Resident Butterfly on my Lantana camara

[wengchun]

Yes, that's a Pygmy Grass Blue. Lantana is one of the caterpillar host plants of this species, and that's why the butterfly is attracted to it. The adults also feed on the nectar from the flowers.

thanks for the confirmation. i wonder why other species doesn't come to this plant in front of my house except for the Pygmy Grass Blue.

[Commander]

We've noticed that the favourite Lantana that attracts more butterflies than the others, is the orange-red variety. The white and yellow ones attract the least, whilst the pink ones are not as good. So if you want to grow Lantana to attract butts, go for the orange-red ones.

Also, the small-leafed cultivars are virtually useless. Go for the big-leafed Lantanas.

[wengchun]

We've noticed that the favourite Lantana that attracts more butterflies than the others, is the orange-red variety. The white and yellow ones attract the least, whilst the pink ones are not as good. So if you want to grow Lantana to attract butts, go for the orange-red ones.

Also, the small-leafed cultivars are virtually useless. Go for the big-leafed Lantanas.

Well, that's what I have planted. orange-red flowers and the leafs are big too. I'm planning to collect a few flowering plants. Let's see if I'm successful attracting more species.

[Painted Jezebel]

Also, the small-leafed cultivars are virtually useless. Go for the big-leafed Lantanas.

Have to disagree here. My small leafed Lantana is a magnet for many species, including most of the Crows, Autumn Leaf, Catopsillia species, Cephrenes Potanthus, Suastus, Pelopidas sps and Dryas iulia, etc, etc.

[Psyche]

Have to disagree here. My small leafed Lantana is a magnet for many species, including most of the Crows, Autumn Leaf, Catopsillia species, Cephrenes Potanthus, Suastus, Pelopidas sps and Dryas iulia, etc, etc.

Les, what colours are the flowers of your plant. I used to have a pot of a dwarf variety which have colouful magenta, pink and orange flowers, and this attracts nothing, not even the Zizula. These dwarf cultivars are supposed to be of a different species, which I think is Lantana montevideo or something like that.

TL Seow

[Commander]

Have to disagree here. My small leafed Lantana is a magnet for many species, including most of the Crows, Autumn Leaf, Catopsillia species, Cephrenes Potanthus, Suastus, Pelopidas sps and Dryas iulia, etc, etc.

Maybe we should import these Thai Lantana then. Either that, or the southern butts are more fussy when it comes to their nectaring plants! When NParks landscaped some of their urban gardens, they used these small-leafed Lantana as low border cover - often in large swathes. At the back, there were the big-leafed Lantana. All the butts were at the big-leafed variety, and left the border plants unvisited.

It was the same at Alexandra Hospital's butt trail when we first tried the smaller leafed ones (which apparently are more hardy and resistant to the leaf mould disease)

Les, what colours are the flowers of your plant. I used to have a pot of a dwarf variety which have colouful magenta, pink and orange flowers, and this attracts nothing, not even the Zizula. These dwarf cultivars are supposed to be of a different species, which I think is Lantana montevideo or something like that.

Same experience over here in Singapore. Other than some bees, these colourful flowers don't seem to have the same attractiveness as their large-leafed cousins.

Geographical preferences is a strange phenomenon. What David is showing us from Australia - the Butterfly Bush (Buddleia spp) is a very successful butterfly magnet. However, when we brought it over to Singapore and cultivated it, there were absolutely no butterfly visitors at all! I wonder why??

[Painted Jezebel]

Les, what colours are the flowers of your plant. I used to have a pot of a dwarf variety which have colouful magenta, pink and orange flowers, and this attracts nothing, not even the Zizula. These dwarf cultivars are supposed to be of a different species, which I think is Lantana montevideo or something like that.

TL Seow

Multicoloured, - White, Yellow, Pink, Orange and Magenta.

All work wonderfully.

[wengchun]

I think the geographical factor should be the reason. Not sure if the small leaf variety Lantana would attract butts here in Kuala Lumpur. Let me check and inform you guys.

[WillFolsom]

A casual observation from Virginia where we have planted several Butterfly Bushes import from Asia. We have a small butterfly garden that has several large butterfly bushes that grow each year. The white colored flowers typically tend to attract more butterflies than the purple ones do ... during one year... but then the purple plants attract more the following year. We have yellow flowered plants that seemingly are ignored no matter what the year. Just an odd observation. William