Rooftop butterfly garden at iForNature Nature Club: A success story

A well maintained flowering garden is a dream of many, but with a vast majority of people residing in building complexes, it’s a nearly impossible thing right? Well is it? 

This blog discusses several aspects and facts required for setting up a rooftop garden, and how with small modifications along with a little bit of skill enhancement can it be converted into a rooftop butterfly and pollinator garden. 

But why promote the diversity of pollinators? Well consider a crop field with millions of flowers. Who will pollinate them if all the pollinators are lost?What will you eat? How will you survive if the base of the ecosystem (Producers) collapses? Frightened? Well don't be! Now it's your chance to save yourself and nature at the same time.

Well let's first build up your confidence, have a view of our rooftop butterfly and pollinator garden at iForNature Nature Club.

Let's start from the beginning!!

Where to start from:

The main requirement will be an open terrace that receives adequate sunlight. The sunlight is an essential commodity, Yes you may think the plants will dry up very fast, but believe me, the more they receive the sun, the better they turn out to be (Except shade or semi-shade loving plants like Croton, Differenbrachia, Aglaonema, etc).

Potting Mix, Potting soil and pots:

From the very beginning, we need to keep this very clear that the most important part of this whole setup is to promote an ecological restoration program, so we will definitely try out best, not to use any such product/s or practice/s that will harm nature.

Potting Mix VS Potting Soil: What's the difference?

Well, Potting mix essentially refers to the soil-less potting media, the main part of which is cocopeat (shredded coco fibers) and Potting Soil is a mixture of garden soil and other ingredients.

Which one to use?

Well, if possible, both. The reason why I stated "if possible" is because with accelerating urbanization the availability of garden soil is reducing day by day.

Why use both?

We suggest the use of both types of components as both have their own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Potting Mix is very light weighted and retains water, which will reduce the amount of watering and the total load exerted on your terrace, but considering the disadvantages, in the wet season, it may retain excess water, making the plants prone to fungus related diseases.

Potting Soil essentially contains garden soil which is good for all the plants but considering the disadvantage of being very heavy, it may exert a huge amount of load on your terrace. So it is better to use the combination of both types depending on the type of plant you aim to grow.

For the potting mix, a significant part of the composition of the mix will essentially depend on the type of plant. But to overcome this, we use an overall potting mix that will support the majority of the plants, if not so, with minute modifications in the composition we can use the mix to plant nearly all the varieties of garden and kitchen-garden plants. For the Universal Potting Mix and soil composition refer to the link below.

Having the potting material sorted, let's discuss the pots. With the growing trend of using plastic pots, we are opening a new industry promoting the use of plastic or plasticine materials for gardening. What we can do is, reuse unwanted plastic materials. Earthen pots are always a better option for the environment and it provides a good microenvironment, promoting better root health.

Choosing the combination of plants:

The reason why we used a "combination of plants" is that only a specific type of decorative or flowering plant is not enough for any garden as such, more precisely for those gardens that promote butterflies and pollinators. A basic requirement for a "functional" pollinator garden is the right choice and combination of different plant species.

For the basic understanding, let us divide the plants into three categories, NECTARING, LARVAL HOST, and COVERAGE / DECORATIVE.

NECTARING PLANTS: 

As the name suggests, nectaring plants are those plants that have perennial or seasonal flowers which is able to attract hymenopteran pollinators and butterflies. Nearly all flowering plants have some specific visiting pollinator species but for a pollinator garden, we aim to choose those plants whose nectars are a huge attraction for a vast species of pollinators. For butterflies, we need to keep in mind that each species is attracted to some specific type/s of nectaring plant/s, but to our relief, there are some common plant species which attract a diverse species of butterflies. Some of the popular, common and easy to take care nectaring plants are listed below, which includes both perennial or seasonal flowers. These plants provide nectar for Bees as well as Butterflies.

1. Lantana camara (Indian Lantana) (Invasive species, hence premature seeds must be cut off so that it does not spread, extra care must be taken to stop the sprea)
2. Ixora sp. (Rugmini/ Rangan/ Jungle Flame)
3. Wedelia trilobata (Yellow Dots / Creeping Daisy) 
4. Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle / Common Vinca/ Nayantara) 
5. Calotropis sp. (Milkweed/ Ankhandh)
6. Cosmos sp.
7. Euphorbia milii (Christ thorn)
8. Jatropha integerrima 
9. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Chinese hibiscus / Joba)
10. Jasminum sp. (Jasmine / Jui)
11. Tagetes sp. (Genda/ Marigold)
12. Stenolobium stans syn. Tecoma stans (Trumpet Flower)
13. Ocimum tenuiflorum syn. Ocimum sanctum (Holy Basil/ Tulsi)
14. Tridax procumbens (Coat Buttons)
15. Stachytarpheta sp. (Snake Weed)
16. Adenium obesum (Desert Rose)
17. Portulaca sp.

