptera Order, a combination of Greek words meaning scale-winged. Their four wings and body are covered with tiny overlapping colorful scales that make up their color and patterns. But, the top three differences are 1. Moths mainly fly at dusk or night and butterflies fly in the daytime; 2. Moths have feathery antennae and butterflies have sleek smooth lines ending in a knob; 3. Moths form cocoons and butterflies make chrysalis’ when they pupate. What a joy in the daytime to be surrounded by colorful, flitting butterflies and their dazzling display of brilliant color.
To keep butterflies around, you need two types of plants-host/larval for the butterfly to lay eggs on and caterpillars to hatch and chew, chew, chew, growing and finally pupating. The size of the butterfly depends on the size at which the caterpillar pupates. They never grow any more once they emerge from the chrysalis. Once they emerge, they need to feed, nectaring on flowering plants. They are especially attracted to red, yellow and lavender colors.
Although they look like they only have two eyes, they have 20,000 compound eyes that see ultraviolet lights we cannot see. This helps them to see nectar in blossoms and because butterflies have ultraviolet marking on their wings, they can identify their own species when searching for a mate. They can disguise their wings by folding them up, closed, the underside side being dull, and seek a mate by opening their wings.
How to attract them? Consider, if you were looking for a place to live,where would you look? Especially if you wanted your youngin’s to grow up- a safe neighborhood, convenient food shopping, and a sunny location..they by nature feel the same way. Butterflies have five major families, Hesperiidae, Lycaenidae, Nymphalidae, Papilionidae, and Pierddae,that have certain basic characteristics and behaviors. So you decide which ones you’d like to attract, or, all butterflies in general. Each butterfly is very plant specific as to it’s larval needs, but they nectar on a wide range of colorful flowers that catch their eyes. Mostly reds, yellow, and lavenders. You need a combination of both types to encourage them to stay in your yard. Those who only want the nectaring butterflies to avoid chewed up plants, will not be able to keep them in their yard long, and they just pass on through. Butterflies need to fulfill their life purpose- laying eggs and perpetuating their family. Most, laying a hundred eggs, one at a time. They only live about two weeks. Busy, Busy, Busy!
A caterpillars whole purpose in life is chewing and growing, then to pupate. As they fill their skins, they shed their old skins to keep growing. These are called instar stages. This happens four or five times, with the last cast-off sending them off to find a safe place to pupate. They attach themselves to a support system (branch, leaf, screens) and molt into their last form, a chrysalis. In side this chrysalis is the breaking down caterpillar that allows the butterfly form it has been carrying around, to reorganize into the adult butterfly. When fully developed, they split open and emerge, all crumpled looking. They crawl out, clinging to a support that allows their wings to be pulled down by gravity. It takes several hours for their wings to permanently dry, and they pump their wings to distribute their fluids into the wing veins. Then they can fly.
They are off and the courtship begins. With so much to do and so little time, 10 days to three weeks for most, they need to find a host/larval plant to lay eggs on as they continue to feed on nectar and pollinate our flowers, benefitting the flowers full cycle of life. Zebra longwings, our state butterfly, has a life span of 6 to 8 months. So, to keep them in your yard you need both types of plants. Next week I will tell about the ways to keep to keep your yard butterfly bejeweled! Stay tuned!
Joyce Comingore is a Master Gardener; Past President of the James E Hendry Chapter of the American Hibiscus Society , and National Board member; member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.