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University of Illinois Extension serving Clark, Crawford and Edgar Counties

Main Office (Clark County)
15493 N State Hwy 1
Marshall, IL 62441
Phone: 217-826-5422
FAX: 217-826-8631
Email:uie-cce@illinois.edu
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm (Closed 12 - 1pm)

Branch Office (Crawford County)
301 S Cross St
Suite 290
Robinson, IL 62454
Phone: 618-546-1549
FAX: 618-544-3222
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm (Closed 12 - 1pm)

Branch Office (Edgar County)
210 W Washington
Paris, IL 61944
Phone: 217-465-8585
FAX: 217-463-1192
Hours: Monday - Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm (Closed 12 - 1pm)

News Release

Butterflies

July 9, 2012

Mike Williamson, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener

Gardening Quote

"Butterflies are God's confetti, thrown upon the earth in celebration of his love."

~K. D'Angelo

There are a certain few things in life that are especially tantalizing to our eyes and which bring gladness to our hearts when we see them. For gardeners, that would likely include butterflies. I have heard butterflies referred to as flowers with wings.

Right outside the window where I write these articles is a large butterfly bush. It is in full bloom and anybody who has a butterfly bush knows that they live up to their name. When the sun comes out, many butterflies flutter from flower to flower enjoying the sweet nectar from the large, purple flowers. The butterfly bush produces flowers that have a fragrance you could call intoxicating.

This butterfly bush is part of a butterfly garden I planted a couple of years ago. I had picked up a copy of a magazine called "108 Easy-Going, Easy-Growing Flowers!" It has turned out to be one of the handiest gardening resources I have. Among the several ideas I implemented from the magazine was a butterfly garden design. The design is for a 90 degree angle where a flower bed meets the side of a porch or deck. The butterfly garden is anchored by a butterfly bush surrounded by smaller plants that draw butterflies like magnets including butterfly weed and tall sedum.

Today I saw several silver-spotted skipper butterflies on the butterfly bush. Their wings are brown-black, fringed with silver, with a gold and white spot on each wing. The silver-spotted skippers favor the purple flowers of the butterfly bush. The bush also had another visitor, one of the most interesting creatures in nature, a hummingbird moth. With its long proboscis and its hovering behavior, accompanied by an audible humming noise, the hummingbird moth looks remarkably like a hummingbird while feeding on flowers.

The Indianapolis Zoo's White River Gardens has a list of gardening resources on their website including how to attract butterflies to your garden. You can take a look by going to: http://www.indyzoo.com/SitePages/WhiteRiverGardens/welcomeToTheGardens.aspx.

If I were to choose a vegetable in my garden that I prize the most it is my tomatoes. I put six varieties of heirlooms out, two of each for a total of twelve plants. I tend to plant later than others because I don't like taking chances with a late frost. In this weather, I am keeping a close eye on the tomatoes. They seem to be doing very well thanks to regular watering with drip hoses.

Here are some ideas from the University of Illinois Extension for maintaining your tomatoes at this time of the summer. Water the plants thoroughly and regularly during prolonged dry periods. Plants confined in containers may need daily or even more frequent watering. Side-dress nitrogen fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) at the rate of one pound per 100 feet of row (equivalent to 1 tablespoon per plant) after the first tomatoes have grown to the size of golf balls. (If ammonium nitrate is not available, use 3 pounds of 10-10-10 fertilizer.) Make two more applications 3 and 6 weeks later. If the weather is dry following these applications, water the plants thoroughly. Do not get fertilizer on the leaves.

One last thing, this is the time of the summer to start deadheading your flowers. Deadheading is nothing more than trimming off spent flowers, keeping plants tidy, and ensuring maximum bloom time. First and foremost, deadheading keeps your garden attractive. Nearly all flowering plants benefit from deadheading. When blooms start to fade, brown, curl, or otherwise look unattractive, that's the time to trim them off, allowing the other flowers to shine.

Credits

The gardening advice provided in this article is university-based horticultural information as part of the outreach efforts of the University of Illinois.

University of Illinois Extension

Clark County Unit
15493 N State HWY 1
Marshall, IL 62441
Phone: 217-826-5422
FAX: 217-826-8631
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/cce/

Local Contact: Rebecca Schiver, Office Support Assistant, schiver@illinois.edu