Bring on the Butterflies

It's easy to attract butterflies to your garden. For the basics, check out our butterfly handout and learn about some of the best plants for butterflies, and see below for some of the cool butterflies that you might see fluttering about in your garden.

 

Monarch - The monarch butterfly is one of the most common butterflies in our area. The host plant for the monarch is milkweed, so make sure that you include it in your butterfly garden. Did you know that monarch butterflies migrate all the way to Mexico in the winter?

 
Swallowtail - There are lots of different swallowtail butterflies, including the black swallowtail which lays its eggs on the herbs dill, fennel, rue and parsley, the pipevine and polydamus swallowtails which use dutchman's pipevine to lay their eggs and the giant swallowtail which lays its eggs on citrus. These butterflies come in many different mixes of black and yellow and are some of the most beautiful.

Sulphurs - A fast-flying yellow butterfly, there are many different types of sulphurs. Some are pale yellow and some like the orange-barred sulphur have beautiful orange colors in their wings. These butterflies lay their eggs on plants in the senna and cassia family. These large shrubs or small trees can make a great centerpiece in a butterfly garden.

Zebra Longwing - The state butterfly of Florida, this cool butterfly hangs out in shady areas under trees or large shrubs. You won't see it flying out in the hot sun too much. It lays its eggs on passionvine planted in the shade.

Gulf Fritillary - Another speedy little butterfly that is orange with white speckling. This butterfly flutters fast and high in sunny areas and lays its eggs on passion vine planted in the sun.

The fall season is almost here. After a long summer, when we feel like it will never be cool again, it is fun to think about all of the fall gardening we can do.

 

Workshop: Fall Veggie Gardening
Saturday, September 17th at 10am

Florida is a wonderful place to live, because while our northern neighbors are starting to hunker down for winter, we are planting fall vegetable gardens. Fall is a great time of year to grow leafy favorites, like cabbage, collards, mustards and broccoli. We'll talk about all of the great vegetables that grow through the winter in Florida, and we'll also discuss gardening in pots and Earthboxes (a great way to grow veggies in small spaces).

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Workshop: Bring on the Butterflies
Saturday, September 24th at 10am

We are celebrating the grand opening of our new butterfly house with a workshop on butterfly gardening. We'll talk about all of the common butterflies in our area, and make sure you have all the right information to make your garden a butterfly magnet.

Kerby's Pumpkin Patch

The Kerby's Pumpkin Patch will open up the second weekend in October with cool pumpkins and gourds to decorate your porches and entryways for the fall season. Plus there will be a cool area for taking fall pictures with the kids. Come out throughout the month of October to enjoy the beauty of fall.

 

 

 

Workshop: Herb Gardening
Saturday, October 8th at 10am

As fall arrives, it's time to start thinking about holiday recipes. To keep everything as fresh and local as possible, plant an herb garden for fresh harvests of tasty herbs right from your backyard. This workshop will teach you everything you need to know about planting a delicious (and beautiful) herb garden.

 

Workshop: Fall Container Gardening
Saturday, October 22nd at 10am

Make your home beautiful and inviting this fall with a gorgeous container garden. In this workshop you will learn all about Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers, and how to make an amazing combination of flowers. Don't forget all of our outdoor glazed pottery is always Buy One Get One 50% Off!