Hi friend,

Seeing butterflies always makes my day/week/life better. They're such a wonderful reminder of nature's beauty and the importance of conserving it.

I looked out my front window a couple days ago while doing my morning routine of giving the dogs and cats their breakfast, and saw two swallowtails in my native garden!

Of course, I had to run outside to get photos 😅📸

They're dark morph eastern tiger swallowtails (Papilio glaucus).

Most butterflies of this species are primarily yellow with black and blue markings, but some females are primarily black. Only females of this species can be dark morph, so both of these beauties were ladies.

Their host plants include a plethora of native trees, including oak (Quercus sp.), cherry/plum (Prunus sp.), birch (Betula sp.), willow (Salix sp.), maple/boxelder (Acer sp.), and a few more!

One of them had a fair bit of wing damage, but she was flying around just fine.

It’s a testament to the resilience of nature that something as fragile as a butterfly wing can remain functional after injury.

Even though I’m an adult in my 30s, butterflies still give me childlike wonder. 🦋

I remember being a young kid and regularly stopping by my neighbor’s flower garden when I got off the school bus.

It was always covered in butterflies - mostly skippers, but the occasional bigger beauty like these ladies.

I would watch them and try to catch them, seeing if they would crawl around on my hands. I could’ve stayed there forever.

I worry about future generations not having those experiences.

I hear of children who don’t know that lightning bugs are real. How many have never seen or touched a real butterfly?

That’s why I do this work.

Even if my yard sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the lifeless lawns and concrete in my neighborhood. Even if people think it’s “messy” or “ugly” or “overgrown”.

I’m not here to follow social norms or societal expectations when they’re actively harming the world we all live in.

I’m here to be an advocate and caretaker for the land that gives all of us life.

The lives of these butterflies and all the other life that my yard supports are not less worthy simply because they’re non-human.

We all need biodiversity to have a functional planet that keeps us alive.

If you build it, they will come.

Plant native to support your local butterflies.

P.S. Need native seeds to attract butterflies to your yard? Check out my seed shop here! Autumn is quickly approaching, which is an excellent time to sow seeds outdoors.

Tory is an ecologist and landscape consultant. He helps North American gardeners transition from using outdated and harmful but status-quo techniques to using their yards to improve the health of our planet. Along with being a gardener for over 10 years, Tory has a Master of Science degree in Sustainable Design and is certified in Regenerative Soil Science.​

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