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Field of butterfly dreams Entomologist shows gardeners pretty ways to attract them By John Darling As urbanization wipes out butterfly habitat, average gardeners can help the situation � and pretty up their yards � by planting butterfly-friendly flowers, shrubs and trees. Entomologist Kathleen Donham told gardeners how, in a Saturday talk and tour at the butterfly garden in Ashland�s North Mountain Park near Hersey Street. Plants that butterflies like Make your garden more attractive and healthy for local butterflies with these plants: Trees : California buckeye, poplar, birch and western chokecherry Shrubs : Mountain balm, rockrose, butterfly bush, rose of Sharon, lavender and smooth sumac. Perennials : yarrow, butterfly weed, Michaelmas daisy, Jupiter�s beard, Shasta daisy, sweet William, purple coneflower, joe-pye weed, gay feather, statice, lupine, catmint, oregano, black-eyed Susan, perennial sage, dwarf goldenrod, thyme, Mexican sunflower and verbena. Source: Ashland Parks & Recreation The best plants for butterflies in the Rogue Valley are the butterfly bush, violets, yarrow, verbena, lilac, Shasta daisy, Joe Pye weed, lavender, lupine, thistle, nettle, milkweed and the lantana shrub. These plants meet butterflies� needs for leafy food in the larval or caterpillar stage and nectar in the adult butterfly stage, Donham said. "Always have something blooming," she said, "and don�t bother with roses. Butterflies have no use for roses. They don�t care much for nectar (sugar and water) feeders, either. You�re better off with a bouquet of flowers." Another tip from the butterfly expert: don�t use butterfly boxes, which are intended as winter shelter. They tend to fill up with spiders the butterfly�s main predator. "They�re more of a trap than a shelter," Donham said. To complete the butterfly-friendly garden, Donham offered these other bits of advice: Avoid pesticides; wash predatory bugs off plants. Put butterfly-friendly plants in a wind-protected area. Make little mud puddles, so butterflies can get minerals and have a place to stand while they drink. The Rogue Valley is a haven for butterflies, with 120 species, Donham said. It�s also the northernmost stop for widely migrating monarch butterflies. Helping to attract butterflies is the wide diversity of fauna in areas such as Soda Mountain, where the Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains meet, Donham said. The newly-opened North Mountain Park�s butterfly garden was created and is cared for by volunteers from schools, the YMCA, the Grove youth center, scouting groups and families, with plant donations from local garden shops, said Linda Chesney of Ashland Parks and Recreation. If gardeners plant their own butterfly gardens, Donham noted, they might attract the "cabbage white." It�s the only butterfly that�s a pest: It eats alfalfa, cabbage and cruciform vegetables, such as broccoli. "But that just comes with the territory," Donham said. Donham demonstrated the rapidly growing pastime of butterfly watching, which requires the use of binoculars that focus as close as six feet. Members of the North American Butterfly Association have followed the lead of birdwatchers and now conduct annual counts and keep "life lists" of species they�ve seen. Some butterfly-watching tips: Don�t run up and stick your finger in a butterfly�s face. Stand back and use your shadow to point at it. The best way to learn butterfly identification is to color in one of the popular coloring books on the topic. To learn more about butterfly gardens or volunteer in Ashland�s, contact Chesney at the city parks department, 488-2620 Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA