Judith Alberts presented: If You Plant it, They Will Come - Gardening for Our Pollinators
The Monarch butterfly is the poster child of pollinators and milkweed is in high demand at garden centers everywhere. But what about all the other butterflies, moths, and bees that are threatened by habitat loss? Learn about plants that attract and support swallowtails, Red Admirals, Skippers, and more. Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Emerita Judith Alberts shares here photographs to illustrate her citizen scientist's approach to raising wild butterflies and cultivating native plants. Judith serves on the executive committee of the Town and Country Garden Club of LeRoy.
There were 11 in attendance for Judith's presentation about lepidoptera. Lepidoptera include butterflies, moths and skippers.
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Judith, while wearing wings, gave a nice overview of lepidoptera including life cycles, needs for survival, and host plants.
Plants have four jobs:
- sustain the food web
- sequester carbon
- support diverse pollinators
- help manage the watershed
Lepidoptera by the numbers:
Judith shared the lifecycle of monarchs which migrate and evolve through 4 generations. Most lepidoptera do not migrate.
Lepidoptera rely on plants throughout their life cycles from egg to caterpillar to pupa to winter shelter or migration.
Judith shared these partial lists of recommended plants providing year round nectar for lepidoptera.
Early Spring: American Wisteria, Bee Balm, Black-eyed Susan, Eastern Red Columbine, Lyre-leaf Sage, Marsh Marigold, Passionvine, Spring Beauty, Sundial Lupine, Trumpet/Coral honeysuckle, Violets
Summer: Black-eyed Susan, Boneset, Buttonbush, Coneflowers, Coreopsis, Lantana, Milkweeds, Sweet William, Thoroughwort, Virginia Blue Flag Iris, Virginia Creeper, Wild Quinine (Feverfew), Yellow Wild Indigo, * There are a multitude of plants that provide summer nectar, but it is best to focus on native species, many of which do double duty as host plants. This is just a partial list. *** AVOID the Butterfly Bush because it is an invasive species!!!
Fall: Aster Lantana , Blazing Star, Blue Mistflower, Boneset, Cardinal Flower, Goldenrod * (see note), Great Blue Lobelia, Joe Pye weed, Narrow leaf Sunflower, Sneezeweed, Sweet William, Thoroughwort *NOTE:Goldenrod is NOT the same plant as ragweed. It is ragweed that causes allergies, not Goldenrod!!!
The New York State official butterfly is the white admiral (which happens to be the same as the red spotted purple admiral of Virginia).
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| image from wikipedia |
Judith urged us to embrace a different mindset of VARIETY, IMPERFECTION, NATIVES/"WEEDS", and LONG TERM PLANNING.
Judith's presentation was a delight to watch as she shared many photographs she's taken through the years.
common buckeye 
black swollowtail (female)
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| BST and Judith |
* A note about our previously scheduled event for this date: CONGRATULATIONS to Sophie! She's been hired for a job out of state with the International Crane Foundaation. Sadly, this means she will not be in NY in November. We hope to have Sophie present the jumping worms program for us in 2026.