Written by Lois Blumenthal for "What's Hot" October 2002

Photos by Ann Stafford

Everyone loves butterflies. We take them for granted and assume they will always be flying about on sunny days. Nobody is afraid of butterflies and they are never pests so the human/butterfly relationship should be in fine shape. Right? Wrong. While butterflies enjoy great popularity and good press, caterpillars and “weeds” do not. Every child learns in kindergarten about the amazing miracle of metamorphosis when a humble caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly. The symbolism is not lost on even the most pragmatic child.

A Cloudless Sulfur emerging from its pupa case on a Cayman Dandelion

And yet how soon we forget the lessons of childhood. Gardeners regularly exterminate caterpillars on sight, often with little knowledge of whether or not there is any real harm being done to the garden.  Humans also pull up any plant that may have “volunteered” and consider it a weed because it didn't cost them any money!

A new group is hoping to change all that. Cayman Islands Lepidoptera Link is an informal network of butterfly enthusiasts with a mission to encourage people to allow nature to take a hand in their gardens. “Butterfly gardening is easy,” explains the group, “and it really works! With just a few simple changes that will also lighten your workload, you can enjoy a healthy garden alive with multi-colored local butterflies! And it’s amazing how fast you’ll see results!”

Cloudless Sulfur caterpillar. Remember what you learned in school! These are the future butterflies in your garden!

The Cayman Islands boast of fifty species of native butterflies. Some are truly spectacular, such as the Cuban Red, the Swallowtail and the Mexican Fritillary. Others are simple white or pale yellow, but are nonetheless lovely fluttering among the flowers. Sadly, some people are only aware of the small white butterfly species found along the roadsides and seen from cars. Current landscaping practices provide little support for colorful native species.

It is important for would-be butterfly gardeners to understand that the native butterflies are highly plant-specific, emphasizes the group. “Not only is there no risk that caterpillars will spread from one plant to another or take over the garden but it actually kills a caterpillar to remove it to another plant that is not its natural larval food. Those who think they are being kind-hearted by moving caterpillars off-property are killing them just as surely as those with the can of Raid.”

For instance, the magnificent Swallowtail, our largest butterfly, which sports a very striking black and yellow pattern, is totally dependant during its caterpillar stage on the leaves of citrus trees. Most people reach for the spray if they see caterpillars or “worms” on their valued lime trees, but the truth is that the tree will not be harmed by a little (or even a lot!) of leaf-munching. These harmless caterpillars do no more damage than a simple pruning, and they never nibble the fruit. Ironically, one of our most beautiful butterflies comes from our worst looking caterpillar! Swallowtail caterpillars are particularly unattractive because their strategy to avoid predators is to mimic a bird dropping! So if you see a grayish lumpish caterpillar on your citrus leaves, smile and wait. Soon it will transform itself into a spectacular black and gold butterfly. Gardens with unsprayed citrus trees are blessed with a steady supply of impressive Swallowtail butterflies, one of the showiest and most beautiful of all our island species.

– Swallowtail Butterfly: The gray lumpish larva of the spectacular Swallowtail butterfly eats only citrus leaves. The caterpillars do not harm the tree or the fruits.

Another easy change to make in our gardening habits is to stop pulling up any plant we don’t recognize and calling it a weed. Some of these volunteer native plants are important food for Cayman’s native butterflies. “Never pull up a weed until you know what it is,” explains the group. “Think of it as a free plant or a gift from our Creator to your garden.”

The common names of Cayman Islands native plants that encourage butterflies include Passionflower Vine, Giant Milkweed, Duppie Bush, Cajon, Wild Rosemary, Spanish Needle, Bull Hoof, Catbush, Redtop, Match Head, Dandelion and Jack in the Bush. This is just a partial list and further information is available through Lepidoptera Link.

The third recommendation from Lepidoptera Link is to leave as much of your property in native plants as possible when building a house on virgin land. “As the population grows and more and more of our land is being used for housing, we can help butterflies and other wildlife immensely if we leave some of the land as nature intended. This results not only in more butterflies, birds and other wildlife, but also saves money in the costs of fill, water, fertilizer, mowing, pruning and other maintenance and even electricity! That big shade tree over the porch can seriously cut your air-conditioning bills! Leaving some natural rock formations and native vegetation in place can provide storm surge protection and a dramatic Caymanian wild landscape that can be accented instead of dominated by a few showy imported flowering plants. Learn to enjoy the sight of a meadow! Look for a part of your garden to leave un-mown. Create a no-maintenance hedge of Catbush. The more you learn about native plants and butterflies, the more creative you can be in your garden. 

“People often ask us if we are part of the new Butterfly Farm and the answer is that we are not. The Farm will be fascinating, but it will be made up of imported exotic butterflies. Our interest is in native Caymanian butterflies and we are a not-for-profit organization. We call ourselves “Butterfly Enthusiasts” and Enthusiasm with a capital E is our hallmark! The Cayman Islands are very unique because our plant species come from both the northern and southern Caribbean. We share plants that are not found together anywhere else in the world. These plants support our unique native butterflies and other wildlife. Without our native plants, our butterflies won’t survive. That’s why we formed this group, and that is what we are working to save,” stressed one member of Lepidoptera Link. “We are already working with both Pedro Castle and the Botanic Park to help them to install native plant butterfly gardens and our volunteers have helped St. Ignatius School and Montessori Preschool of South Church Street to establish educational butterfly gardens.”

Lepidoptera Link is a branch of Cayman Wildlife Connection and was founded by a local grandmother, who worried that her grandchildren wouldn’t see butterflies as they grew up in neighborhoods that are more and more landscaped with foreign imported plants and sprayed until nothing is moving except the wind! Cayman Wildlife Connection is an informal network of friends who hope to spread the word about the joys of gardening and landscaping to benefit butterflies and other wildlife. The two groups work hand-in-hand and their motto is “Each One Teach One”.  Cayman Wildlife Connection and Lepidoptera Link are working to build a photo library collection of all Cayman Islands flora and fauna with information concerning the links and connections between them. They hope to make their work available to school children and the general public soon.

Lepidoptera is the scientific name for butterflies and moths and comes from the Latin root words for “scaly” and “winged”. The colors of a butterfly wing are actually made up of thousands of tiny scales. Other languages have more picturesque names for butterflies such as “summerfly,” “summerbird,” “bow-tie,” “little grandmother” or “psyche” (meaning soul or breath). The origins of the word “butterfly” are unclear. One explanation is that butterflies in Europe would hover around pails of milk or cream and people believed they were witches in disguise, trying to steal the butter. One German name translates into “God’s Little Cow.” Some sources say that the word “Butterfly” is actually a corruption of the much more logical “Flutter-bye”.

Whatever we call them, with just a little thoughtfulness and care, we can ensure that Cayman’s native butterflies are here for future generations and that these and other beneficial insects are not unnecessarily eliminated from our island.

For suggestions about the best plants for attracting and nurturing butterflies, information about how to tell native plants from weeds, tips on butterfly photography (we still need a good Swallowtail shot!) or to accompany the group on informal “bush walks” contact Lepidoptera Link or Cayman Wildlife Connection at 947-2248 or email info@caymanwildlife.org.