Outdoor Workout - Garden Exercise Made Easy

Gardening is Exercise!

Both vegetable and flower gardening are most rewarding. There’s nothing more satisfying in this world than creating something and being able to actually see, feel or smell it. Your marvelous creation simply came from a seed or transplant. No one knows the behind scenes details that went into creating that flower or squash but, you do. You know that with your labor of love comes the possibility of injury.

You toughed the weather, the backaches, lugging, hauling, pulling, kneeling, standing, stretching and lifting for long hours, with occasional bouts of dehydration; yet, you had a mission.. a vision of making beauty and creating a bountiful harvest of fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables. You did it and I hope that you did it the right way.

Prevent Injuries by Gardening the Right Way

Gardening is exercise. In the beginning, gardening can be rugged, tough and down- right hell on three wheels.  Each season there’s plenty of physical work to be done like having to till or turn over soil, pull weeds, haul in manure, tug around bags, containers, wheel barrels and hoses. You’re a regular mule.

Planting seeds, pulling weeds or tugging garden hoses can all simulate exercises as like lunges, bends, squats, pull and even push-ups and pull-ups. 

Before you begin your day of gardening you should prepare yourself for the usual lifts, bends, lunges and pulls that are all a part of general gardening. Always warm your muscles by moving. 

You can walk in place, stretch, punch, act like you're pulling a lawn mower cord, simulate walking steps or even pretending to hula hoop. It's always best to warm your body up a bit before heading outside to do manual labor. This will prevent injury to muscles which can cause everything from backaches to charlie horses. 

Pretending to hula hoop is a great exercise to loosen leg, hip, and back muscles. 

How to Get in Shape - A Few Minutes of Preventative Exercise

Upper body twist:

1. Stand with your hands on your hips.
2. Slowly turn your upper body as far as possible to the left for a count of 5.
3. Turn to the right and hold for a count of 5.
4. Repeat 10 times.

Upper body stretch:

1. Stand with your back straight and arms to your sides.
2. Stretch arms straight out in front of you and hold for a count of 5.
3. Return arms to sides. Repeat 10 times.
4. Now, stretch arms straight in back of you until shoulder blades touch. Hold for a count of 5.
5. Return arms to sides. Repeat 10 times.

Down To Earth Gardening Tips

If you must kneel, stand up and stretch frequently to avoid stiffness. Use garden knee pads or a pillow to absorb the pressure on your knees. Also, lean on your hands so that your arms absorb some of the shock.

Make sure the object - like a sack of mulch - is not too heavy to lift. Test its weight by lifting one corner. Roll or push, rather than carry, heavy loads.

Pull an object by placing your feet apart, bending your knees, and leaning away from the object. Pull by straightening your legs. Always face the object and keep your back straight.

Always bend at the knee. When pulling weeds, it's best to squat rather than bend at the waist. This will keep your knees limber and it will prevent light headiness and back muscle strain.

When gripping weeds or plants, use a firm grip with your fist facing up as if you're going to pound something.

Wrong garden shoes can actually create injury through out your body. Shoes should be lose fitting yet tied snug at the ankle. Fallen arches, corns, calluses, bunions and hammer toes are all caused from wearing the          wrong shoe size.

Gardening equipment should suit your size, build, and physical capabilities. If you have arthritis in your hands, use garden tools with enlarged handles. Long handles on garden tools ease the strain on an                arthritic back.

Using vinegar as a garden tool can cut physical labor in half. Why spend hours standing and bending when you can use a bottle of vinegar to kill weeds, fungus and aphids?

Save Your Back - Use Garden Helpers for Pesky Weeds

Use full strength apple cider vinegar or white vinegar poured onto stubborn weeds can kill the weeds without poisoning the soil around them. Sometimes pulling weeds can be back breaking work. Put some vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz the tough weed. In a day or so the weed will die at the root level.

You can use a diluted vinegar solution (1:8 ratio of vinegar to water) to raise the acidity in your soil for azaleas and rhododendrons to thrive in, and if you dilute that even further and add some sugar to the mixture, you have home made plant food. Many times adding bags of soil can having to turn it over and over can put a lot of strain on muscles. Try using the vinegar and water solution if you don't feel ling pulling out the shovel and bag of potting soil.

Add a few tablespoons of vinegar to a gallon of water and then transfer it to a spray bottle; you can use this spray to treat black rot and fungus issues on roses, and to fend off aphids. Many times we stand there for an hour or so clipping away the black rot and fungus effected leaves. Our feet hurt and lower back often ache from standing in one place for too long. Using simple tools as like a spray bottle with vinegar in it can really cut gardening time down.

When you’re able to finally see the beautiful results of all your sweat and labor, you know that every ache and pain was well worth it. It’s even more satisfying to awe your family, friends and neighbors when they see that marvelous garden or lawn that you’ve nurtured all by yourself. You soon forget about all of the physical labor that it took to get you to that appreciation. 

