| | California Pipevine |
| | Aristolchia californica |
| | California's host to the Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly. |
| | The vines get carpeted in "flowers" before the leaves emerge if given sun & rich soil, |
| | easy to grow. Can be propagated easily by cuttings (or by seed). It is typical in |
| | woodlands or brush in many places in Northern California. |
| | http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/Flora/taxon_desc.pl?FLORA_ID=12395&TAXON_ |
| | ID=102606 |
| | http://hua.huh.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/Flora/taxon_desc.pl?FLORA_ID=12395&TAXON_ |
| | ID=233500156 |
| | Edgehill proposed |
| | Only a few small populations in San Francisco. We're on the waiting list to get |
| | some. I'm propagating tons of it from an unknown source in my garden, I wonder |
| | how variable it is genetically? |
| | Jeff Caldwell |
| | Although it is true that it would require many pipevines to guarantee the long term |
| | survival of a pipevine swallowtail population, especially an isolated one, it is |
| | also true, I think, that one could get lucky and have pipevine swallowtails in |
| | some if not many years with a considerably lesser planting of the pipevine. The |
| | pipevine swallowtail is a strong flier, roams more than many species. I think |
| | having a significant planting of its favorite nectar plants would also increase the |
| | odds in your favor of having it around. Ideally there would be pipevines and |
| | appropriate nectar sources all over the neighborhood(s) round about. They say |
| | in the East the eastern pipevine swallowtail expanded its range 1000 miles to the |
| | west, following the cultivated pipevines. |
| | |
| | Since many caterpillars are parasitized by wasps (who lay their eggs on them) |
| | and thus die (slowly being eaten alive from the inside by wasp larvae) before |
| | turning into butterflies, the best way is probably to move the eggs, which are less |
| | frequently attacked. An analogy is moving plants; seeds are the "cleanest" way, |
| | the best way to leave behind pests and diseases. Second best method for moving |
| | lepidoptera to a new site is to move the smallest caterpillars you can find, or the |
| | pupal stage. However, perhaps pipevine swallowtails are attacked less often |
| | than some species; I saw them at high concentrations at the San Francisco site |
| | and in Louise's garden. They are quite conspicuous, black and orange, I suppose |
| | poisonous from eating the pipevine! |
| | Paul's garden |
| | Here's my profusely blooming Pipevine: |
| | http://www.EDGEHILL.net/pipevine.gif Four years old, growing in super thick |
| | rich pine/ivy duff. Supposedly you need a hundred yards of fenceline covered |
| | with pipevine to support a sustainable population of swallowtails. I'm hoping I |
| | could start with a few as I grow more plants, I've got just a hundred & fifty feet of |
| | fenceline. |