LARVAL HOST PLANTS: 

This term is exclusively associated with lepidopterans and refers to those plants on which the butterfly caterpillar feeds on and grows to emerge as a beautiful butterfly. Many butterfly larval host plants are big tree or shrub type plants which is a bit difficult to grow on terrace garden (apart from bonsai plants, but the efficacy of bonsai is not guaranteed). So we list below some of the decorative, easily available and easy to take care plants, along with some photographs of caterpillars taken at out rooftop butterfly and pollinator garden.

Images of different caterpillars. Clockwise from top left: Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus), Common Branded Redeye (Matapa aria), Lime Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus), Plains Cupid (Chilades pandava), Tailed Jay (Graphium agamemnon) and Common Palmfly (Elymnias hypermnestra)

1. Bambusa ventricosa (Buddha Belly Bamboo)
2. Bambusa sp.
3. Dypsis lutescens (Areca Palm/ Butterfly Palm)
4. Cycas sp.
5. Murraya koenigii (Curry Leaf Plant)
6. Citrus maxima (Pomelo/ Batabi Lebu)
7. Citrus aurantifolia
8. Ravenia spectabilis (Lemonia/ Limonia/ Pink Ravenia/ Laboni)
9. Ziziphus mauritiana (Chinee apple/ Indian plum/ Indian jujube/ Kul) [Bonsai]
10. Polyalthia longifolia (False Ashoka Tree) [Bonsai]
11. Passiflora sp. (Passion Flower)
12. Bauhinia sp. (Camel foot tree/ Kanchan)
13. Calotropis sp. (Milkweed/ Ankhandh)
14. Nerium oleander (Oleander)
15. Cleome rutidosperma (Purple Spiderflower)
16. Quisqualis indica (Rangoon creeper/ Chinese honeysuckle/ Madhobi Lota) 
17. Kalanchoe blossfeldiana (Kalanchoe/ Pathorkuchi)

The video below shows the releasing of emerged Plains Cupid (Chilades pandava) butterflies and one Lime Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus) butterfly.

Now you might be wondering about some plants that you noticed as both nectaring plant as well as larval host plant, yes, those are kept purposely, as some plants serve both the purposes. Few plants are even fruiting or commercially important food sources, which will initiate a small kitchen garden for you, which you may extend considering your capacities and constraints. Few Kitchen Garden plants that we have includes Mint (Menath sp.), Chilli (Capsicum sp.), Tomato, Pumpkin, Amada/ Mango ginger (Curcuma amada), Indian plum (Ziziphus sp.), Sugar-apple/ Ata (Annona squamosa), Guava (Psidium sp.), Kagji lebu (Citrus aurantifolia), Orka/ Ladies Finger/ Bhindi (Abelmoschus sp.), Betel Leaf/ Paan (Not sure about the species, but we got it from Orissa and is a bit spicy in taste).

DECORATIVE PLANTS: 

After having discussed so many valuable plants with underlying scientific significances, decorative plants might seem to be a useless commodity for a pollinator garden. But this is not at all true!

Apart from the aesthetics, decorative plants adds to the fullness of the garden and provide a forest-type microhabitat for the insects, with enough places for them to hide, bask and nest.Some of such decorative plants that are relatively easy to maintain and rapid growers, selected by us are given below.

1. Dieffenbachia
2. Aglaeonema sp. (Chinese Evergreen Plant)
3. Acalypha hispida (Philippines Medusa/ Red Hot Cat's Tail) 
4. Philodendron sp.
5. Epipremnum aureum (Pothos/ Money Plant)
6. Crotons
7. Ipomoea sp.
8. Dracaena reflexa (Indian Song Plant)
9. Sansevieria trifasciata (Snake Plant/ Mother-in-law Plant)
10. Coleus sp.

Sometimes we try to solve certain problems in a linear fashion,ie., by directly approaching the problem and trying to solve it, but friends, nature works in a much complex way, and we at times fail to understand or evaluate those miniscule factors that are actually more important and are to be considered when dealing with sensitive issues such as environmental restoration.

Pesticides and Fertilizers:

Only use organic pesticides! But what are organic pesticides? and Why use them?

