- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Seen any Pipevine Swallowtails lately?
The UC Davis Ecological Garden is teeming with eggs, larvae, pupa and adults. The butterflies there seem particularly fond of nectaring on Jupiter's beard, Centranthus ruber.
A visit to the Vallejo City Unified School District's Loma Vista Farm open house on May 22 resulted in "Farmer Rita" (Rita LeRoy) showing us some tiny pipevine caterpillars.
You can't miss them. The eggs are red or rust-colored. The larvae or caterpillars are black with bright orange spots on the ends of tubercles in rows along their body. The adults are black with blue iridescent upper wings and orange arrowhead-like spots on their inner wings. The chrysalids or pupae we've seen are a drab brown.
Butterfly expert Art Shapiro, UC Davis distinguished professor of evolution and ecology, writes about Battus philenor on his website, Art's Butterfly World:
"The signature riparian butterfly of our region, occurring along streams in foothill canyons and on the Central Valley floor, essentially everywhere where its only host plant, California Pipevine or Dutchman's Pipe, Aristolochia californica, occurs... It is unmistakeable and very conspicuous as both a larva and an adult. Only the pupa is cryptic (either brown or green, with a delicate golden filigree)."
"This species is warningly colored and inedible to vertebrate predators," he writes. "It derives its protection from the toxic aristolochic acids produced by the host, which it sequesters; females even pass these along to the eggs, which are also protected (and are brick red, laid in bunches of up to 20, and quite conspicuous). Eggs are laid only on young, tender, growing shoot tips and the larvae must begin by feeding on these. Initially they feed in groups. As they get larger they scatter and can tackle large, mature leaves. But because these react to feeding damage by becoming more toxic and unpalatable, a larva will feed on a single leaf only for a short time and then has to move on. Eventually most or all leaves end up damaged, but few are badly damaged. The larvae also feed eagerly on the immature fruits, which look like small bananas with fluted edges. In big swallowtail years little if any seed ends up being set." (See more on his website.)
If you've never seen the Pipevine Swallowtails in the nine-acre Hallberg Butterfy Gardens, a wildlife sanctuary in Sebastopol, West Sonoma County, you should. They are a delight to see. Owner Della Hallberg planted the native Dutchman's Pipe in her garden in the 1920s. It's now considered one of the oldest garden sin the country. Her daughter, Louise Hallberg (1917-2017) maintained the garden until her death, keeping meticulous records and thoroughly enjoying showing visitors around. We posted a Bug Squad blog about her and her garden in 2015 and captured an image of her on her front porch.
Pipevine Swallowtails fascinated her and now they will fascinate generations yet to come.
By Penny Pawl, U. C. Master Gardener of Napa County
One of spring's miracles is about to occur. The California Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies will start emerging from their pupas and gather around California pipevine plants to create a new generation sometime in March.
Last March, temperatures were low. The butterflies did not appear until April. I feared they would be deformed but all were perfect.
The Pipevine Swallowtail is the one floating around dressed in blue and black. It is about the size of a Monarch. The females do not have the blue lower wing.
To attract this particular butterfly, you need to grow California pipevine (Aristolochia californica). This plant is the only food that Pipevine Swallowtail larva or caterpillars (also known as cats) eat before they go into the pupa. The pipevine plant contains acids that taste bad to other creatures and may even poison them. This feature improves the chances that the cats will make the transition to butterflies.
California pipevine grows in Napa County along creeks and river ways under trees. It even crawls up trees. It is called pipevine because the flowers, which start to bloom in February, are shaped like a Dutchman's pipe with stripes on their sides. I know there is a good plot of these at the Martha Walker Garden in Napa's Skyline Park. John Hoffman, a now-deceased Master Gardener, supplied the vines.
Pipevine flowers are fertilized by gnats. One day, out of curiosity, I opened a flower to see if anything was inside. There was a gnat flying around. A few months after the flowering, a seed pod forms. The cats love the taste of those.
I have gathered pipevine seed on occasion but have had no luck getting the seed to germinate. If you leave the seed pod to ripen on the vine, it will attract yellow jackets so I remove any pods I find.
On the other hand, pipevine will easily reproduce from a cutting. The cutting should be as long as possible—three to four feet. Coil it up and bury it one to two inches deep in potting soil in a container. Keep it watered and you will eventually have another pipevine, although it takes a while to get to the size that attracts butterflies. Mine required two summers of growing before any butterflies appeared, and even then, there weren't many.
I water my pipevine all summer and it continues to grow. All summer long I see the butterflies fluttering along the fence the vine is planted on. Checking the underside of the leaves and the newer stems I find eggs in groups of eight to ten. I collect some of them and raise them indoors. Others I leave on the vine and I see the beautiful cats all summer. The cats do have some predators, but because of the toxins they have consumed, birds leave them alone.
