Lughansadh - 1st fruits

August 7 is Lughnasadh (Lammas) is a cross-quarter day of the Celtic calendar. It is a time of the grain harvest. And signals the ending of summer.

In North America,  corn (maize) growing American Indians celebrate the Green Corn Ceremony.

A Friendly Skipper

European Skipper (Thymelicus lineola) Courtesy of genry_sharp on Flickr

Two mornings ago, I was in my garden watering my potted plants when a lovely orangey-brown European Skipper landed on my chest. It's head was pointed right at me and I could tell it was studying me. 

It was friendly encounter and I felt warmth and affection for this little brother or sister. 


The Skipper stayed on my chest watching me for several minutes. It's proboscis didn't probe for nectar. Nor did it's feet shift to taste the chemical composition of my tank top, as if the butterfly wanted to lay eggs. It sat, rested and then flew off. 

I don't have a photograph of the Skipper as I didn't dare move or reach for a camera. The Skipper probably would have left immediately. It would have made a great photo with a butterfly staring at me from seven inches away. 

Attracting Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Joe-Pye Weed

Eastern Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium dubium) is an Eastern Swallowtail magnet. You can count on it attracting these big yellow butterflies here on the East Coast

No matter where I come across Joe-Pye Weed blooming, I have seen these big yellow butterflies on top of the doomed flower clusters, sipping nectar.

I bought this plant at the Bowman's Hill Native Plant sale two years ago and it attracted Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies from the first time it bloomed.

A garden of good nectar sources and host plants in the local area, should provide good habitat for Eastern Swallowtails.

The host plants for Eastern Tiger Swallowtails include Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera), Wild Cherries (Prunus species), Ash (Fraxinus) and Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) trees.

A host plant is what a butterfly caterpillar eats. Butterfly caterpillar (and other native insect larvae) are only able to eat certain plants.  They are like people. We can eat some plants but others will make us sick and die.

Butterfly caterpillars eat native plants almost exclusively. So, all the non-native plants we are planting in parks and gardens, aren't helping the native insects. We are basically cutting out their food supply.

A good book to read about the link between nature insects and native plants is Bring Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy.