2. Growing Beebalm  Growing Beebalm

4.  Native Plants that Feed our Butterflies and Birds  from Bringing Nature Home:  How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native
Plants by Dr. Doug
Tallamy, Timber Press, 2007Typical gardens often are barren wastelands to native
insects and thus birds.   Almost all
North American birds other than seabirds — 96 percent — feed their young with
insects and caterpillars, which contain more protein than beef.

 

Gardeners could slow the rate of extinction of our
native wildlife and birds by including native plants in their yards. A
patch of violets will feed fritillary caterpillars. A patch of phlox could
support eight species of butterflies. The buttonbush shrub, which has little
white flowers, feeds 18 species of butterflies and moths; and blueberry bushes
support 288 species of moths and butterflies.

Best Bets: Favorite trees and bushes for
mid-Atlantic butterflies & Moths

Common Name	Plant Genus	# of Butterfly / Moth species supported
Oak	Quercus	534
Black cherry	Prunus	456
Willow	Salix	455
Birch	Betula	413
Poplar	Populus	368
Crabapple	Malus	311
Blueberry	Vaccinium	288
Maple	Acer	285
Elm	Ulmus	213
Pine	Pinus	203
Hickory	Carya	200
Hawthorn	Crataegus	159
Spruce	Picea	156
Alder	Alnus	156
Basswood	Tilia	150
Ash	Fraxinus	150
Rose	Rosa	139
Filbert	Corylus	131
Walnut	Juglans	130
Beech	Fagus	126
Chestnut	Castanea	125

 

 

Best Bets: Favorite
flowers and herbaceous plants

for

mid-Atlantic
butterflies & Moths

Common Name	Plant Genus	# of Butterfly / Moth species supported
Goldenrod	Solidago	115
Asters	Aster	112
Sunflower	Helianthus	73
Joe pye  (Boneset)	Eupatorium	42
Morning glory	Ipomoea	39
Sedges	Carex	36
Honeysuckle	Lonicera	36
Lupine	Lupinus	33
Violets	Viola	29
Geraniums	Geranium	23
Black-eyed susan	Rudbeckia	17
Iris	Iris	17
Evening primrose	Oenothera	16
Milkweed	Asclepias	12
Verbena	Verbena	11
Beardtongue	Penstemon	8
Phlox	Phlox	8
Bee balm	Monarda	7
Veronica	Veronica	6
Little bluestem	Schizachyrium	6
Cardinal flower	Lobelia	4

 

from
Bringing Nature Home:  How You Can Sustain
Wildlife with Native Plants

Best Native Plants for Wildlife_Doug Tallamy_3-24-12
by Dr. Doug Tallamy, Timber Press,
2007

5. The Other Orchid Thief: Virus Ravages the Popular Flower http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=virus-ravages-orchids