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Butterfly gardens bring nature homeWhile Fred Guthery writes and teaches about wildlife and ecology, he finds great personal satisfaction in creating a space for some of the smallest and daintiest of earth's creatures. As the Bollenbach Chair in Wildlife Ecology at Oklahoma State University, Guthery focuses on much larger issues than butterflies. They are still something he takes pains to invite into his surroundings. A quiet spoken professor with an interesting sense of humor, Guthery is in the department of natural resource ecology and management in the Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. He is more widely and commonly known for his research work on upland game birds, including quail. He particularly enjoys enticing moths and butterflies into the range of both his patio and his camera. Guthery said he made a real investment in building his butterfly garden to bring the widest possible selection of butterflies to his small acreage near Stillwater. Choosing the plants was one of the most important considerations, he said. Keeping something blooming throughout the spring and summer is a fairly sure way to attract the small migrants. "Some butterflies are very specific about the plants they will lay their eggs on," Guthery said. Rue is one of the first plants Guthery mentions, because he said, it is very popular both for larval growth and for nectar. Salvia is a good butterfly plant, he said, because you can get both annual and perennial species and keep them blooming all season long. Even a small kitchen garden of culinary herbs can be attractive to butterflies. Guthery said an abundance of blooms also attracts hummingbirds to your garden. Salvia, sedum, lantana, coneflower and butterfly bush are all popular plants for butterflies, he said. He also plants penta, bee balm, catmint and marigolds. But he is quick to advise that many mints and other blooming plants may need to be contained to keep from taking over all of your available space. "There's two types of butterflies," Guthery said. "There are nectar feeders and sap feeders." Some will appreciate both and others will even feed on pieces of fruit, he said. "When you first get into it, you are seeing things for the first time and you are looking them up in the book--and it is very thrilling," he said. Guthery recalls seeing his first Giant Swallowtail, one of the largest butterfly species. He said it flew in from one end of his garden and began "showing off" swooping around. "It made the hair on my arm stand up," he said. A cold-blooded insect, Guthery said butterflies are "thermal regulated." Their small size makes them directly affected by temperature. They only fly when they are warm enough to fly. A wide-range of species is evident beginning in early April and then through to the first freeze in the fall in Oklahoma and surrounding states. On cloudy days butterflies tend to stay close to the ground, he said. "Some butterflies are more seasonal," Guthery said. "The Texas Crescent barely makes it here. They are kind of rare in this part of the world." Toward the end of the summer, Guthery said, the Gulf Fritillary, a southern butterfly will show up in the state. They die out each year. Guthery said, "There are times when there are hundreds of little Skipper butterflies in the garden at a time. They are fun to watch," he said. "They seem happy. And sometimes they chase the hummingbirds." One of the most common butterflies seen in Oklahoma--the Cloudless Sulphur--Guthery calls "a big strapping yellow butterfly," migrates here from Louisiana, he said. The butterfly is smaller than a Monarch, another common migrant to the state. Some butterflies can be more easily identified by their behavior and flight patterns than their markings, Guthery said. A pair of close-focus binoculars helps when observing and identifying the flittering insects. Like birds, some butterflies are only common in certain regions of the country. Others may be seen while they are passing through during their migratory seasons. "You will see different types of butterflies in the Cross Timbers and other areas than I see west of Stillwater," he said. He said the best field guide for this area is "Butterflies of Oklahoma, Kansas, and North Texas," by John M. Doel, John M. Nelson, and Walter B. Gerard (University of Oklahoma Press, 2004). The NREM department has a website at http://nrem.okstate.edu/index.html with information about programs offered in wildlife ecology and management as well as a newsletter and access to NREM Cooperative Extension publications.
Date: 8/8/08 Advertisement
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