Garden varieties: how attractive are recommended garden plants to butterflies?

One way the public can engage in insect conservation is through wildlife gardening, including the growing of insect-friendly flowers as sources of nectar. However, plant varieties differ in the types of insects they attract. To determine which garden plants attracted which butterflies, we counted butterflies nectaring on 11 varieties of summer-flowering garden plants in a rural garden in East Sussex, UK. These plants were all from a list of 100 varieties considered attractive to British butterflies, and included the five varieties specifically listed by the UK charity Butterfly Conservation as best for summer nectar. A total of 2659 flower visits from 14 butterfly and one moth species were observed. We performed a principal components analysis which showed contrasting patterns between the species attracted to Origanum vulgare and Buddleia davidii. The “butterfly bush” Buddleia attracted many nymphalines, such as the peacock, Inachis io, but very few satyrines such as the gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus, which mostly visited Origanum. Eupatorium cannibinum had the highest Simpson’s Diversity score of 0.75, while Buddleia and Origanum were lower, scoring 0.66 and 0.50 respectively. No one plant was good at attracting all observed butterfly species, as each attracted only a subset of the butterfly community. We conclude that to create a butterfly-friendly garden, a variety of plant species are required as nectar sources for butterflies. Furthermore, garden plant recommendations can probably benefit from being more precise as to the species of butterfly they attract

Environmental Factors Affecting Germination and Seedling Survival of Carolina Willow (Salix Caroliniana)

In recent decades, invasive shrubs have replaced herbaceous wetlands in many parts of the world. In Florida, the native shrub Salix caroliniana Michx. (Carolina willow) expanded its distribution throughout the upper St. Johns River, replacing herbaceous marshes with willow swamps. To identify ways to prevent its expansion, we experimentally tested the effects of watering regime, temperature, substrate, and seed source on willow germination and seedling survival. In growth chamber experiments, germination and survival were most affected by watering regime and were greatest in saturated, organic soils. Survival decreased with soil inundation and on drier, sandy soils. Variable texture and nutrient content in native soils had no differential effect on germination or survivability of willow. Time of seed production, seed source, and delay in watering significantly affected germination. Seed germination occurred quickly after being sown. However, seed viability declined just as quickly. Whenever a soil held sufficient water, especially through capillarity, seeds of Carolina willow germinated and survived well. Seasonal manipulation of water levels to flood marshes during seed-fall and to inundate willow seedlings provides managers with an effective strategy for reducing establishment of Carolina willow. © Society of Wetland Scientists 2014