Like many folks, I cultivate plants that attract butterflies. I’ve had good luck with dill, parsley, and fennel that attract swallowtails; passifloras that host gulf fritillaries; and lantanas and bluemist flowers that produce nectar for all kinds of pollinators. Last year, I was rewarded with many monarch and queen butterflies, buckeyes, red admirals, and many skippers and hairstreaks.
This year, I only saw a few swallowtails, a couple of monarchs, no queen butterflies, and a few of the smaller species. Yesterday, I caught a firey skipper and a gray hairstreak on the bluemist flower. Here they are:
