Now is the Time,
Kerby's is the Place

April 6, 2016   

Abby showing off her grasshopper catch.

The importance of bugs. Ewww you say, bugs are gross. Well, some are. Some are obnoxious, but some are critical for our food supply. And some are so gorgeous, we could stare at them for hours. For Easter my father got the girls some bug catching kits and they are putting them to use investigating a variety of insects. But our latest major insect enemy has been the lubber grasshoppers. Huge clusters of grasshoppers are taking over our carrots, sugarcane, and every plant in between. When I was a kid, I used to make a little extra money by collecting bad bugs from the garden for my dad. We think the old pay scale was a nickel for the little grasshoppers and a quarter for the big guys. (Who needs a lemonade stand when you can just catch bugs, right?) We are carrying on the tradition and teaching Abby and Maddy to watch for the bad bugs, although I have to admit we haven't told them about the possibility of payment yet . . .

Bees buzzing some Summer Snapdragons

But of course it isn't all bad news when it comes to bugs. Your veggie gardens need bees. Without them there would be less veggies, and definitely no zucchini, squash or cukes. Ladybugs are critical for eating aphids and controlling bad bug populations and of course we all love butterflies (see the article below for some of our favorites). But they are bugs too. So some we love and some we hate, but they all make the garden go round.

After a few rainy weekends, it finally looks like we have a gorgeous forecast for the week and weekend. Take advantage of it, because you know these temperatures won't last. Get outside and discover the fun of gardening.

Happy Gardening, The Kerby's Nursery Family	Forward to a Friend Follow us on Facebook

In This Issue

Featured Plant

Bring on the Butterflies

Control Garden
Pests Safely
Ladybugs

$9.99
1500 Ct.

Time for Planting

Redbuds, Dogwoods and Purple-Leaf Plums
25% Off

Apples, Peaches, Pears and Nectarines
25% Off

Mail Art Contest
sponsored by UF/IFAS, Florida Forest Service and Kerby's Nursery  

Monarch Butteflies lay their eggs on Milkweed! 1G Pots - $4.99

Featured Plant
Milkweed
Asclepias x

Milkweed may have beautiful flowers, but the really great thing about milkweed is that monarch butterflies lay their eggs on its leaves. Once caterpillars hatch, they feed on the leaves (pretty voraciously sometimes!) and after a few weeks of feeding go into chrysalis to begin the cycle again. Plant some in your garden to create a backyard butterfly habitat.

Bring on the Butterflies

It's easy to attract butterflies to your garden. For the basics, check out our butterfly handout and learn about some of the best plants for butterflies, and see below for some of the cool butterflies that you might see fluttering about in your garden.

Monarch - The monarch butterfly is one of the most common butterflies in our area. The host plant for the monarch is milkweed, so make sure that you include it in your butterfly garden. Did you know that monarch butterflies migrate all the way to Mexico in the winter?

 
Swallowtail - There are lots of different swallowtail butterflies, including the black swallowtail which lays its eggs on the herbs dill, fennel, rue and parsley, the pipevine and polydamus swallowtails which use dutchman's pipevine to lay their eggs and the giant swallowtail which lays its eggs on citrus. These butterflies come in many different mixes of black and yellow and are some of the most beautiful.

Sulphurs - A fast-flying yellow butterfly, there are many different types of sulphurs. Some are pale yellow and some like the orange-barred sulphur have beautiful orange colors in their wings. These butterflies lay their eggs on plants in the senna and cassia family. These large shrubs or small trees can make a great centerpiece in a butterfly garden.

Zebra Longwing - The state butterfly of Florida, this cool butterfly hangs out in shady areas under trees or large shrubs. You won't see it flying out in the hot sun too much. It lays its eggs on passionvine planted in the shade.

Gulf Fritillary - Another speedy little butterfly that is orange with white speckling. This butterfly flutters fast and high in sunny areas and lays its eggs on passion vine planted in the sun.

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