At the Butterfly Garden
The Classroom Consumers started Butterfly Gardening at SCIL! Below are photos of their gardens. Underneath the photos is an article, by participant Laurel Bradley.
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Beautiful Butterflies of Florida
By L. Bradley, Volunteer
Master gardener Patricia Porchey from the University of Florida, and her party of two loyal assistants came to the SCIL classroom one morning in early February to teach us all about butterflies. She shared with us fact after interesting fact about these amazing and colorful creatures. Just to mention a few… did you know that the Monarch butterfly can fit several of its small white eggs within the eye of a needle? How about the fact that butterflies drink with their feet? More ? Some species of these insects have a long life span and they migrate halfway across the world. Still more? Butterflies have a unique color code which matches a particular flower’s nectar. Ms. Porchey brought with her a screened-in box from which hung the delicate chrysalises or cocoon. Now all the lazy bug does is eat and sleep.
The master also toted with her potting soil, pots, and snippets of milkweed. Milkweed is a butterfly attraction plant, which requires partial sun and water twice a week. All of us were delighted to bring a plant home. What a great gift!
Every state in the nation has a mascot, wildflower, native plant or butterfly, and Florida is no exception. “The Zebra Longwing” belongs to Floridians. Found throughout the state, the delicate adult butterfly will live for several months. Females deposit small yellow eggs on young leaves of the purple passionflower. They will produce numerous generations each year.
Special thanks go out to Patricia Porchey and the University of Florida.