Xref: kermit rec.gardens:268504

On 16 Mar 2004 20:56:05 GMT, oaway (Joelle) wrote:

What do the butterflies and
hummingbirds just go wild about?

I don't get many hummingbirds (just as well with all my cats) but the most
popular plant with the butterflies is the mexican sunflower.

Another poster suggested Mexican Heather, it also attracts lots of
bees.

I enjoy watching butterfly larvae and plant several larvae food
plants. Some butterflies are area specific as well as being plant
specific. In my area, Middle Georgia, the gulf fritillary uses
passion flower (maypop) for a larvae food, but in farther South in
Florida the zebra longwing lays on it. Dill, an annual, didn't work
well for me because it dried up before the black swallowtails arrived,
but bronze fennel is a perennial and works well. I enjoyed watching
a 10" pot of curly parsley, but I fear the birds got most of the black
swallowtail larvae from it since it was so exposed.

I like blue anise and cypress vine for hummingbirds and I believe
there are some hummers that don't go to the feeder, but the feeder is
a great show. I have a lantana bed that began as 7 Miss Huff plants
planted about 3' apart, now it is many plants that I keep cut back to
control the size of the bed, but it attracts lots of butterfly and
hummingbird moth activity during the summer. A rubythroat will
occasionally dip through the lantana, but the feeder is so close most
of them go for the feeder instead.

I'd like to suggest a book "Butterfly Gardening for the South, by
Geyata Ajilvsgi. I think she's a Texan too.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/se...463038-5475252

Regards,

Hal