I love spring when the Tiger Swallowtails are flitting about everywhere.  

 

We've seen them in the apple trees, in the blueberries, and now in Lisa and Dan's holly bushes.  Nectar is everywhere.  Butterflies will collect nectar from many sources, liking some more than others.  They will feed just about anywhere, but here is a list of the top ten butterfly nectar sources:

 

Black-eyed Susan, Joe-Pye weed, Liatris, Coreopsis, Pentas, Aster, Butterfly weed (Asclepias), Lantana, Purple coneflower, Butterfly bush (Buddleia).  Some of these are native plants, and some you can get from the garden center.  But be sure to have some of these plants in your garden to attract butterflies.  

 

Nectar plants provide food for butterflies, and Host plants provide food for butterfly babies or caterpillars.  Butterflies lay their eggs on specific plants so that when the caterpillars emerge they don't have to go look for food, their food is right there for them.  Tiger Swallowtails lay their eggs on several different host plants:  Cherry trees, Aspen (which we don't have,) and Tulip poplar being the main one.  We have lots of those here, so that's why we see so many Tiger Swallowtails in the spring.

 

If you are interested in planting your garden to attract butterflies, an excellent resource is Stokes Butterfly Book  The Complete Guide to Butterfly Gardening Identification and Behavior.  

 

I used this book in my classroom when we raised butterflies in a 50 gallon aquarium.  My preschoolers loved watching and learning all about caterpillars and butterflies.  When they came into the room in the morning, they went straight to the butterfly nursery to see what was happening there.  We learned together.  It was fascinating.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!