cartoon black butterfly
Many butterflies and moths are particular to certain plants, either as sources of nectar or as hosts for their caterpillars. The rue plant, Ruta graveolens, is a host plant of the Giant Swallowtail butterfly, the Black Swallowtail butterfly, and the Anise Swallowtail butterfly. Both the Giant and the Black Swallowtails range over North America, east and south of the Rocky Mountains while the Anise Swallowtails are found west of the Rockies.
Rue Plant History
Ruta graveolens, or common rue, is native to the Balkans and has now been transplanted to North America, mostly in the eastern part of the continent, in California, Texas and some midwestern states. Rue has a long history of being used in medicine and magic (to ward off witches). Rue is still mixed with sugar and syrup to make a cough medicine in some places and small amounts are still used in the Mediterranean countries to flavor such foods as salads. However, rue can cause gastrointestinal upsets and even convulsions if large amounts are ingested. Rue can also cause blistering on the skin if it's exposed to sunlight and not handled carefully. For these reasons, rue is listed by many botanists as a poisonous plant.
Growing
Rue is a perennial, which means it comes back every year, and belongs to the citrus family. The plant has beautiful, feathery blue-green foliage that has a strong smell when bruised. The flowers are small and yellow. The plant is considered a subshrub and only grows to two to three feet high. Gardeners who want to grow rue to attract butterflies should know that rue is one of the few plants that actually thrives in poor soil. It also likes sites that are hot, dry and in full sun.
After it's established in a spot, rue doesn't need to be watered very much, and indeed, too much water can kill it. Rue also doesn't like too much fertilizer. It takes well to pruning and shaping and is very good to grow in a rock garden or as a border plant in a butterfly garden and can also be grown in containers.
Propagation
Rue plants are propagated from cuttings that are put in a sandy growing medium. Seeds should actually not be buried but should be allowed to germinate on top of moist soil in the light, which they do after about two weeks. According to legend, the best rue grows from plants stolen from a neighbor's garden.
Butterfly Host Plant
The Giant Swallowtail butterfly is the largest butterfly in North America, with a wingspan that can be from about four to six inches. The black wings have yellow bands. The eggs are bright orange and are laid one at a time on the plant. The caterpillars resemble bird droppings, which helps them avoid predators.
The beautiful Black Swallowtail and Anise Swallowtail are also colored with black and yellow with some added blue and orange spots. Its eggs are yellow and only the first instar of the caterpillar resembles bird droppings. Older caterpillars have beautiful stripes of yellow, green and black and can be considered quite beautiful.
Please visit our website for more information about raising a Rue Plant for butterflies. We also have an article about the Milkweed Plant which is the host plant for the beautiful Monarch butterfly.
Rue Plant History
Ruta graveolens, or common rue, is native to the Balkans and has now been transplanted to North America, mostly in the eastern part of the continent, in California, Texas and some midwestern states. Rue has a long history of being used in medicine and magic (to ward off witches). Rue is still mixed with sugar and syrup to make a cough medicine in some places and small amounts are still used in the Mediterranean countries to flavor such foods as salads. However, rue can cause gastrointestinal upsets and even convulsions if large amounts are ingested. Rue can also cause blistering on the skin if it's exposed to sunlight and not handled carefully. For these reasons, rue is listed by many botanists as a poisonous plant.
Growing
Rue is a perennial, which means it comes back every year, and belongs to the citrus family. The plant has beautiful, feathery blue-green foliage that has a strong smell when bruised. The flowers are small and yellow. The plant is considered a subshrub and only grows to two to three feet high. Gardeners who want to grow rue to attract butterflies should know that rue is one of the few plants that actually thrives in poor soil. It also likes sites that are hot, dry and in full sun.
After it's established in a spot, rue doesn't need to be watered very much, and indeed, too much water can kill it. Rue also doesn't like too much fertilizer. It takes well to pruning and shaping and is very good to grow in a rock garden or as a border plant in a butterfly garden and can also be grown in containers.
Propagation
Rue plants are propagated from cuttings that are put in a sandy growing medium. Seeds should actually not be buried but should be allowed to germinate on top of moist soil in the light, which they do after about two weeks. According to legend, the best rue grows from plants stolen from a neighbor's garden.
Butterfly Host Plant
The Giant Swallowtail butterfly is the largest butterfly in North America, with a wingspan that can be from about four to six inches. The black wings have yellow bands. The eggs are bright orange and are laid one at a time on the plant. The caterpillars resemble bird droppings, which helps them avoid predators.
The beautiful Black Swallowtail and Anise Swallowtail are also colored with black and yellow with some added blue and orange spots. Its eggs are yellow and only the first instar of the caterpillar resembles bird droppings. Older caterpillars have beautiful stripes of yellow, green and black and can be considered quite beautiful.
Please visit our website for more information about raising a Rue Plant for butterflies. We also have an article about the Milkweed Plant which is the host plant for the beautiful Monarch butterfly.
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
cartoon black butterfly
