There’s something darling about Great Southern Whites. The aqua-colored clubs at the tips of their antennae remind me of the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico and strolls along its beaches. These colored antennae clubs are also the easiest way to quickly distinguish these butterflies from other medium-sized white butterflies (like the Checkered White or Cabbage White) that also fly in our area.

Despite its name, when its wings are closed, the butterfly is rarely colored a brilliant white. Instead, these butterflies vary in color from a smoky grayish brown to an off-white to a yellow. If you can catch a glimpse of the top of the butterfly’s open wings, you’ll usually see a zigzag-like pattern around the wings’ edges.

Females lay slender, pale eggs (pictured top right) on Virginia pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum), saltwort (Batis maritima) and plants in the caper family including nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) and limber caper (Capparis flexuosa). The caterpillar is yellowish with small black spots and green stripes that run the length of its body (pictured middle right).

Adult Great Southern Whites like to nectar on Spanish needles (Bidens alba), (pictured bottom right) and verbenas. Great Southern Whites are year-round residents of areas that usually avoid freezing temperatures and are known for massive emigrations where, according to the Alabama Butterfly Atlas, “thousands leave to colonize new territory” when temperatures warm.

Get your Swagon! We’ve potted up some beautiful tropical sage (Salvia coccinea) in lovely shades of red, white and pink. Suitable for either planters or gardens, tropical sage can bloom year round in our area. It also attracts a number of butterflies and hummingbirds for added enjoyment.

It doesn't have to be Mother's day or Nurses' Day to celebrate those important to our lives--our Red, White & Pink Tropical sage makes an attractive gift.  

$30.00 / 3 GAL.

Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), is a
12-15 foot vine that has beautiful, trumpet-shaped coral flowers during spring, summer, and early fall. A true favorite of hummingbirds, this flowering vine is a triple winner: nectar for butterflies and hummingbirds; caterpillar food for several butterflies and moths (including the Hummingbird Clearwing, which is a moth occasionally seen in our area); and fall fruit for birds.

This plant likes full sun but can grow in part shade. It requires good drainage and air circulation to avoid powdery mildew. Be sure to plant it near a trellis or fence for support – honeysuckle likes to climb, which means it’s a great way to add some vertical interest to your garden. Be sure to plant our native vine: Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), which is commonly available at non-native nurseries, is a Category I invasive plant in Florida.

 $12.00 (1 GAL) / $22.00 (3 GAL)

Last weekend we celebrated our Moms and this week we celebrate International Nurses Day, Wednesday, May 12th.  For me, these days are both important as my amazing mom was also a dedicated nurse for 50 years in the Tampa Bay area.  Nurses are a critical part of the medical profession. As we look at our current day and the prior 16-17 months with the COVID-19 pandemic these professionals were on the front lines more than ever and most facing burnout and extreme stress. According to the International Council of Nurses, as of January 31, 2021 there were over 2,700 deaths of nurses in 59 countries due to COVID-19 and as of December 31, 2020 over 1.6 million healthcare workers in 34 countries infected by COVID-19. Please join me in honoring a nurse you know, or thanking a nurse you see in a medical facility for their dedication. One of the big challenges is the nurse shortage and retention – which puts more of the effort on fewer people.  It goes a long way simply to hear a kind word of appreciation.

Last month, the world officially recognized April 22 as Earth Day. Here at Little Red Wagon, we organized a #GetTrashed for Earth Day event to clean up trails and communities.  This included volunteers who worked on maintaining the butterfly garden we recently planted in the Encore Park community.  We believe every day is earth day so we encourage everyone to continue being passionate about our environment on a daily basis.