Attracting and Protecting
Butterflies
Paul Guillebeau, Ph.D.
UGA Entomology
bugman@uga.edu
Butterfly Life Cycle
Egg – a few days
Larva – a few weeks
– Wandering phase – looking for a place to pupate
Pupa – variable
Adult – a few weeks
Overwintering
Different types of Lepidoptera spend the
winter in each life stage
Some do not overwinter; they spend the
winter in warmer climates
General Principles
Larval food – Depends on species
Adult food – Continuous nectar sources
Other adult needs
– Water
– Minerals
– Places to rest – diversity of plants
– Places to bask in the sun - stones
General Principles
Don’t use insecticides on larval or adult food sources
Most insecticides are broad spectrum
Even Bacillus thuringiensis is dangerous for any
caterpillars that eat it
“Safe” insecticides include soaps and oils
General Principles
Adult attracted to red, yellow, orange, pink
and purple blossoms that are flat-topped,
clustered, and have short flower tubes.
Adults feed in sunshine
Water/mineral sources must be shallow
Adult Puddling
A shallow pan filled with sand or small stones
Add water, soil, manure, overripe fruit, a little
salt, sports drinks, stale beer, etc.
Make sure it is safe from cats
Good Butterfly Plants
Zinnias, lantana, buddleia, marigolds, tithonia
(Mexican sunflower), milkweeds, verbenas and
many mint plants
Diversity is good
Native plants are important
– Co-evolution of plants and butterflies
– Butterflies may be fooled – larvae don’t survive
– http://www.wildflower.org/collections/
Common Georgia Butterflies
Monarch
Larval food - Milkweed
Spicebush Swallowtail
Larval food – spicebush, sassafrass
Tiger Swallowtail
Larval food - tulip poplar, green ash, white
ash, sweet bay, wild cherry
Black Swallowtail
Larval food - dill, fennel, parsley and
Queen Anne’s lace
Giant Swallowtail
Larval food – citrus
Pipevine Swallowtail
Larval food - pipevine, snakeroot
Gulf Fritillary
Larval food - mollypop or maypop, green
passionflower or other passionflowers
Long Tailed Skipper
Larval food – members of bean family
– beggar's tick (Desmodium spp.), hog peanut
(Amphicarpa bracteata), kudzu (Pueraria
lobata), and wisteria (Wisteria sinensis), and
edibles such as garden peas (Pisum sativa)
and various kinds of beans
Silver Spotted Skipper
Painted Lady
Larval food - thistle
Mourning Cloak
Larval food - willows, elms
Gray Hairstreak
Larval food - beans, clover