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Last spring, I purchased a large packet of seeds labeled "Butterfly Mix." It included at least a couple dozen species of host plants and nectar plants for butterflies in one of two raised beds in our back yard. Then we had Covid shutdown, sizzling heat, and little rain for the next four or five months. A few plants thrived, and I was able to put lovely Cosmos, Zinnias, Coneflower, and Snapdragons into vases all summer and into early fall. But the milkweed didn't sprout, and no butterflies came. Not even the two parsley plants in the other bed attracted the Swallowtails that I'd shared my parsley plants with in Broken Arrow. Then we had an epic ice storm in February. I decided we weren't destined to attract butterflies--few of our neighbors have flowering plants, and there are few trees on our end of the street. I decided to plant only the zinnias that give me long-lasting cut flowers all summer. If I can't have butterflies, I reasoned, at least I'd have nice bouquets. The parsley plants had overwintered (a first in my experience, and a surprise, given the single digit temperatures), and while they were spindly, they still produced plenty of leaves for cooking. By April, it was apparent that a few flowers from last year had come up from the seeds they dropped last year, along with the zinnias I planted. But along with, and throughout the bed popped up the milkweed I'd planted in 2019! In abundance! A couple of months later we had several Monarch caterpillars, though I'd never seen an adult butterfly in the garden. The parsley, now gone to seed, was also full of Swallowtail caterpillars! I pulled out the butterfly enclosure from my teaching days and ordered a bigger one so each species would have their own enclosure. In the past couple of weeks, we've had a few failures. One Monarch was apparently diseased and wasn't ever able to fully eclose from its chrysalis. But the other two in the enclosure were fluttering strongly and beautiful! We invited several neighbor children to come help us release them, and it was fun to share their enthusiasm, but a little sad to see our babies fly away. A day or so ago, one Monarch was spotted hovering around the new tropical milkweed I just planted, but I think it's too late in the season for her to lay eggs. We'll see. Meanwhile, the Swallowtails are taking their sweet time. One has formed a chrysalis, and we lost a couple others inexplicably. Two other cats are still munching on the organic parsley I picked up for them at Whole Foods last weekend (there's really no homegrown parsley left), but they're not making their moves yet. I've read Swallowtails often overwinter in their chrysalides, so we might have these until spring. Hopefully, I'll be better prepared earlier in the season next year and can nurture these guys more effectively. It's really been a fun experience to watch these little creatures grow and then to send them on their way. Only about 1-2% of butterfly eggs make it to the butterfly stage in nature, and I'm just helping to increase their odds and enjoying the little bit of beauty they bring into my life. --Janice
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January 2022
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