Lexington, Kentucky
June 24, 2009
Many gardeners plant zinnias
because of their vibrant colors and ability to attract
butterflies. In a recent study, researchers with the
University of Kentucky College
of Agriculture found butterflies are attracted to one zinnia
cultivar over others.
UK Entomology Professor Ken Yeargan and Graduate Research
Assistant Sarah Colvin found that Lilliput zinnias attracted
more than twice the number of butterflies than State Fair,
Pinwheel and Oklahoma cultivars during a seven-week period.
“Many people wish to include zinnias in their butterfly gardens
so this study was intended to help them determine which cultivar
to use to attract the most butterflies,” Yeargan said.
Adult butterflies are attracted to zinnias because they feed on
their nectar.
Yeargan developed the idea for the study when he noticed the
butterflies in his own garden seemed to be more attracted to the
Lilliput cultivar.
“I’m not surprised Lilliput attracted more butterflies, but I am
surprised at how much they were preferred over the other
varieties,” he said.
Their study showed the most common species of butterflies prefer
Lilliput over the others, and in most cases, do not favor any of
the other three cultivars over one another. The only exception
was Variegated Fritillary butterflies, which preferred Oklahoma
zinnias over State Fair ones.
“I grew zinnias before, but never paid attention to which
varieties were attracting the most butterflies. But when we were
collecting data, we could pick out the plots that were Lilliput
because of the number of butterflies attracted to them,” Colvin
said.
The four cultivars used in the study were among the most
commonly available in mixed colors. The researchers collected
data from each of their 16 plots once a week in the morning and
afternoon during the study.
Kentucky is home to at least 151 butterfly species. During the
study, Yeargan and Colvin found 30 species and 2,355 total
butterflies.
They are not sure why the Lilliput variety attracts more
butterflies, but Yeargan speculates it could have something to
do with the amount or quality of Lilliput’s nectar.
While Lilliput zinnias were found to attract more butterflies,
Yeargan said butterflies must be in the vicinity of the plants
in order to be attracted. Zinnias are not able to attract them
from long distances.
Seeds of the cultivars used in the study are available at most
garden centers or from sources on the Internet.
UK College of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission,
reaches across the commonwealth with teaching, research and
extension to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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