- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
As the long, hot days of summer slide into cooler, shorter days of autumn, seasonal changes are occurring in my garden. Not as many plants are blooming, the leaves on deciduous trees and plants are becoming drier and starting to change color. Some plants are producing autumn berries that will sustain many birds as insects, another source of food, begin to disappear.
Quite a few butterflies have been showing up in my garden to take advantage of flowers that are still blooming. Butterflies I have been seeing include painted ladies (Vanessa cardui), common buckeyes (Junonia coenia), fiery skippers (Hylephila phyleus)and cabbage whites (Pieris rapae).
With the advent of winter, butterflies disappear since they cannot tolerate temperatures below 55°F or rainy weather. So, what happens to butterflies in the winter???
Some Butterflies Migrate
Some butterfly adults migrate south, overwintering in warmer climates.
Monarch butterflies are known for their astonishingly long spring and fall migrations. Both the eastern monarchs and western monarchs began their southern migrations in late August or early September from southern Canada/northern USA to their overwintering sites. The eastern variety generally heads to the oyamel fir forests in the mountains of central Mexico, whereas the western Pacific species have a shorter journey to California's coastline. You may see some western monarchs this fall resting or feeding on flowers in your garden as they fly through the Central Valley on their way their overwintering sites in coastal areas such as Santa Cruz, Pacific Grove, Pismo Beach, and San Diego.
Other Winter Strategies
Most butterflies spend winter in the same area they spent summer.
Some lay their eggs in autumn on, or close to, their specific host plants with the eggs hatching the following spring. The common hairstreak (Satyrium californica) eggs are laid attached to twigs of oaks with the caterpillars feeding on newly emerged spring leaves.
Some butterflies weather the cold as pupa within a chrysalis in a sheltered spot. During this time, the pupa will enter diapause (where development stops). An antifreeze chemical in their blood allows them to survive cold temperatures. Once the days lengthen, it will resume its transformation, emerging as an adult just as in time for blooming flowers that provide nectar. The tiger swallowtail's chrysalis (Papilio rutulus) will take refuge in deep shrubbery. The anise swallowtails (Papilio zelicaon) and cabbage whites also generally overwinter as a pupa in their chrysalis. Fiery skippers usually overwinter as pupae buried in leaves, but some adults will migrate to southern California.
Mourning cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa)go into dormancy as an adult. Their blood also contains an anti-freeze. They tuck themselves into cracks and crevices of rocks and trees.
Leaving the Leaves
- Learn which butterflies live in your area and grow native plants for those specific species.
- Offer nectar plants in the fall and spring months for butterflies that are migrating, emerging from overwintering, or getting ready to go into winter dormancy/hibernation.
- Skip raking the leaves in your garden in autumn and leave standing plants alone until midspring, so overwintering butterfly larvae, pupae and adults have a place to hide. If leaving the leaves on your lawn is too messy for you, consider not disturbing the leaves in your planters.
- If you find what looks like a dead chrysalis (many resemble dead leaves) in your yard, garage, shed, do not disturb it. A butterfly may well emerge in the spring.
- Avoid using pesticides as much as possible.
Resources
- Art Shapiro's Butterfly Site: https://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/butterflies
- Butterflies in Your Garden, Publication from UCCE Stanislaus County :https://ucanr.edu/sites/CEStanislausCo/files/345791.pdf
- Xerces Society - Pollinator Plants: Central Valley of California: https://xerces.org/publications/plant-lists/ppbi-california-central-valley
- California Native Plant Society: https://www.cnps.org/
- UC Davis Arboretum – Larval Hosts for Butterflies: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/blog/larval-host-plants-butterflies
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in Stanislaus County since 2020.
/h3>/h3>/h3>/h3>Learn about planting leafy vegetables like lettuce and spinach, and root vegetables like carrots, beets and radishes. Not to mention broccoli and cauliflower. All of these vegetable plants can be grown in the ground or in containers. Great class for beginning gardeners.
We are excited to say that our classes are at nine Stanislaus County Library Branches! We hope to see you there.
August 2023 Library Branch Schedule
- Tuesday, 8/1 at 6:00 p.m. - Salida
- Saturday, 8/5 at 2:00 p.m. - Empire
- Tuesday, 8/8 at 6:00 p.m. - Oakdale
- Thursday, 8/10 at 1:00 p.m. - Patterson
- Saturday, 8/12 at 2:00 p.m. – Riverbank
- Monday, 8/14 at 6:00 p.m. – Ceres
- Tuesday, 8/22 at 2:00 p.m. - Waterford
- Wednesday, 8/23 at 6:00 p.m. - Turlock
- Monday, 8/28 at 5:30 p.m. - Modesto
- Author: Missy Gable
- Contributor: Melissa Womack
Just like Dracula, parasitic plants get their nutritional needs met by feeding off other plants. Instead of fangs, these parasitic plants have specialized structures called haustoria that they use to pierce the cells of their host plant and suck out nutrients. In Latin, ‘haustor' means ‘the one who draws, drains or drinks.'
