Expert: C.L. Fornari - 9/29/2008

Question
I live in Lasvegas,Nevada and today i just bought new plants Red, White,puple Petunias, an orange Dahlias, and a tomato plant. I or ready have a butterfly feeder up with sugar water and ripe cantalope. But what kind of buterlflies will come and what pests should I worry about with those 3 types of plants.

Answer
Most parts of the country see Monarchs that fly though as they migrate to Mexico or Central America. Other than that, I am not familiar with the butterflies that you have in your region, since I am on the east coast.  But part of the fun of planting things that attract butterflies is seeing what shows up!  If you are looking for plants that attract butterflies, look for Pentas and Verbena bonariensis.

Watch the new growth on your dahlias for aphids and perhaps earwigs, if you have them there, but in general all of the plants you have are pretty easy and not prone to insects. When you have a good variety of plants that attract beneficial insects that prey on the harmful ones, then you shouldn't have much damage from insects in your garden.  The key is always to monitor your plants on a frequent basis so if you do have some damage you can either hand-pick the insects or use something like insecticidal soap to knock them down before it gets too bad.  Remember that there is always an acceptable level of damage in a garden as well - nature isn't perfect!

enjoy your flowers and butterfilies,
C.L.