I only wish they wouldn’t devour my Passion Fruit Vine. Passiflora is the host plant for the Gulf Fritillary, the orange and black butterfly in the picture. These are common in south Florida. There are 4 cycles in the life-cycle of a butterfly:
- Egg – laid by a female butterfly on the plant. A caterpillar will eventually emerge from the egg and eat the leaf or part of the plant it is on.
- Larva – this is what’s commonly referred to as a Caterpillar (the critter that chows down on the leaves & other parts of the host plant).
- Pupa – after the Caterpillar reaches its full weight/length it attaches itself to a leaf and forms a pupa (chrysalis). This is where the caterpillar will begin changing, growing its’ wings, etc.
- Adult – once the caterpillar has finished all of its changes in the pupa, it emerges as a butterfly. Within hours it will begin to fly, feed and look for a mate to reproduce. If it’s a female, it will lay eggs on a host plant, which will begin the cycle once again.
Butterflies are pollinators though they are less efficient at moving pollen between flowers than bees are. They don’t pick up as much pollen on their legs and bodies. This week is National Pollinator Week. For some interesting research and other information about pollinators you can visit Environmental Protection Agency-Pollinator Week



Depending on how you feel about the butterflies eating your plants, you can introduce a milkweed section to your garden and try to migrate them there. Or if they need a full relocation, you can install a bird feeder since birds are natural predators of butterflies, but the spillover bird seeds do create an ecosystem of other ground critters and some unsightly droppings in your pool! Milkweed sounds better.
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Beautiful post. 🙂 You make me want to start a garden of my own!
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Yay! Let me know if you do. All it takes is one planter with something you like to eat that grows well in your climate…
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Maybe I will start with roses. Also, I have always been fascinated with bonsai. I walked into a nursery today, and checked out a few bonsai trees. I didn’t find the kind I had hoped for. Maybe, I’ll look somewhere else. 🙂 Either way, do know that you are an inspiration for me in this case.
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