Unlike Dracula, these nefarious plants aren't folklore and you don't have to travel to Transylvania to find them. Below are three nutrient-sucking vampire plants you'll find in landscapes across California!
Snow plant
The common name snow plant doesn't give clues about its more sinister scientific name, Sarcodes sanguinea, which translates to ‘the bloody flesh-like thing' given its name because of its bright red color by famous botanist John Torrey. Sarcodes feeds off conifers and the fungal community that supports conifers. This plant doesn't need access to sunlight to grow, thriving in the dark coffin-like solitude of the forest floor.
California dodder
Though they rarely kill their host plant the California dodder, aka Cuscuta californica, is a parasitic vine that tightly entwines its host. Spending most of its life without any contact with the soil, dodder's thin orange filaments cover its host like the hair of Cousin It. Dodder seedlings are aggressive predators, locating their prey within days of sprouting. After attaching itself to its host plant the dodder's roots die, becoming completely dependent on its host to live.
Hellroot
Hellroot, or Orbanche minor, sends 12” flower spires up from the ground, as if Hades fingers were reaching up from the underworld. This parasitic plant has showy flowers that range in color from shades of pink to yellow and white. Hellroot cannot live without its host plant and prefers to suck nutrients from sweet red clover and members of the pea and daisy families.
Move over Bram Stoker, Botany is serving up the sinister this year. Happy Halloween!
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With the cooler weather, gardening tasks may be slowing down some, but there are still plenty of things to do in the garden and landscape in the fall and winter months. Here are a few things to think about as you head into the next planting season. Follow the list to reduce future pest problems and have healthier plants.
Cleaning up
- Pull out annual plants that have reached the end of their growing season, such as tomatoes, squashes, and peppers.
- Remove and clean up old fruit and nuts in and under trees to avoid harboring pests and diseases.
- Remove fallen leaves from beneath deciduous fruit trees and roses.
- After cleaning up, add leaves dropped during fall to a compost pile. Turn and keep the compost pile moist.
- Apply organic mulch where thin or soil is bare beneath trees and shrubs. See our website for more information about mulching.
Pruning
- Prune deciduous trees and shrubs such as apple, crape myrtle, pear, rose, spirea, and stone fruits.
- Make cuts properly to encourage good form and structure.
- Remove dead, diseased, and borer-infested wood.
- Not all pests and host plants should be pruned in the fall. Certain pest-infested wood, such as damage from shothole borers, and plants such as apricot and cherry should be pruned during the summer.
Planting
- Fall is a good time to plant bare root deciduous trees, shrubs, and vines, such as caneberries, fruit and nut trees, grapes, and roses.
- Plant California natives now so they can establish before the summer.
- When you add new plants to your garden, select species and cultivars that are well-adapted to the local site.
Adjusting irrigation
- The weather has turned wetter and cooler, so adjust watering schedules since plants won't need as much water.
- Check your irrigation systems for leaks and broken emitters and do any maintenance.
- You might want to upgrade the irrigation system to improve its water efficiency.
- If it's not raining, water plants as needed to keep root zones moist, but not soggy.
- Prepare for rainfall by improving drainage. The goal is to prevent water ponding around trunks and foundations.
- Install downspout diverters to direct runoff into landscape soils, but avoid waterlogging of soil.
Monitoring for pests
- Look for Asian citrus psyllid on your citrus trees and if you find it in a new location, report it to your local county agricultural commissioner.
- Also monitor for damage and pests such as brown rot, leafminer, root rots, and snails on citrus trees.
- Check for leaf curl or shot hole on apricot, nectarine, peach, and plum trees.
Lawn care
- All types of lawns are actively growing during the fall months. Fertilizer applied at this time will help ensure that turfgrass is vigorous enough to outcompete weeds and resist other potential pest problems. Visit our website for more information about correct fertilization of established lawns, including when to fertilize in your region.
- Practice weed management for annual cool-season weeds. It's also not too early to consider management for weeds that emerge in springtime.
For more information, see the Seasonal Landscape IPM Checklist.
[Original article published in the Fall 2021 issue of the Home & Garden Pest Newsletter]
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