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Swallowtails, our first butterflies of spring


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Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED APR 8, 2020
A Western tiger swallowtail butterfly enjoys the nectar from blooming lilacs. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

After overwintering, they come out when the temperatures rise



Where did they come from? Swallowtail butterflies seemed to appear out of nowhere this past week, enjoying Sacramento’s first warm days of April. They could be spotted in gardens, feasting on nectar of newly opened flowers and spreading a little butterfly joy.

It turns out, they were here all along. Swallowtails overwinter as pupa, that stage between caterpillar and maturity. Tucked inside a protective chrysalis, the butterfly emerges as soon as the weather warms.

In fall, the caterpillar attaches what will be its winter shelter to a favorite host plant. Swallowtails lay their eggs on a wide variety of trees, shrubs and perennials, ranging from cherries to tulip trees.

As its name implies, the pipevine swallowtail is partial to California pipevine, which is native to our area. Other species like parsley, dill, anise, Queen Anne’s lace and other members of the umbellifer or carrot family -- all common to our area, too.

The trick is to make sure that their winter home wasn’t pruned off and discarded. It’s easy to accidentally throw away hibernating butterflies along with dried stems – especially if you grow a lot of butterfly-friendly plants.

Pipevine swallowtail butterflies tend to beat their wings rapidly while feeding.
With afternoon temperatures in the 70s this week, expect many more butterfly coming-out parties.

Several individuals dined on my lilacs, fascinating me and my cat. (She couldn’t keep her eyes off them!)

Looking like hummingbirds to my feline, pipevine swallowtails tend to beat their wings rapidly as they feed, a way to keep their balance. (Fortunately, the butterflies could flutter out of the cat’s reach.)

Who’s visiting your garden? Check out the excellent website of UC Davis butterfly expert Art Shapiro at http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/ .

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GENERAL GARDENING

An article about gardening.

Keywords:
gardening Sacramento blossoms California natives nectar plants pollinator habitat pollinators lilacs butterflies spring gardening

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Sites We Like

  1.  UCCE Master Gardeners of Sacramento County
  2. Farmer Fred's GardenBasics.net
  3. UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden
  4. Shepard Garden and Arts Center
  5. Placer County Master Gardeners
  6. El Dorado County Master Gardeners
  7. Yolo County Master Gardeners

Garden Checklist for week of April 21

This week there’s plenty to keep gardeners busy. With no rain in the immediate forecast, remember to irrigate any new transplants.

* Weed, weed, weed! Get them before they flower and go to seed.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden is really hungry. Feed shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.

* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.

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