It's peak Butterfly time in Central Virginia, I've never seen so many in my garden!

For the last 5 years, we've been delaying the start of Spring mowing. My neighbor hires a mowing company and they mowed 10 times before we mowed once. Since we moved into our house 15 years ago, we have not mulched, burned, or removed the fallen leaves. I even rake over leaves from our neighbor who would normally pay for removal. 

Leaves are natures fertilizer and hold treasures. This year we have experienced record numbers of butterflies in our garden, especially Skippers. It could be due to many different factors. Weather; rain or dryness or heat or cold. It could be there were butterfly eggs deposited in the grass that we did not destroy from mowing less often. It could be that the adult butterflies that wrap themselves in leaves inside a warm cocoon for Winter hibernation were left where they fell.

August has proven to be the best month for butterfly observing in my area. The vast majority come in the hot Summer and Fall months. I've heard it said over and over in July, "there are no butterflies!" We even had a count in July and it was depressing as there were so few to count! Patience, patience... 

This weekend has proved to be a butterfly bonanza! We have at least 100 Skippers hopping around patches of flowers in the garden. They especially like Mountain Mint, Apple Mint, Althea, Butterfly Bush, Cup Plant, Anemone, and Marigolds. My yard has been part of the annual butterfly count for several years and typically we might find 25 Skippers. 

Surprisingly I have seen three Zebra butterflies. I'm lucky to see one if any in a year! I planted a little trio of Pawpaw trees several years ago to draw in the Zebra. Each butterfly species seeks out the unique plant required to feed their caterpillar on which to lay their eggs and this is the plant the Zebra is looking for. I often see butterflies frantically popping around the garden from plant to plant, maybe they are searching for their host plant.

My second favorite butterfly to spot is the Common Buckeye. It's shocking when you find one for the first time. It's a charming orange and brown butterfly with all sizes of eyespots. I've never understood using the word common as part of its name as it is truly magical!

The American Snout has the perfect name. A long snout brown curious insect. I've seen it land on humans more than any other butterfly, most likely relishing the salt we produce. There has never been a Summer without a little nosey Snouter greeting me as I get in my swimming pool slurping up any splashed water or lighting on my arm. 

I don't see many of the most talked about butterfly, the Monarch, in my garden but I'm still developing my milkweed stations. I hope that's the reason and in future years I'll see more. 

Right NOW is the time in Central Virginia to get out and see butterflies. You will find them in full sun among blooming flowers or some smaller species will hop out in an open field as you walk. Do not cross a butterfly with your shadow and always walk very slowly toward them. They can feel the shade and air current which will make them fly away. 

Butterflies are selective, looking for nectar (they are not looking for pollen as they do not have a family to raise). The more native plants you have, the greater chance you have of attracting them not only for nectar but to have the correct caterpillar food for them to hang around. They do visit several non-native plants that I do not recommend you plant (I inherited Apple Mint, Butterfly bush and Althea which they really like). Seek out native plants instead as this is what they really need to survive and grow in your own garden.

Get out and enjoy these beautiful insects.

~Rebecca

Annual National Butterfly Count in Albemarle County Charlottesville Crozet Virginia

Monarch on Milkweed

One of my favorite things to do is participate in the annual butterfly count. Around the same time each year, several teams scour Albemarle county in search of butterflies. Tallies are sent into the North American Butterfly Association that keeps track of sightings nationwide. Counts occur at different times nationally depending upon when sightings are most likely.

Sulphur Butterfly in a flower field

This year it's been reported that numbers are down and we did find this to be true. Some believe it is because of the multiple torrential Spring rains that we experienced. Others feel it might be from the late cold snap, the same one that wiped out my Peach and Plum blossoms leaving me fruitless this year.

Big eyed Robber Fly grabbed a Bee

Insects are a wonderful indicator species that can give us a heads up if something is off-kilter. Approximately 30 different butterfly species can be found in our area. It would be nearly impossible for all 30 to be accounted for during the annual count. We also track the number of individual butterflies in each species. The big numbers usually come in for Tiger Swallowtails but not this year. Other more rare species were even harder to find. Sadly no Zebra Swallowtails in my yard this year.

National numbers have been collected for 30 years. I'm glad someone is watching and I certainly have found it fascinating and educational. I've learned so much about nature from the counts. I always encounter some strange plant, tree, or insect leaving me inspired to continue searching for new critters while preserving native plantings in my own backyard. 