Remember to at least do a bit of warming up before you head outside to do all the manual labor that comes with outdoor gardening. You’ll be glad you did as time goes by. As like any sport or exercise,  injuries, wear and tear on the joints or not doing proper exercise moves will eventually catch up to you. 

The Power of Tornadoes and American Companies that Care

 

Storm Shelter Company Makes It Right

Most backyard gardeners stay aware of weather conditions. We look to the weather to germinate seeds, know when to water and when we should shelter plants. Rain, sleet, wind and snow can be either a companion to a gardener or a complete enemy. 

Natural disasters such as tornadoes, floods and earthquakes are everyone's fear even if you're not a gardener. We don't see very many tornadoes here in the southwest but, most of us have family members who live in tornado prone regions as like Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, etc.

AOL News

South Family in Moore, Oklahoma. Storm shelter not properly installed by a defaulted company was found floating in their garage. Another company (tornadosafe.com) had donated another storm shelter and their services to properly install the new shelter.  

I came across this news story about a family in Moore, Oklahoma. I was so impressed by the human kindness that I thought I'd share the article with you. It's about the South family who had placed their faith in a storm shelter company. The storm shelter was installed in ground inside their garage. 

After the recent tornadoes and storms in Oklahoma, Mr. and Mrs. Ronny South had awakened to see their storm shelter floating in their garage. The company who had installed the storm shelter in the ground had done a faulty job and weren't taking responsibility for fixing the problem because, the company went belly-up. 

After local news 'got wind' of the situation, they had contacted another storm shelter company by the name of TornadoSafe.com to see what can be done to help fix the problem. The storm shelter is a metal box with stairs and space for a few people to seek shelter during tornadoes. 

Upon hearing the South family's ordeal, TornadoSafe.com not only felt compassion for the Moore, Oklahoma family but, they actually stepped-up and did something for a family who was feeling vulnerable and ripped-off by another company.

TornadoSafe.com didn't promise to remount the existing storm shelter. In fact, they had kindly volunteered to donate and insert a brand new storm shelter at their cost. 

I'm in no way affiliated with TornadoSafe.com or their partners. I just wanted to show you that there are small companies out their making a difference in America every single day and they don't receive national attention like the big conglomerates or celebrities do. 

Patriotism is alive and well if you look around you. Thank you to all the companies like TornadoSafe.com for keeping the spirit of America alive and well by donating your services to families in need. You don't ask for anything in return as like publicity or donations.  You're truly an American hero.

*If you should happen to visit TornadoSafe.com be sure to click Timmy the Tornado's survival tips. 

How To Attract Butterflies To Your Garden

Joyful Butterflies - It's Easy To Get Their Attention

Butterflies are so beautiful and wonderful pollinators. It's always a surprise to see one appear and to watch their graceful flight is an absolute blessing. 

Watching butterflies is a spectator sport. It's mind blowing to know home many species of butterflies exist in the southwestern United States. It's mind blowing to see how many exist in North America, other regions of the Americas and the rest of the world. Why collect Hot Wheels when you can catch a glimpse of beautiful, delicate butterflies?

There are particular plants, colors and specific nectar found in flowering plants that will attract butterflies to you property all season long. If you live in southern California or the Southwestern United States, you can have butterflies all year long if you plant the right host plants. A host plant is a plant that butterflies will decide to lay their larvae. When the larvae eventually turns into a caterpillar, the host plant will then be their food. 

There are other factors in attracting butterflies besides colorful plants. Butterflies are just like people .. we all like specific locations, climates, colors and groups of people. The color of your plants, the topography of your property (are you desert, mountain, coastal, forest?), and the climate (is your property cool, hot or mild?) of your yard can also determine what sort of butterflies will be attracted to your property and if they’ll lay their larvae. Different species enjoy hot arid, others enjoy cold or mild climates.

We all know that the climate in the West and Southwestern U.S. can change daily or have extended periods of hot, dry weather. Extreme weather conditions usually need specific plants. Look for native plants or plants from similar climates or hardiness zones that will more than likely thrive. Native plants will definitely attract butterflies.

I’m in hardiness zone 9b and I’m able to add a colorful and hardy plants that are actually native to the Mediterranean. My climate is close to Turkey and Italy. My local nursery usually carries different varieties of butterfly plants from around the world. 

Nectar plants or hanging nectar bottles should be set in a sunny spot to encourage the butterflies to land on them. Most butterflies like to feed where it’s sunny and in an open space.

Gardens definitely need both host and nectar plants to attract lots of butterflies. Host plants are where butterflies lay their eggs and where caterpillars grow. Host plants will be eaten by the caterpillars, so put them in a location away from any of your fruiting plants as like tomatoes. That way, caterpillars will have a long way to travel if they decide to feed off of your heirloom tomato plants.

