Host Plant IDs???

11 years ago

I have a couple of plants that have volunteered in my butterfly garden this spring. They are both in the pea family because the Orange Sulphurs have laid eggs on them & apparently are a host plant for them!

I think the first picture is Hairy Vetch...am I right?

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Not sure what this is but it is perennial with light pink flowers( the purple & white petals around it are from my larkspur)

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This plant is not necessarily a host plant but I also collected seeds & it grows wild in our area & is bright pink & similar to our paintbrush but has much larger flowers...what is it?

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Thanks for your help with these IDs!

Lila

Comments (9)

bernergrrl
11 years ago
Hi there--Looks like a kind of vetch--in the legume family and is a host for Clouded Sulphur, Eastern-Tailed Blue, and the Silvery Blue and probably others who like the legume family.

Back in NH, I had this plant, and while it is pretty, it could quickly take over a garden. I let it be in my untended places, but I did keep it a little in check in a couple of my other gardens.

Can't help with the second pic--def looks like a paintbrush. Some kind of sage?
MissSherry
11 years ago
Lila, none of those plants grow here, so, never having eyeballed them myself, I have to depend on the internet and/or books to ID them. I'd guess that both the first and the second plants are types of vetch, there are many types. The first one could be hairy vetch or purple vetch.

The last plant is probably purple paintbrush - it's GORGEOUS! It should be a host for buckeyes, since Castilleja is one of their hosts. Speaking of buckeyes, I saw one yesterday - I'll have to check the Agalinis, which is their preferred host here.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Texas Priaire Website
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imabirdnut
Original Author
11 years ago
Sherry, thanks for the link!!!
Still wondering what the second plant is???
What type of Agalinis do you have??? I scattered seeds of Agalinis edwardsiana last fall but haven't seen any plants! ;o(
MissSherry
11 years ago
I think the second picture is probably crown vetch, Lila.

We have Agalinis fasciculata. I checked it out yesterday, and it's growing nicely despite the dry weather, but there were no cats on it, at least none visible on those that I checked. I sure wish the buckeyes would use my wild petunias/Ruellia caroliniana - a reputed host plant - but they're stuck on Agalinis.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Crown Vetch
imabirdnut
Original Author
11 years ago
Well...now that I know it is Crown Vetch...I think I want to move it so it doesn't take over my BF Garden! Or should I let it be a ground cover? The Orange Sulphurs were using the Hairy Vetch first & the Crown only had one cat on it that I saw so I guess they prefer the Hairy!
I currently have a ton of cats on my annual Black Eyed Susans...Silvery Checkerspots I presume???
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As well as my perennial BES!!!
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linda_tx8
11 years ago
The Agalinis edwardsiana comes up in mid-summer to early fall here where I live. I couldn't see the 3rd pic very good. Do you have any other pics?
MissSherry
11 years ago
Silvery checkerspots don't occur here, but there are pictures of them in my books that look just like yours - I'm SO jealous! :)
According to other pictures, as they get bigger, they'll develop an orange stripe down the side.
Keep us posted as they grow, Lila - these little ones are so interesting!

Sherry
MissSherry
11 years ago
I didn't look at the second picture long enough to see the orange/tan stripe already down their side.

There's no doubt they're silvery checkerspots!

Sherry
imabirdnut
Original Author
11 years ago
Linda, the third original picture was taken with my iPhone3GS...so I don't have a better or bigger picture! I think Miss Sherry is right...Purple Paintbrush. It is bright pink around here & is amazingly beautiful! I scattered seeds in my new meadow so hopefully I'll have them growing on my property next spring!

Miss Sherry, I agree...Silvery Checkerspots! This is the first year I've seen them! I always have a ton of Phaon Crescents hanging around my Frogfruit that is native here as well as Bordered Patches on my native Crownbeard or Cowpen Daisies!

I also saw another cat on the Hairy Vetch yesterday but didn't get a real clear picture...
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I think it is a Gray Hairstreak cat??? A first for me here! I went out to bring it in but it was MIA! I wanted to raise it to verify what it is but I missed my chance!