Queens nectaring on mistflower
Monarch caterpillar
Reakirts blues puddling
Butterfly Gardens
Poling’s hairstreak on milkweed
Story and photographs by Cathryn Hoyt
B
utterflies are the essence of summer. Their bright
colors and flitting movement add just the right
touch to a flower garden. But have you ever won-
dered why your neighbor has more butterflies than you
do? Or are you interested in helping the monarchs by
turning your yard, school or neighborhood park into a
monarch way station? Create a butterfly garden!
Watching butterflies in the northern Chihuahuan
Desert region is particularly rewarding because of the
diversity of butterflies that we have here. At the
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center outside of Fort
Davis, approximately 115 species have been recorded in
the past three years. Compare that with the 130 species
found in the entire state of Ohio, and you can see why
people come from all over to butterfly watch in this
region.
One key to attracting butterflies to your yard is to
remember that native plants attract native pollinators.
You can have a stunningly beautiful yard full of hybrid
tea roses, daylilies and petunias and see few, if any, but-
terflies. And if you do see them, they’re probably nectar-
A plate of overripe fruit
continued on page 25
4
Cenizo
Third Quarter 2012