Tiger Swallowtail in Echinacea

~ Rebecca

   

  

2019 National Butterfly Count in Albemarle County Virginia

The lovely Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

Yesterday two teams participated in the annual Albemarle County butterfly count. The team I was on went to Crozet Virginia and data will be submitted to the North American Butterfly Association. Taking approximately four hours in temps reaching 90 degrees each team covered different areas to record each species of butterfly spotted. The teams were coordinated by Nancy Weiss and Terri Keffert of the Rivanna Master Naturalists. This was my 5th year to head out to count. It's quite fun to attempt to find that elusive butterfly that you have never seen!

Pair of Clouded Sulphur Butterflies on yellow Cup Plant.

The focus is on butterflies but it's also interesting to see what plants butterflies prefer. There was a butterfly fight over the orange Butterfly Weed. A top favorite for several species during our count. The Eastern Tiger Swallowtails loved the thistle plant. Often looked upon as a weed to us but a valuable plant for butterflies and worth keeping a patch off to the side in ones yard.

Our group (all smiles when your with fellow nature lovers).

The final numbers have yet to be tallied but hundreds of butterflies were spotted. The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail was the most common butterfly along our walk. It sounds like an easy task to identify a particular butterfly but there can be very minute differences between similar looking butterflies. It takes a trained eye often looking through a set of auto zoom binoculars in order to accurately identify. The topside and underside of a butterfly can be very different which also makes things complicated. Sometimes it comes down to just how it flies or what is referred to as the flight pattern. There are around 20,000 butterfly species on our planet but luckily in Albemarle County Virginia there are "only" about 70.

Spicebush Swallowtail on Monarda.

Annual counts can be a barometer of the health of the area. Habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change can impact numbers. Often we hear of the decline of bees but many other insects pollinate such as butterflies and moths. Butterflies, when in the caterpillar stage, are a major part of the food chain for birds.
There are many butterflies at risk.

My attempt at a Monet - Waterlilies spotted along our route.

You can help by not using toxic chemicals and by growing native plants which often provide food for caterpillars and attract adult butterflies. Often we do not understand the relationship between one species and another until we study it. We see a plant that has chewed leaves and think our plant is doomed when often it's just part of the normal course of things. The worm eats the leaves but turns into a beautiful butterfly that turns around and pollinates the plant it chewed.

On butterfly weed, the only Gray Hairstreak we spotted.

This July we celebrated our 10 year anniversary of moving to Albemarle County and I saw more butterflies in our yard than ever. I like to think it's because each year I have planted more native plants.

The good news is that local friends are also seeing more butterflies this year and our count was very fruitful!

-Rebecca 

Peak Season to spot Butterflies in the Virginia Garden is July and August

Male Easter Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Buddelia

Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Clerodendrum

I'm seeing more and more varieties of butterflies in my Charlottesville Virginia gardens. My blooming Mimosa tree is loaded with Eastern Tiger Striped Butterflies. So many that it looks like glitter reflecting in the tree. A record year for them in my garden on Forsythia Hill. I often wonder if it's because I continue to plant shrubs and flowers offering to them more places to dine and lay their eggs. Weather will also make annual numbers wax and wane. Butterflies will lay eggs near a specific food plant that caterpillars will consume or on dead leaves, grass stems or even on soil. I don't deadhead flowers or remove or burn dead leaves as they could harbor eggs!

Female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on Hyssop

The female Eastern Tiger can be yellow or black. The male can only be yellow. The yellow female is accented with blue on the lower end near the tails.

Amazingly beautiful little Common Buckeye Butterfly

One of my favorite butterflies is the Common Buckeye. I don't see many in my garden but I did just spot one this week. In flight it's very hard to see the spots but you will see a little white line flashing if you focus on it. I love the mocha brown with orange detailing and those EYES!

I'm creating a Dwarf Clerodendrum patch

I have to mention a few standout plants that Butterflies love to visit. Of course the Buddelia is top on their list but the downfall with this plant is that no caterpillars like it as a food plant (a plant they eat when they hatch). My Clerodendrum is beloved by the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly and the flowers smell heavenly but shockingly the leaves are the worst smelling thing EVER. I find the  smaller butterflies and insects enjoying perennial herbs such as native Mountain Mint, Anise Hyssop, Fennel, and Catnip.

Giant Black Wasp on Mountain Mint

A larger insect that loves Mountain Mint is the Giant Black Wasp, check out those striking blue wings. This wasp not only likes the Mountain Mint nectar but is a bug killer, hauling bodies to its nest. I'm hoping stinkbugs and Japanese Beetles are on the top of their favorite list.

This weekend is the annual Albemarle County Butterfly Count! This will be my third year of participation. I hope to see something exciting that is not found in my garden.

Can't wait!

~ Rebecca

Charlottesville Annual 2017 Butterfly Count in Albemarle County Virginia

Butterfly Counters (hat and binoculars required gear)

While Charlottesville made national news due to violence in our lovely historic downtown, I was out participating in the annual North American Butterfly Count for Albemarle County.

You can't help but have a favorite, the Northern Pearly Eye.

Two teams of mainly Virginia Master Naturalists headed out at 10 am to count butterflies. One group was dispatched to Crozet and the other to Kemper Park (the nature trail that traverses up to Monticello). Temperatures were more moderate today, only 90 degrees compared to 97 last year! Getting overheated is to be expected. The day began with fog and light sprinkles of rain but the sun came out and so did the butterflies!

This year our butterfly count was held just north of Kemper Park at the adjacent property, Secluded Farm. It's a lightly hiked area that features big swaths of open meadows and forest land.

The official numbers have not been tabulated but our butterfly sightings were fairly light. The most commonly spotted butterflies were the little Silvery Checkerspot, Skippers, and the black Spicebush Swallowtail.

Spicebush Swallowtail on Thistle flower

It was remarked that the annual count is a favorite event for many of us. Immersed in nature, seeing a variety of native plants, insects, magnificently huge trees, and of course butterflies. There is always something in nature that is totally new. I discovered several plants and shrubs that I had never seen. A Master Naturalist snapped a Spice Bush limb and we all smelled it's lovely scent. Who knew! There were also plenty of unusual Dragonflies lighted on twigs.

Silvery Checkerspot Butterfly

I have to wonder why people can't find something meaningful to do with their time other than spew hate. What a waste of a perfectly beautiful day in Virginia. I'm so fortunate to live in a normally peaceful town that welcomes diversity and has respect for all creatures great and small.

~ Rebecca

Summer Butterflies all a Flutter in Charlottesville Virginia

Spicebush Swallowtail on my False Spirea Shrub

I've just received word that the annual Albemarle County Butterfly count will occur August 12th this year. The purpose of the count is to determine if butterflies are declining or not and it's part of a national program.

Easily recognized Virginia butterfly, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

I've been noticing hordes of the common Silvery Checkerspot and of course the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail fluttering around the garden. A few more regulars have included the Spicebush Swallowtail and the Silver-Spotted Skipper.

I've changed my gardening behavior over the last several years, allowing most plants to reseed. Which means I do not cut back any foliage unless it looks like a dead brown stick (dead Daylily stems come to mind). It looks a bit of a mess but come winter it's amazing as to the number of birds that reach for these seeds and how it actually adds winter interest. I also do not remove the fallen leaves. It's one of the worst things you can do.

Small but fast, the Silver-spotted Skipper

I'm beginning to conclude that not removing leaves or dead foliage until Spring has also benefited the insect populations. Think of how many cocoons and larvae are inadvertently destroyed when you totally clear out flower beds at the end of the season.

I also am taking note of plants that are especially attractive to pollinators and butterflies. Catnip, Clerodendrum, Hyssop, Mimosa, Fruit Trees, herbs, Cosmos, Beautyberry, and Cone Flower are garden favorites.

Time will tell if the increase in butterfly populations around Forsythia Hill are due to my efforts or just another "good season". It will be interesting to see how the numbers unfold this year during the annual count. It's also a good time to see some uncommon butterflies. We always see something interesting in the fields and woods. Nature is full of surprises!

I going to end this post with a fun video of one of my neighbors NEW honeybees loading up on nectar from my Beautyberry shrub.

The next time you hear from me, I just might be inside a shoe... visit back soon to figure that one out!

~ Rebecca

Annual Virginia Master Naturalists North American Butterfly Count

Butterfly Count in the forest at Kemper Park

It was an privilege for me to be able to participate in the North American Butterfly Count for Albemarle County. Today 2 teams of Virginia Master Naturalists (for the exception of a few of us) headed out at 9 am to count butterflies. I was assigned to the team that went to the amazing Kemper Park nature trail that traverses up to Monticello. When I left the house it was 77 degrees, when I returned after noon, it was 97! Needless to say, it was a hot day. We were very fortunate to be able to walk deep in the forest to escape the oppressing heat. The other group was dispatched to Crozet, another area in the county.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Thistle, parking lot Kemper Park

The official numbers have not been tabulated but it was obvious that the numbers were lower this year. The most commonly spotted butterfly, and one of the largest, was the yellow with black stripes Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Of all the butterflies in Virginia, it probably is the most recognized.

I found this photo amusing given our addiction to cell phones. This little American Snout is trying to grab the attention of one of our young nature lovers that was on the count. Almost to say, hey you, get off that thing and pay attention to me! Check out the unusually long snout on that guy.

The small Silvery Checkerspot

There are many reasons for a species to decline. One of the best ways to encourage butterflies in your yard is to plant natives and other trees, shrubs, and flowers that caterpillars like to eat or that butterflies prefer for egg laying. I finally have a little patch of three Paw Paw trees that are coming along nicely in my yard. This attracts the stunning Zebra Swallowtail, one of which we saw today but it was so high in the tree I could not photograph it.

