The Gloworm
Gloworm 2
The
Gloworm
16 April 1997
Volume 5: no. 2
Spring is in the air, even if it has been frigid for the last couple
of days. Tomatoes have had to be covered, but it looks like our fruit
trees should get by without loss of the crop. We'll probably need to
thin fruit this year from most of the fruit trees. That's always fun.
Butterflies have become fairly active during the warm days. I have
seen quite a few different kinds flitting about. So it's time to
think about butterfly plants and some of those kinds of things
already. Each year at about this time I list a number of plants which
can be used in a butterfly garden. I have shortened the list a little
this year but I am including it to encourage planting of butterfly
attractive flowers.
BUTTERFLY PLANT
FLOWERS TYPE/SIZE SEASON COLOR LIGHT RANGE YARROW PERENNIALS SPRING-FALL R,W,Y FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. AGERATUM, FLOSSFLOWER ANNUAL SPRING-FALL B, W,P FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. MILKWEED, BUTTERFLY WEED PERENNIAL SUMMER ORANGE FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. ASTER PERENNIALS SUMMER-FALL B,PU,R,P,W FULL SUN NEB - SOUTH ASTILBE, FALSE SPIRAEA PERENNIALS SUMMER R,W,P PT SHAD NEB - SOUTH BACHELOR'S BUTTON ANNUAL SUMMER B,PU,R,P,W FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. CHRYSANTHEMUM ANNUALS, PER SUMMER-FALL VARIED FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. COREOPSIS ANNUAL, PER SPRING-FALL Y,O,R,P,PU FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. COSMOS ANNUALS SUMMER-FALL W,P,PU,R,Y,L FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. DAHLIA PERENNIALS SUMMER-FALL VARIED FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. IMPATIENS ANNUAL, PER SUMMER VARIED F.S./PT SD ALL OF U.S. PETUNIA PERENNIAL SPRING-SUMMER VARIED FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. DAISY - BLACKEYED SUSAN BIENNIAL, PER SUMMER-FALL Y,O,R FULL SUN ALL OF U.S. ZINNIA ANNUALS SUMMER-FALL VARIED FULL SUN ALL OF U.S.
B = BLUE, P = PINK, PU = PURPLE, R = RED, O = ORANGE, L = LAVENDER, W = WHITE.
This information was obtained from: Ortho Books - How to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. ISBN 0-8972-232-0.
These are only a few of the flowering plants which attract butterflies and moths. Also provide water and hiding places for them. .
I have also seen a number of questions lately about `state insects' and thought it would be neat to share the information which Mr. Gary Dunn of the Young Entomologist Society has compiled about `state insects.'
State Insects and Butterflies Listed by States
Alabama - monarch
butterfly
Arkansas - honey bee
California - California dogface butterfly
Colorado - Colorado hairstreak butterfly
Connecticut - European praying mantis
Delaware - convergent ladybird beetle
Florida - giant swallowtail butterfly
Georgia - honey bee (insect); tiger swallowtail (butterfly)
Illinois - monarch butterfly
Iowa - ladybug
Kansas - honey bee
Kentucky - viceroy butterfly
Louisiana - honey bee
Maine - honey bee
Maryland - Baltimore checkerspot butterfly
Massachusetts - ladybug
Mississippi - honey bee (insect); spicebush swallowtail
(butterfly)
Missouri - honey bee
Nebraska - honey bee
New Hampshire - ladybug
New Jersey - honey bee
New Mexico - tarantula hawk wasp
New York - nine-spotted ladybird beetle
North Carolina - honey bee
Ohio - ladybug (insect); tiger swallowtail (butterfly)
Oregon - Oregon swallowtail butterfly
Pennsylvania - firefly
South Carolina - Carolina mantis
South Dakota - honey bee
Tennessee - ladybug and firefly
Utah - honey bee
Vermont - monarch butterfly
Virginia - tiger swallowtail butterfly
Wisconsin - honey bee
Wyoming - western swallowtail butterfly
Washington state recently selected the Green Darner as their state
insect. Other states will probably select insects in the
future.
Camp Report
Plans for camp are going great! The MSU Entomology Club will be coming to camp this year to help put on the 1997 INSECT OLYMPICS. This should be the event of the year for all bug chasers. There will be events of strength, agility and speed. Did you ever wonder how far a grasshopper can jump or how fast a cockroach can run. We'll see all kinds of exciting events in the Insect Olympics in early June. We'll also have some other interesting activities this year - some new to our camp and some like we have done before. Fill out the enclosed form and get it back in as soon as possible, so we can order supplies for the camp. We will be at J. W. Kyle State Park at Sardis Lake in North Mississippi. Adults and children are both welcome to come to camp. We had 65 in camp last year and look for about that many again this year.
Happy Bugging,
MICHAEL R. WILLIAMS
Dr. Michael R. Williams
Entomology & Plant Pathology
Box 9775
Mississippi State, MS 39762-9775
phone - 601-325-2085
home - 601-323-5699
FAX - 601-325-8837