Tennessee Butterfly Garden, Making Wise Plant Choices for your space

When selecting plants that are attracted to butterflies there are several considerations to keep in mind.

• Soil Condition

Your local extension office has soil sample kits that you take home, take several soil samples, and place in the box they provide you.  They will test the soil and make recommendations to soil amendments you may want to consider.  We followed our own advise and took a soil to the Williamson County Extension office to have it tested.

• Plant size when mature

The Tennessee state Butterfly is the Zebra Swallowtail

It is also known as the Paw Paw Butterfly, because this butterfly LOVES the Paw Paw Tree

The Paw Paw Tree   (Asima trilba) will reach a width and height of 30'x30'  Because our space is small, we want to have a variety of plants instead of just one huge tree.  This is where planning, design, and knowledge of your ZONE is vital!

• Which "Plant Zone Hardiness"" is your garden going to be in?  The winter of 2014 was brutal across the US.  Knowing your plant hardiness will be a good investment in your garden's future!

• Sunlight required for your plants

• Watering to keep plants healthy

• Herbicide choices.  Many herbicides are harmful to our insects that are pollinators!  Please be careful not to use herbicides, as that is endangering our butterflies, and honeybees. Honey bees make especially good and efficient pollinators.

Butterfly Garden at Walnut Grove Elementary School, Introduction

Mrs. Simmons was one of the founding teachers at Walnut Grove Elementary School.  During her hears of dedicated service to Walnut Grove, she envisioned a Butterfly Garden for the students to learn from, enjoy, and help take care of.

The spring 2014  Williamson County Master Gardner Class decided to help give a face lift to the garden that needed  some TLC from dedicated volunteers, and that is what they set out to do.   Amy Dismukes (Horticulture Agent for UT/TSU Extension of Williamson County) is our official expert here in Williamson County.  Her wealth and depth of knowledge helped guide  us toward good plant choices, and identifying "mystery" plants 

We pulled from many resources and did a lot of reading.  

Troy B. Marden   His Book Plant This Instead was a great help.

Magazines and newsletters our volunteers had on hand:

The Garden Gate

NABA of Middle Tennessee 

List of Tennessee Butterflies

Endangered Species of Insects (butterflies) in TN

The zebra swallowtail, Eurytides marcellus.  

The zebra swallowtail has also been called the pawpaw butterfly, kite swallowtail and ajax.

Zebra Swallowtail

TN State Butterfly (Zebra Swallowtail)

Then we went to work.   Grants to write for funding, finding volunteers, organizing work days, and making a list from NEEDS and WANTS, and seeking donations.