Our Butterfly Garden

This year we took an active effort in planting an actual garden to attract butterflies. We planted some host plants (for caterpillars) & nectar plants (for the adults). The plan was to have a fun zone for all members of the butterfly family-- something for everyone! Well, the flood drowned much of our seedling plants. And some just didn't grow.

Still, we have a sunflower going strong, a verbena, lots of zinnias, some cosmos, butterfly bushes, and something from my mom's garden (can't remember the name). Oh, and I even got a few milkweed plants from my parents' land. (They always mow them down because the cows shouldn't eat them.)

And then . . . today . . . I spotted the first "batch" of caterpillars under one of our sunflower leaves.



And then, I discovered 3 more "groups" of caterpillars on different sunflower leaves.



Front of leaf:


So the big question then -- what are they?

Answer: Bordered Patch Butterfly Caterpillars

After doing a little reading I discovered that they will probably mark the end to our sunflower. I asked Emelye if she would rather us kill the caterpillars or let them kill the sunflower. (She worked hard to have both after all.) She decided having caterpillars/ butterflies was a bigger pay off to her than having a big sunflower.

Now we wait to see how long Mr. Sunflower will last. Well, maybe. I also read about how Mockingbirds just love to munch on these little caterpillars. Since our yard birds are Robins, Mockingbirds, & Sparrows, the game is on! Who will win -- caterpillars or sunflowers/ birds?!?!!? I watch too much reality tv . . .