ORANGE PARK – As I have heard: “Plant it and they will come,” i.e., plant a butterfly’s host plant and they will come.

This year I wanted to observe the life cycle of the Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly. This butterfly is one of the most common butterflies in Florida. They migrate through our state in large numbers each spring and fall.

While I was at the University of Florida’s annual fall plant sale last October, there were Popcorn Sennas plants for sale. This host plant did the job. The butterfly was drawn to the plant in April. While working in the garden one day, I saw a fe

male laying an egg on the plant. And even better, the caterpillar made it through its life cycle.

This butterfly is a typical garden visitor. It has an extremely long proboscis and can feed on many long tubular flowers, such as the red-colored Mandevilla, a nectar plant.