Prepping for the Cool Season

Autumn has arrived! The afternoons are still pretty toasty warm, but nights are cooler and the humidity has finally let up its intensity a bit. All the fall-blooming species are putting on quite a show, with the purples of Muhly Grass and Beautyberry contrasting beautifully with the bright yellow of the Winter Cassia. And Florida gardeners are beginning to emerge from their summer hideouts, pulling overgrowth and getting ready to re-plant their gardens for the fall and winter months ahead.

As you prepare your own garden for the cool season, here are some tips for making sure you’re drawing lots of butterflies from now until spring.

• Know which species to look for. Our butterflies species change a bit when cooler weather arrives, with some tropical species like Polydamas Swallowtails retreating a bit further south and other species returning for the winter, like Common Buckeyes. Learn more about the cool-season butterflies in Central Florida here.
  
• Provide plenty of nectar. While the weather may change, the needs of butterflies do not. Continue providing nectar from salvia, lantana, and pentas, but add some cool-season species to your garden too. We especially love alyssum and verbena. Get more cool-season nectar plant ideas here.

 

• Don’t forget the host plants. Butterflies are still breeding here in Florida and will continue as long as they can find host plants on which to lay their eggs. Try to keep a supply of milkweed and passionvine going all winter; both can be successfully covered from frosts if necessary. Get more info on cool-season host plants here. This is also the time to start growing herbs for Black Swallowtails again; add parsley, fennel, dill, and rue to your garden for these caterpillars. Herbs thrive in Florida’s cooler months – learn more here.
  
• Provide a water source. Butterflies do require some additional water to survive. They often get this from dew on flowers or shallow puddles. As the dry season sets in, it gets a little harder for butterflies to find these water supplies, so help them out by adding a puddling area in your garden. Learn more about butterfly puddling behavior here.

Still have questions about cool-season butterfly gardening in Florida? Swing by our Facebook page and drop us a line!