It takes a lot of pipevine meals before these cats go into the pupa stage. When I move the group into the house to raise them, I know I have made a five-week commitment to feeding and cleaning their enclosures daily. Then they go walkies (as I call it) and make the pupa.
More about walkies: all the cats I have raised, of every type, do the walkies before they settle down and make the pupa. They are releasing liquids and finding the perfect spot to make their pupa. It is amazing how far they will crawl. Occasionally a butterfly emerges in my house from under the table or another place, because the cats have escaped and walked to a hidden spot.
The pupa is made by shedding their outer skin. Moths weave a cocoon web around themselves. Once they become a pupa, the waiting game begins.
Some will emerge from their pupa in a month and go on to lay more eggs. Others will take almost a year to transition. Sadly, like all butterflies, they have a short life—only about six weeks.
To learn more and enjoy more about pipevine swallowtail, visit these websites:
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=29626
http://butterfly.ucdavis.edu/butterfly/Battus/philenor
https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=17456
The UC Master Gardeners of Napa County are volunteers who provide UC research-based information on home gardening and answer your questions. To find out more about upcoming programs or to ask a garden question, visit the Master Gardener website (http://napamg.ucanr.edu) or call (707) 253-4221 between 9 a.m. and noon on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
A black butterfly with iridescent blue hindwings, it's a frequent visitor to our garden, where it nectars on such plants as the butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii, the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia), and sage (Salvia).
But if you want it as a permanent resident, plant its host plant, the California Dutchman's pipe, Aristolochia californica. You'll see the cycle of life--from eggs to caterpillars to chrysalids to adults.
And that breathtaking "bolt of blue."
The Dutchman's pipe is just one of thousands of plants that will be offered at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden's Plant Sale on Saturday, March 9 at its nursery on Garrod Drive, near the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Members can shop from 9 to 11 (you can join at the gate or online) and the public sale is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
As they say online: "Members of the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden or the Davis Botanical Society are welcome to shop our first spring plant sale and receive early admittance for the best plant selection, a $10-off member appreciation gift, complimentary refreshments and 10% off their plant sale purchases! In addition, new members receive a $10-off coupon as a thank you for joining. Not a member? Join the Friends online, at the door or call ahead.
Most of the plants are grown onsite, says Taylor Lewis, nursery manager. Native plants, drought-tolerant plants, host plants for butterflies, and plants that attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators are popular, not to mention the much-in-demand Arboretum All Stars, plants that do well in our area, even if you don't have a green thumb.
Want to know what plants are available? The website provides a list in both PDF and Excel. If you peruse the list--and you should before you go--you'll find narrow-leaf milkweed and showy milkweed (host plants for monarchs), and plants with such fascinating names as Bush Tango Kangaroo Paw, Aster Bugtopia, Dazzleberry Stonecrop, Bee's Bliss Purple Sage, Pocahontas Beard Tongue, Red Dragon Monkey Flower, and Baja California Fairy Duster. And lots of lavenders and salvia!
California figures into many of the names, from Calistoga California fuchsia, California Dutchman's pipe, California buckeye, California lilac and California sagebrush.
Is it spring yet?
By T. Eric Nightingale, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
Fall is a wonderful time to be in the garden. The cooler air is reinvigorating after the long hot days of summer. Fall is also a perfect time to plant many California natives. Many have been dormant during the summer and will soon awaken and stretch their roots within the soil. These plants will grow through the wet days of winter, preparing to bloom brightly and beautifully in spring.
The soil itself seems to approve of fall planting. Once seemingly made of stone, the clay-heavy soils in our gardens will soon become manageable once again.
It is well known that native plants are hardy, often drought-tolerant options for our gardens. When considering California natives, it can be helpful to look at a more refined list of Napa Valley natives. We live in a large and ecologically diverse state, so focusing on local flora can make your gardening more successful. Napa Valley native plants include many hardy and beautiful choices, enough to provide for almost any garden need.
As winter approaches, many gardens lose much of their color. A great plant for color from summer through fall is California fuchsia (Epilobium canum). Its silver-green foliage provides an excellent backdrop for the bright orange-red flowers. It is a low shrub, sometimes prostrate, so it is ideal for bordering a walkway. California fuchsia spreads via seed and rhizomes, so you may end up with a splash of color where you hadn't planned it.
