Saw my first butterfly today! - Wildlife Gardeners

bigbike4 · 04-12-2009, 10:21 PM

How appropriate on the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, the butterflys have returned to Rogersville! Very exciting to me to see a small 1" black with some blue marks butterfly landing on dandelions to feed

. I am so excited about the spring and getting warmer weather, after a cold, cold winter.

I was also picking up some debris-the troublesome "devils walking stick" trees that i have cut down and located what appears to be insect, possibly butterfly, egg "galls" embedded into the trunk of these pesky weed trees. I will hold off burning this debris for a while to see what emerges.

bigbike4 · 04-12-2009, 10:34 PM

Addendium to above message-the devils walking stick is a host plant for the "Giant Swordtail" butterfly. No doubt this is the galls I have found on several of the trees.. Definately not burning the debris now until the larva emerges

swamp thing · 04-12-2009, 11:11 PM

You'd be better off composting stuff like that rather than burning it! All that potential compost goes up in smoke, never mind what it does to the air.

bigbike4 · 04-13-2009, 12:33 PM

I would love to compost it, but dare not get any closer to the very thorny beast than is necc. to cut most of it down and then grab it with loping shears and drag it carefully over to the burn pile site. Composting would require me to cut it up into smaller pieces, rather leave it in the 10' sections or longer, that I have.

Rest assured that I am not going to burn it until after the caterpillers emerge from the galls I have found and left. I know that my reward for leaving these thorny beasts laying around will be punctured lawn tractor tires

And by the way I am leaving several of these beasties growing on a hillside where the butterflies can have at them.

hazelnut · 04-13-2009, 04:48 PM

Permaculture Magazine Article From Issue 15

You could sheet compost using black plastic or cardboard over the vegetation. You would have to girdle or cut the trees though.

Equilibrium · 04-13-2009, 05:09 PM

The galls you mention won't be butterflies but they will be an insect of some sort and bugs are good things because our birds eat them and feed them to their nestlings.

biigblueyes · 04-15-2009, 03:13 PM

Congrats on your butterfly sighting. I have been seeing a few lately too.

04-12-2009, 10:21 PM	#1
bigbike4 Grub Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Rogersville, TN USA	Saw my first butterfly today! How appropriate on the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, the butterflys have returned to Rogersville! Very exciting to me to see a small 1" black with some blue marks butterfly landing on dandelions to feed. I am so excited about the spring and getting warmer weather, after a cold, cold winter. I was also picking up some debris-the troublesome "devils walking stick" trees that i have cut down and located what appears to be insect, possibly butterfly, egg "galls" embedded into the trunk of these pesky weed trees. I will hold off burning this debris for a while to see what emerges. __________________ Gardening-the art of killing weeds and bugs to grow flowers and crops for animals and birds to eat

04-12-2009, 10:34 PM	#2
bigbike4 Grub Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Rogersville, TN USA	Addendium to above message-the devils walking stick is a host plant for the "Giant Swordtail" butterfly. No doubt this is the galls I have found on several of the trees.. Definately not burning the debris now until the larva emerges __________________ Gardening-the art of killing weeds and bugs to grow flowers and crops for animals and birds to eat

04-13-2009, 12:33 PM	#4
bigbike4 Grub Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Rogersville, TN USA	I would love to compost it, but dare not get any closer to the very thorny beast than is necc. to cut most of it down and then grab it with loping shears and drag it carefully over to the burn pile site. Composting would require me to cut it up into smaller pieces, rather leave it in the 10' sections or longer, that I have. Rest assured that I am not going to burn it until after the caterpillers emerge from the galls I have found and left. I know that my reward for leaving these thorny beasts laying around will be punctured lawn tractor tires And by the way I am leaving several of these beasties growing on a hillside where the butterflies can have at them. __________________ Gardening-the art of killing weeds and bugs to grow flowers and crops for animals and birds to eat

04-13-2009, 05:09 PM	#6
Equilibrium Official Plant Nerd Join Date: Dec 2008	The galls you mention won't be butterflies but they will be an insect of some sort and bugs are good things because our birds eat them and feed them to their nestlings. __________________ "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss

04-15-2009, 03:13 PM	#7
biigblueyes WG Facilitator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Cajun Country, Louisiana, USA	Congrats on your butterfly sighting. I have been seeing a few lately too. __________________ My yarden and I lean a little to the wild side.

04-12-2009, 11:11 PM	#3
swamp thing Slapping, Swearing, Itching, Scratching Mosquito Bait Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: pennsylvania,usa	You'd be better off composting stuff like that rather than burning it! All that potential compost goes up in smoke, never mind what it does to the air.

04-13-2009, 04:48 PM	#5
hazelnut WG Writer Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Greensboro, Alabama USA	Permaculture Magazine Article From Issue 15 You could sheet compost using black plastic or cardboard over the vegetation. You would have to girdle or cut the trees though.

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