Do Now:

How do animals help plants get pollinated?

Can you name some types of pollinators?

Birds don’t have a good sense of smell

• What other characteristics do flowers have besides scent to attract pollinators?

Red and Orange and Yellow are colors that attract pollinators

Insects like birds are attracted to

• Besides bees can you think of some other insect that is known for pollinating flowers?

Butterflies!

Why do butterflies visit flowers?

• A little on butterfly anatomy and life history– Think back to our lesson on the Monarch, how

many life stages do butterflies have?

• Egg• Larvae – Caterpillar• Pupa – The chrysalis• Adult – The butterfly

How do butterflies feed?

Proboscis

The Proboscis is the only mouth part that allows butterflies to feed. It works like a straw. They cannot chew solid foods.

What do you call the liquid food that plants provide pollinators?

Proboscis

Caterpillars don’t drink nectar

• What do caterpillars eat?– Think back to our lesson on the Monarch

Plant matter, they chew on leaves

• If you want a butterfly garden you need to have plants that feed the adults and the larvae (caterpillars).

Many host plants are weedy species

• But even so, they can still look good in a garden.

• Daucus carrota• Milkweeds

Nectar plants

• Bee Balm – Monarda didyma• Butterfly bush – Buddleia• Milkweed – Asclepias• Common Lilac – Syringa

vulgaris• French Lavendar – Lavandula

dentata• French Marigold – Tagetes

patula• New England Aster – Aster

novae-angliae • Phlox • Purple Coneflower – Echinacea

angustifolia• Verbena• Zinnia

Caterpillar host plants

• Cabbage – Brassica• Carrot, Dill, Parsley –

Apiaceae• Hollyhock – Alcea rosea• Sassafras• Willows – Salix • Wisteria

Some common butterflies you might

come across

• Monarch Butterfly

• The two dots are the male sex organs

Viceroy• This species mimics the Monarch. Can you

spot the differences?• Why would it be beneficial for it to mimic the

Monarch?• Food: Willows

• Tiger Swallow tail, the male (yellow) and female look like two different species.

Food:Wild Cherry, Sweet Bay

Cabbage White

• A small butterfly, very common now

• Food – Plants of the mustard family (cabbage, Nasturtium)

Orange Sulfur – One of the most common

• Small butterfly

• Food – legumes (clovers, vetches)

Mourning Cloak

• This species overwinters in our area, and is one of the first to emerge when the weather first warms up

• Its large and easily recognizable due to color combination.

• Food – Willows, Birch, Cotton wood, Elm, Hackberry

Red Admiral

• Recognizable by red stripes and white spots on forewings

• Food – Nettles, Hops

Great Spangled Fritillary

• Males smaller with black markings on forewing veins

• Food -- Violets

Homework

• Look up ten of the plants that were mentioned in today’s lesson and find out how best to grow them. Don’t use any of the tree species in the lesson. – Can we grow any of them??