Comments | mlleelizabeth: This post is mostly about pretty bugs.

mlleelizabeth

This post is mostly about pretty bugs.

Jul 18, 2007 13:10

Last night I watered my garden the minute I got home, before going inside. I disturbed quite a bit of wildlife by doing it, but they seemed forgiving. There was a dark brown moth. I think it might have been one of the ctenucha moths that are towards the middle of this page. Although it might have also been a skipper rather than a moth. I have ( Read more... )

butterflies, gardening

Comments 3

dossier July 19 2007, 01:26:42 UTC

When I was raising Monarch Butterflies a few years back, I found that the Audubon guide was very pretty, but too broad, and the So.Texas varieties weren't always included. Peters had a really decent Eastern guide that worked, but again, just not enough.

I found 'A Garden Book For Houston', by the River Oak Garden Club to be absolutely invaluable, The section on natural gardening and creating a 'butterfly-scape' was perfect--not only did I get a concise description of the types I was likely to find, but also an excellent guide on what to grow to attract what species, and the best ways to make that thing grow. You might check out the local garden club and see if they have something similar.

Amazon had a few suggestions for TX butterflies , though I've never seen these particular books, you might look for them as something specific when you're browsing ( ... )

mlleelizabeth July 19 2007, 01:41:43 UTC

Awesome recs, thank you! I will print this and the amazon list and take it to Borders with me. The first book on the amazon list looks like it might work for me. The guide you had for Houston might, as well, since my zone if fairly close, and many of the butterflies I've identified this
season were out of their range to the north by a good bit.

My favorite thing about the amazon list, though, is that the fourth item on it is Texas Chainsaw Massacre! Hee ( ... )

dossier July 19 2007, 02:22:22 UTC

you're welcome! LOL I didn't look that far down the list,I saw the first three, and OK. *snerk* Texas Chainsaw Massacre + Butterflies = Love

I've considered starting back into that again, but not at the moment, no. Arkansas has a lot of eastern swallowtails, which thrive on Queen Anne lace, which doesn't necessarily like cultivation. A few Monarchs, though not a lot, I think it's too cold in the winter for the milkweed.