Story and photos by Anita Westervelt, Texas Master Naturalist
Believe it or not, April is a good time to think about October. The October butterfly season, that is, when the Rio Grande Valley is a kaleidoscope of colorful butterflies
Now is the time to set about making sure your garden will have plenty of nectar to attract as many different species of butterflies as possible come September and October.
Not all flowers are created equal in nectar providing capacity but bright colored flowers are a good rule of thumb. Generally, adult butterflies feed in the sun so butterfly nectar sources should be planted accordingly. And say no to insecticides which would harm the insects you are trying to attract.
Here are descriptions of a few important native plants to attract hungry butterflies looking for nectar as they travel to warmer climates and winter food sources come fall.
Mexican Trixis, Trixis inula, will bring you bright yellow blooms in all seasons. This shrub can grow to about three feet in height. A grouping of two or three, three feet apart will fill out and eventually present a sea of color. Planted singly, it can spread to four feet or more. The blooms will bring countless butterfly species flocking to this beauty.
Crucita, Chromolaena odorata, also called fall-blooming mistflower, is an excellent nectar source. Lavender blooms engulf these summer and fall. Plants will form small shrubs that can reach three feet in height. Crucita is akin to spring-blooming mistflower, Blue Boneset, Tamaulipa azurea. Boneset leaves are shorter and broader, nearly heart-shaped to the fall-blooming mistflower leaves which are long and slender. The fall-blooming is a richer nectar source.
Texas Lantana, Lantana urticoides, also called Calico Bush, is a very good nectar source and colorful addition to a garden. A low-spreading bush with yellow, red and orange flower bracts, this plant will bloom spring through December. It can be cut back in late winter to promote new growth. If planted now, Texas Lantana will be a mass of color by summer.
Cowpen Daisy, Verbesina encelioides, is in the same family as sunflowers and is an annual bushy plant that can reach up to 36 inches. It blooms spring to fall and provides very good nectar. Bright happy yellow ray flowers with golden disks will make you smile. A prolific seed producer, dead-headed spent blooms to prevent it popping up all over your yard next spring.
Don’t rule out Common Sunflower, Helianthus annuus, as a great nectar source. Those sunflowers seen along roadsides, field edges and irrigation ditches in the Valley are attractive to other beneficial pollinators as well as butterflies. If you have room, dedicate a section of your garden to sunflowers, although you may have to collect seeds yourself to get the native species.
Porterweed, Stachytarpheta mutabilis, an introduced species in the verbena family, is native to Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. It’s an extremely popular nectar source for many butterflies. An array of long spikes populate with hot-pink blossoms. A deep purple variety also is available. Both varieties glow like neon in early morning light.
Although an advocate of Lower Rio Grande Valley native plants, I’m not averse to providing butterfly nectar food from non-native sources. Several excellent nectar plants readily available from Valley nurseries include vibrant orange and yellow-blooming Poinciana Bush, also called Pride of Barbados; orange flowering Cape Honeysuckle; and purple blooming Butterfly Buttons.
The Poinciana Bush can be heavily pruned in December. Cape Honeysuckle shoots out runners and before you know it, you could have a bank of the shrub by next summer. Butterfly Buttons re-seed. All can be controlled with prudent care. Poinciana Bush and Cape Honeysuckle will attract hummingbirds.
Valley nurseries generally have a butterfly garden section. Ask to be pointed in that direction and choose plants that make sense to your landscape.
Native plants generally are drought tolerant and have low water needs. They will establish in most of our Valley soils. Water well when planting and water a couple of times a week for the first three or four weeks. Non-native plants may require more water during the blooming season.
To find local native plant growers, type: Sources of Native Plants for the Rio Grande Valley, into your search engine.