All through the winter we will be treated to the pink and white blooms of Stanford's manzanita (Arctostaphylos stanfordiana). This manzanita can be maintained as a shrub but will reach seven feet tall if allowed. Manzanita will not only add winter color to your garden but can also shade more delicate plants during the hot summer. Manzanita also provides berries and shelter for native wildlife. Look for Stanford's manzanita the next time you are out in the woodlands of Napa Valley and the surrounding area.
If you are looking for a vining plant, look no further than Dutchman's pipe (Aristolochia californica). Its unique blooms are white with red stripes and shaped like curved bells. Dutchman's pipe is a host plant for the larva of the pipevine swallowtail, a vibrantly colored yellow and blue butterfly. Wasps also like the plant, however, and will be drawn to the fruits of the seed pods. To foil them, remove the pods before they open or cover the plant with netting until you can collect the seeds. Due to the odd shape of the flowers, Dutchman's pipewas once thought to be carnivorous. This notion has since been disproven, however.
For a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, worry-free groundcover, try purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra). It is an unassuming yet amazing plant. This perennial grass grows readily in many types of soil, including the clay soils of Napa Valley. The roots can grow 20 feet deep, giving it incredible drought-tolerance. Purple needlegrassworks well with other native plants, but also helps to block and suppress invasive weeds. In 2004 it was designated the official State Grass of California!
My favorite native tree is the California buckeye (Aesculus californica). It grows large and sturdy, with wide, attractive leaves that provide much-needed summer shade. The blooms this tree produces are truly incredible: many small, cream-colored flowers grouped into long, impressive cones. This show will often last through spring and summer, until the tree drops its leaves as part of its summer dormancy. Toward the end of summer, large nut-like fruits will appear. While they somewhat resemble chestnuts, these fruits are inedible.
These are just a few options of the many native plants you can add to your garden. There are many helpful resources available to those new to natives. Calflora (www.calflora.org) is a website that allows you to search for plants based on criteria such as shape, native ecosystem and lifespan. The Napa Chapter of the California Native Plant Society maintains a list of native- plant gardens and nurseries (www.napavalleycnps.org).
I heartily encourage you to investigate the possibilities of native plants. By including them in your garden you not only benefit yourself, but also the many creatures that make up our local ecosystem.
Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will hold a workshop on “Toxic and Carnivorous Plants” on Saturday, October 27, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., at the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Foxglove. Lily-of-the-valley. Wisteria. These common plants and many others are toxiix. Who knew? Sundew. Venus flytrap. Pitcher plant. Carnivorous, or so we've heard. Join the UC Master Gardeners and explore the fascinating properties that plants have to protect themselves and survive in inhospitable places.Online registration (credit card only);Mail-in/Walk-in registration (check only or drop off cash payment).
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
A spectacular pollinator garden that's a "must-see" is Kate Frey's pollinator garden at Sonoma Cornerstone.
Kate Frey, a world-class pollinator garden designer, pollinator advocate and author who addressed the UC Davis Bee Symposium in March on "Designing Bee Friendly Gardens," has created a masterpiece. And yes, the pollinator garden is open to the public--no admission fee.
We visited the garden last Saturday and saw a pipevine swallowtail nectaring on Nepeta tuberosa, yellow-faced bumble bees sipping nectar from Stachys bullata, hummingbirds scoring nectar from salvia, and honey bees foraging on everything from Scabiosa "Fama Blue" to a native milkweed, Asclepias speciosa.
This is a happy place.
As she told the crowd at the Bee Symposium, hosted by the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center and the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology: Whether you plant them, nurture them, or walk through them, bee gardens make us happy.
Frey's sign at the Sonoma pollinator garden explains that "All the plants offer food resources of pollen and nectar for pollinators such as native bees, honey bees, hummingbirds and beneficial insects. Pollen is a protein, mineral and fat source and is primarily a larval food for bees, while nectar is composed of various sugars and is the main food for pollinators and the adult life stage of many beneficial insects. Pollinators need a continuous food source for many months of the year. This garden contains a range of plants that will bloom in succession from early spring to late fall."
Frey's sign also noted that "Pollinators all have preferred plants they feed from, and flowers cater to specific pollinators. Some flower shapes are designed to exclude unwanted pollinators. The long, constricted floral tubes of honeysuckles or many salvia exhibit their focus on hummingbirds as primary pollinators. Other flowers nectar, like coffee berry is easily accessible to all pollinators. This garden contains a wide range of plants to appear to a variety of pollinators. Over 80 percent of flowering plants require insect or animal pollination. What insects or birds do you see visiting each flower type?"
Well, let's see: bees, butterflies, and birds...Apis mellifera, Battus philenor, Bombus vosnesenskii, Papilio rutulus, Calypte anna...
"The same plants that support pollinators," Frey indicated on the sign, "also make us happy."
They do! Happiness is a pollinator garden...