Pest Control in Fraser Fir Christmas Trees

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THE POLLINATOR STUDY:
Butterflies

Butterfly Common in Tree Fields with Flowering Groundcovers

Butterflies were commonly seen in Christmas tree fields, especially in the fall. The most common butterflies observed were swallowtails, sulphurs and whites, eastern tail-blue, and meadow fritillaries. The silver-spotted skipper and hobomok skipper were also common. Less common were painted ladies, Gulf coast fritillary, red admirals, and Monarchs.

 

 

 

 

 

Butterfly Gallery

The following are photographs of common butterflies taken in Fraser fir fields and field borders during the study. Butterflies commonly seen were found in at least four of the study sites. Those less commonly seen are indicated below.

Swallowtails were one of the most common butterflies observed,
especially where field borders or field roads were allowed to grow up.
They were particularly attracted to thistles.

 

Meadow fritillaries are a common small butterfly seen in Fraser fir fields.

 

Another common butterfly is the clouded sulphur.

 

The gray hairstreak is frequently seen in Christmas tree fields.

 

The hobomok skipper was found in several fields.

 

The silver-spotted skipper was less common than some, but still frequently found.

 

Painted lady butterflies were also found, though not as frequently as others.

 

Monarch butterflies were seen in a couple of sites later in the fall.

 

This Monarch caterpillar was observed at the Alleghany County farm
that happened to have a lot of milkweed.

 

The gulf coast fritillary butterfly was only found at one site.

 

 

Pollinators Pages:

• Pest Predators in Christmas Tree Fields
• How Growers can Create More Habitat
• Pollinator Study Details
• Flowering Plants in Groundcovers in Christmas Tree Fields
• Bees, Wasps and Yellow Jackets
• Pollinator Study Home Page