Cardinal Flower and Joe Pye Weed

Not only do we see wonderful Butterflies but also interesting plants and little critters. We were lucky to have a budding entomologist along that magically spotted unusual insects that I had never seen before. It's a thrill to see something new. Of course being on the trail with Master Naturalists, most plants are also identified.

My first sighting of the Hackberry Emperor

It was a hot day but when your mission is to "spot the butterfly" it some how takes a backseat to your quest to find the next elusive beauty. Especially when you find a species that you have never seen. I was happy to see a Hackberry Emperor complete with a crazy pattern and many "eyes". All designed to confuse predators and make it blend into the environment.

The Kemper Park group

Training prior to the event was prepared by Nancy Weiss and Terri Keffert of the Rivanna Master Naturalists. Many thanks to both of them for their dedication to this effort and to our team leader, Laura Seale.

-Rebecca

Lewis Ginter Butterflies Live Exhibit FREE DEALS DAY

Free Coffee at Starbucks to start the trip in full gear.

My husband and I took our annual July 4th road trip to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.  We departed at 8:30 am planning to hit the Butterflies Live exhibit before the lines got really long.  Because July 4th is always FREE ENTRY DAY at Lewis Ginter, it is guaranteed to be busy.  Our first stop was Starbucks to get their July 4th FREE CUP OF JOE Deal.  No lines and no strings attached, picking up a Blonde and a Dark Roast, we were on our way. 

Amazingly we hit NO red stop lights leaving Charlottesville until we arrived in Richmond!  We wondered if possibly an alien space ship was hovering and had commandeered the traffic lights or our vehicle.  No lines at Starbucks and then no red lights --- QUITE STRANGE indeed.

We arrived an hour later at Lewis Ginter and there was already a line formed for the Exhibit.  We waited about 30 minutes and then entered into the warm moist Butterfly Sanctuary.  Over 250 Butterflies emerge during the span of the Exhibit.  It was so fun watching kids interact with the butterflies and adults trying to photograph that perfect shot.  If you have never been to a Butterfly Conservatory, YOU MUST GO! 

Husband in Loblolly Pine grove in the shade!

The good part about Lewis Ginter is that you can find shade and A/C along your trek so we lasted much longer than planned - 5 hours!  There is so much to explore botanically and they even have a Sprinkler Cool Off Area for the kids (I was ready to go in clothes and all). 

Entomologist, Laura Garrett Exhibit

A companion Butterfly Exhibit by Laura Garrett is located in the Library Building corridor.  I have to say that after seeing them flutter alive it was a bit unnerving but the coordination of the frames with the Butterflies was quite interesting.  Also it gives you a close up view of each Species... most not from our area. 

Veggie Pita w/BEST EVER Sweet Potato Fries

We searched the net to find a new place to eat in Richmond but were so hot and hungry that we ended up at the Lewis Ginter Tea House.  Surprisingly it was delicious.  I had a Veggie Pita Hummus Sandwich with a side of crispy steak size Sweet Potato Fries.  A fast meal in nice surroundings and decently priced, the perfect lunch spot!

After picking up a discounted library book about Shrub Species (a great find at $2.00) we headed to the Chinese market to grab some Ginger (another great deal).  Back to reality, our alien space ship no where to be found, hitting mostly red stop lights in Cville, we were home.

-Rebecca

What's a Girl To Do

A few fun events out and about in Charlottesville this weekend.

SATURDAY

9 AM - Noon:  "Through the Garden Gate, 2011".  Each spring and summer a series of 5 private garden tours is sponsored by the Piedmont Master Gardeners.  Cathy and Chirs Kramer's home is open to the public for a $5.00 fee, hosted by the Monticello Garden Club.  Azalea, woodland garden, and an edge pool tiered with perennials.  Mosses, sedums, and roses dot the landscape with the Blue Ridge Mountains in full view.

10 - 2 PM:  "Cville Go Green Fest" at Snow's Garden Center.   Food, eco-themed games, a moon bounce, music, ASPCA pets, and lots of family fun.

10 - 4 PM:  "Festival of Cultures" at Lee Park.   Hands-on cultural crafts activities, visit cultural exhibits, food, and artisan vendors

SUNDAY

1 PM:  The Ivy Creek Foundation is offering a FREE Butterfly walk at the Ivy Creek Natural Area.  Hosted by Mike Scott.  Firstly you will see his impressive display of the butterflies of the Ivy Creek Natural Area and then continue on the trails.

Have fun outside this weekend!

-Rebecca