Try to reduce the overall use of pesticides or rather only use when necessary. We prefer organic pesticides (Organic pesticides are pesticides made from naturally occurring substances or self-made mixtures made from organic soaps and/or ethanol) for our garden. The reason why we prefer this is because of the most important fact that they are less toxic, washes away or degrades faster than chemical pesticides., hence they do not impose harm on pollinators. Refer the link (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279206332_Sub-lethal_effects_of_pesticides_on_pollinators_with_special_reference_to_honey_bees) to see the role of pesticide on pollinators.

Remember, our main goal is to deter Hemipteran pests like Mealybug, Aphids and Scale insects. The caterpillar feeding on plants is something we would want definitely in our Butterfly garden, isn't it? So use organic pesticides only on those plants infested by Mealybugs, Aphids and Scale insects.

Steps: 

1. First, try to isolate the infested plant from the rest of the healthy plants
2. Remove those branches that are severely affected via pruning 
3. Then prepare a mixture of 5 ml Neem Oil + 2/3 drops of antibacterial soap in 1L water [For mild infestation] OR 10 ml Neem Oil + 2/3 drops of antibacterial soap in 1L water [For severe infestation] (Water must be lukewarm) and spray on the plant, mainly the underside of the leaves OR 50% to 70% Isopropyl alcohol (100ml) + 2 drops of antibacterial soap and apply directly on the mealybugs using a brush or cotton.
4. Continue this 3 to 4 times at an interval of 2/3 days.
5. Before applying directly on the plants apply on a part of the plant one day prior. If you notice the leaves to be burning, dilute the solution by adding the required amount of lukewarm on the day of final application.
6. Pruning and Spraying must be done in shady areas preferably during the evening, otherwise, there will be a high risk for the plant to die!
7. Check other plants too. As these hemipteran insects are mobile, most likely they will affect other neighbouring plants also.

For the use of Fertilizers, there are a vast number of options and to understand proper application I would suggest you to build your knowledge by referring to authentic publications or articles, as different plants have different micronutrient and soil pH requirements. A list of different fertilizers we use are listed below.

1. Banana Peel Fertilizer (Can be used for all types of plants, Cut/blend the banana peels about a dozen, and soak them in a small bucket with around 10-15 Liters of water for a week, then apply the supernatant liquid about 50-100 ml in each pot).
2. Vermicompost (Can be used for all type of plants, directly mix with the soil media).
3. Leaf compost (We prefer to prepare this in our garden, Can be used for all types of plants, and can directly be mixed with the soil media).
4. Cow dung (Be very careful while using cow dung, as there is a risk of getting infected by some strains of coprophilous fungi, common disease includes  Respiratory fungal infection).
5. Mustard Cake Fertilizer (One of the best fertilizers, Soak 1 Kilogram of mustard cake/mustard cake powder in 30 liters of water for one week, aerate the solution every day by slowly stirring it for 2 minutes, this promotes the growth of good bacterias. Then make a 1:5 dilution  and apply 100ml in each pot. Repeat the process every 20 to 30 days).
6. Bone Meal (Depending on the plant).
7. Epsom salt (Depending on the plant).

Do not use all fertilizers at once. This will surely kill your plants. Give some time. There must be an interval of 7 days for yous plants to absorb the previous fertilizer completely. This must be done  preferably during the evening.

Pollinators:

As I stated earlier, nature is complex. To attract pollinators only planting is not enough, we prefer to provide some bamboo of different sizes, empty wood boxes, and DIY Bee Box for certain bees to nest and become a permanent member of our family. 

Few of the common bee visitors in our garden are:

1. Leaf-cutter Bee (Megachile sp.)
2. Blue Banded Bee (Amegilla sp.)
3. Braunsapis sp.
4. Red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea)
5. Indian honey bee (Apis cerana indica)
6. Carpenter bee  (Xylocopa sp.)
7. Giant honey bee (Apis dorsata)
8. Western honey bee (Apis mellifera)

Some common bees in our iForNature rooftop garden, Big image: Braunsapis sp. Right from top - bottom: Leaf-cutter Bee (Megachile sp.), Carpenter bee  (Xylocopa sp.) and Red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea).

Butterfly life cycle:

In this section let us view a few of the common species of butterflies that have completed their life cycles in our iForNature - Nature Club rooftop garden.

Hope you enjoyed reading our post. Thank you for your support and appreciation. Feel free to ask me anything in the comment section. 

Follow us on Facebook. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2163444367202000/?ref=bookmarks