"Raising Butterflies in the Garden is a guide to attracting local species of butterflies and moths in your garden. Readers can do this by growing the plants that they use in all stages of their life cycles. The author profiles 40 species of butterfly and moth, lists the plants they use and guides the reader through each species' life cycle, from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult. Species are arranged by type and each profile includes a range map and many pictures."--

Want to have butterflies in your garden? Want to learn about the plants that will attract them? In this book you will find the plants needed to attract those winged beauties to your yard. Also learn about the fascinating life cycles of some of your favorite butterflies.

Revel in one of the most remarkable miracles of nature.

While many growers focus on attracting adult butterflies to their gardens, fewer know about the plants that caterpillars need to survive. Native host plants—wildflowers, trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and sedges—not only provide a site for the butterfly to lay its eggs, they also provide a ready food source for the emerging caterpillar. Think of these plants as the nurseries of the garden. This user-friendly, heavily illustrated field guide describes 101 native larval host plants in Texas. Each species account includes descriptive information on each plant, a distribution map, and photos of both the caterpillars and adult butterflies who frequent those plants. An adult butterfly may nectar on a wide variety of flowers, but caterpillars are much more restricted in their food sources. Some feed on only a limited number of plant species, so female butterflies seek out these specific plants to lay their eggs. For example, the host plants for Monarch caterpillars are various species of milkweed. Often, these plants are not the same as the ones the adult butterfly will later use for nectar. Learning more about the plants caterpillars need is crucial for butterfly conservation. Butterflies’ dependency on specific caterpillar host plants is one of the key factors restricting their range and distribution. Armed with this knowledge, readers can also hone their ability to find specific species of breeding butterflies in nature. This is a handy guide whether you are in the field searching for butterflies or on the hunt for butterfly-friendly options at your local plant sale.

Whether you're installing a new garden bed or trying to attract orioles for the first time, it helps to start with the right information. And here it is! In this book, experts and readers from North America's #1 Bird and Garden Magazine, Birds & Blooms, give their tried-and-true advice.Attracting birds and butterflies has never been simpler-plus you'll get the latest tips and advice for supporting the dwindling bee population, which experts say is essential for the future of gardening. Inside this book, you'll find irresistible plants for birds, butterflies, and bees, creative garden designs for year-round beauty, and our top plant lists to take the guesswork out of gardening.Birds, butterflies and bees rely on plants, trees and shrubs to survive and thrive. That's why doing your part for the environment by establishing critter-friendly areas in your own backyard is so crucial. This book, brought to you by the editors of Birds & Blooms magazine, can serve as your guide to attracting new visitors to your landscape. Birds & Blooms has helped lead the trend we like to call "gardening with a purpose" for over 20 years. We've always recognized the importance of going beyond just the beauty of a garden, and purposefully choosing flowers, trees and shrubs specifically for their environmental benefits. Birds count on healthy trees and plants as natural food sources and nesting sites. Butterflies need nectar-rich blooms for nourishment. Very specific host plants are key to caterpillar survival. And as bee populations decline, flowers that provide nectar and pollen are more essential than ever. Each of these creatures requires natural shelter as well, which trees and shrubs readily provide.

It’s time to put on your sneakers and grab your garden gloves, because we are going on a special journey as we build a basic butterfly garden designed to attract the monarch butterfly as well as other butterfly species. I will also take you on an exciting step-by-step walk through raising monarch butterflies in your home: • The gathering of monarch eggs • Understanding the growth stages of the monarch caterpillar and learning how to care for them • Predators of monarch butterflies • The milkweed plant and how valuable it is to the monarch butterfly • The amazing process of the monarch caterpillar going into chrysalis • Witnessing the miracle of the beautiful monarch as it emerges from chrysalis

An essential guide to rearing butterflies and moths in a butterfly-friendly garden. This outstanding guidebook is for butterfly lovers and gardeners who not only want to create a butterfly-friendly garden, but also want to support butterflies and moths in order to maintain healthy populations. This second edition is updated with new information and 10 new butterfly and moth species to raise and enjoy. Author Brenda Dziedzic noticed that there were far fewer butterflies around today than she saw in her childhood. Starting in her own garden she set out to learn why and what she could do to fix this. Raising Butterflies and Moths in the Garden is the outcome of what she learned about these fascinating insects and the native plants they depend on. In this book, Dziedzic shares the vast experience she gained in helping butterflies thrive through all stages of life. She shows readers how they can do the same - no matter the time of year or the size of their property - by providing all the information and practical guidance they need. Raising Butterflies and Moths in the Garden features more than 550 color photographs showing the life cycles of over 45 butterflies and moths - from egg to adult - as well as the host and nectar plants they rely on. Each profiled species also includes a North American range map. These are the new butterflies and moths included in this second edition: Calleta Silkmoth (Eupackardia calleta) Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia) Hickory Tussock Moth (Lophocampa caryae) Io Moth (Automeris io) Malachite (Siproeta stelenes) Pink-striped Oakworm Moth (Anisota virginiensis) Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) Tawny Emperor (Asterocampa clyton) Tersa Sphinx (Xylophanes tersa) Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus). Like the highly successful first edition, Raising Butterflies and Moths in the Garden is bound to become an excellent seller in retail settings as well as a popular reference in libraries and schools.