Nectar plants will be frequented by adult butterflies. Butterflies feed off of nectar plants. Nectar plants will keep those pretty butterflies from wondering into your neighbor’s yard. Growing colorful nectar plants to attract butterflies is like a kid in a candy store. The butterflies will be happy helpful pollinators. With consistent food growing everywhere they’ll lay their larvae and the cycle of butterfly life will soon begin in your garden.

If you find you're having problems with ants climbing your plants, grow in a pot and keep water in the saucer underneath the pot. This will keep ants from climbing on the plant and attacking the butterflies.

Butterflies find it really hard to fly when it's windy. If you live in a windy place, provide protection from the elements with tall hedge plants or walls of plants.

Most butterflies eat nectar from flowers, though some eat sap, dung, and other things. 

If you have color, flowering plants with nectar, host plants .. . you'll attract butterflies.

Photo	Butterfly	Nectar Plants	Host Plants
	California Sister (Adelpha bredowii)	butterfly bush and overripe fruit	oaks, especially gambel oak
	Red- spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis)	butterfly bush, lantana, and milkweed	birches, aspen tree, and willow
	Empress Leilia (Asterocampa leilia)	sap, dung, and occasionally flower nectar	hackberry and tree Celtis pallida in the elm family
	Hackberry Emperor (Asterocampa celtis)	sap, rotting fruit, dung, carrion, and will take moisture at wet spots along roads and streams	hackberry and sugarberry
	Coronis Fritillary (Speyeria coronis)	unkown	violets
	Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)	blazing stars, butterfly bush, hibiscus, lantana, zinnia, and salvia	passionvines and passion flowers
	Mexican Fritillary (Euptoieta hegesia)	lantana, stachytarpheta, and turnera	passionvines, morning glories, and turnera
	Mormon Fritillary (Speyeria mormonia)	goldenrod	violets
	Nokomis Fritillary (Speyeria nokomis)	thistles	viola nephrophylla
	Northwestern Fritillary (Speyeria hesperis)	gaillardia, rabbitbrush, purple mints, and shrub cinquefoil	violets
	Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia)	butterfly bush and milkweed	passion flowers, woodland stonecrop, and violet
	Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charithonius)	lantana and shepherd's needle	passionvine
	Monarch (Danaus plexippus)	butterfly bush, blazing stars, milkweed, lantana, salvia, blood flower, and coreopsis	milkweed and blood flower
	Queen (Danaus gilippus)	climbing milkweed, butterfly bush, lantana, zinnia, and blood flower	milkweed and blood flower
	American Snout (Libytheana carinenta)	aster, black-eyed Susan, flowering dogwood, dogbane, and goldenrod	hackberry and sugarberry
	American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)	aster, milkweed, marigold, verbena, Joe-Pye weed, goldenrod, and dogbane	everlastings, daisy family, mallow, ironweed, sunflower
	Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia)	aster, coreopsis, swamp milkweed, and verbena	snapdragon, verbena, ruellia, swamp verbena, and plantain family
	Dotted Checkerspot (Poladryas minuta)	nectar from flowers including yellow composites	beardtongues  in the figwort family
	Bordered Patch (Chlosyne lacinia)	flower nectar	sunflowers, ragweed, crownbeard, and cockleburs
	Arctic Fritillary (Boloria chariclea)	goldenrods and asters	violets, scrub willows, and possibly blueberry
	Callippe Fritillary (Speyeria callippe)	impatiens, passion vine, and hibiscus	violets
	Edwards' Fritillary (Speyeria edwardsii)	flower nectar	violets
	Freija Fritillary (Boloria freija)	flower nectar	dwarf bilberry and other plants in the heath family
	Great Spangled Fritillary (Speyeria cybele)	black-eyed Susan, milkweed, blood flower, passion flowers,and  tall verbena	violets
	Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene)	goldenrod, black-eyed Susans	violets
	Zerene Fritillary (Speyeria zerene)	unknown	violets
	Field Crescent (Phyciodes pulchellus)	flower nectar	asters
	Fulvia Checkerspot (Chlosyne fulvia)	flower nectar	paintbrush
	Green Comma (Polygonia faunus)	dung and carrion	small pussy willow, black birch, alder, western azalea, and gooseberry
	Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa)	overripe fruit, tree sap, milkweed, dogbane, butterfly biush, and zinnia	elm, aspen, hackberry, birch, and willow
	Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta)	dogbane, fleabane, and white clover	asters
	Northern Crescent (Phyciodes cocyta)	dogbane, fleabane, and white clover	asters
	Painted Crescent (Phyciodes picta)	flower nectar	field bindweed, aster, and hairy tubetongue
	Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)	aster, blazing stars, butterfly bush, buttonbush, milkweed, verbena, and zinnia	hollyhock, shasta daisy, sunflower, and mallow
	Pale Crescent (Phyciodes pallida)	flower nectar	thistles
	Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos)	aster, swamp milkweed, verbena, and zinnia	aster
	Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon)	lippia and composites including shepherd's needle	dogfruit and mat grass in the verbena family
	Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)	when rotting fruit, tree sap, dung, and carrion are unavailable do Question Marks visit flowers such as common milkweed, aster, and sweet pepperbush	American elm, red elm, hackberry, Japanese hop, nettles, and false nettle
	Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)	aster, butterfly bush, milkweed, and shasta daisy	false nettle
	Texas Crescent (Phyciodes texana)	flower nectar	honeysuckle, twinseed, and low plants of the acanthus family: ruellia, jacobina, beloperone, and siphonoglossa
	Tiny Checkerspot (Dymasia dymas)	unknown	plants in Acanthus family
	California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica)	flower nectar	buckbrush and wild lilacs
	Edith's Checkerspot (Euphydryas editha)	flower nectar	paintbrush, beardtongues, lousewort, owl's clover, Chinese houses, and plantain
	Gorgone Checkerspot (Chlosyne gorgone)	nectar, especially from yellow flowers	sunflower and crosswort
Photo: USDA Agricultural Research	Gray Comma (Polygonia progne)	sap	gooseberries and azalea
Photo: Walter Siegmund	Hoary Comma (Polygonia gracilis)	sweet everlasting	currants, gooseberries, western azalea, and mock azalea
Photo: Bill Bouton	Leanira Checkerspot (Thessalia leanira)	flower nectar	Indian paintbrush
Photo: D Gordon E Robertson	Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti)	lilac, goldenrod, and thistle	false nettle
Photo: Ingrid Taylar	Northern Checkerspot (Chlosyne palla)	flower nectar	goldenrod, rabbitbrush, and asters
Photo: Bill Bouton	Painted Crescent (Phyciodes picta)	flower nectar	field bindweed, aster, and hairy tubetongue
Photo: Walter Siegmund	Variable Checkerspot (Euphydryas chalcedona)	flower nectar	besseya, penstemon, Indian paintbrush, snowberry, honeysuckle, and plants from several other families including boraginaceae and rosaceae
Photo: Terry Spivey	West Coast Lady (Vanessa annabella)	aster, yarrow, and goldenrod	hollyhock, mallow, false nettle
Photo: D Gordon E Robertson	Common Wood-Nymph (Cercyonis pegala)	rotting fruit and flower nectar	purpletop and other grasses
Photo: David Bygott	Red Satyr (Megisto rubricata)	unkown	Bermuda grass and St. Augustine grass
Photo: Walter Siegmund	Rocky Mountain Parnassian (Parnassius smintheus)	sedum and asteraceae family	stonecrop
Photo: Calibas	Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon)	zinnia, aster, and butterfly bush	dill, fennel, parsley, and Queen Anne's lace
Photo: Mongo	Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)	butterfly bush, milkweed, red clover, and thistle	dill, fennel, parsley, and rue
Photo: Mongo	Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)	red Mexican bird of paradise,  lantana, azalea, bougainvilla, bouncing Bet, dame's rocket, goldenrod, Japanese honeysuckle, and swamp milkweed	trees and herbs of the citrus family: prickly ash, hop tree, and common rue
Photo: Steve L Martin	Indra Swallowtail (Papilio indra)	red Mexican bird of paradise, flower nectar	aromatic herbs of the parsley family growing among rocks
Photo: Alves Gaspar	Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon)	red Mexican bird of paradise, flower nectar	rarely plants in the parsley family and sagebrushes: Arctic wormwood and wild tarragon
Photo: Kaldari	Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor)	red Mexican bird of paradise, butterfly bush, lantana, swamp milkweed, mexican sunflowers, verbena, and petunia	pipevine
Photo: Jim Conrad	Pale Swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon)	red Mexican bird of paradise, California buckeye, yerba santa, and wallflower	wild cherry, wild plum, coffee berry, ash
Photo: Jay Williams	Two- tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudata)	red Mexican bird of paradise, lilac, swamp milkweed, and thistle	velvet ash, chokecherry, common hoptree, and flowering ash
Photo: Brocken Inaglory	Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)	red Mexican bird of paradise, lavender, zinnia	flowering ash, aspen tree, willow
Photo: Stephen Patrick	Cabbage White (Pieris rapae)	scarlet monkeyflower, impatiens, passion vine, lavender, verbena, aster, cosmos, and oregano	mustard (cabbage) family, nasturtium, spider flower
Photo: Bob Peterson	Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae)	red Mexican bird of paradise, and flower nectar	senna, cassia, and desert senna
Photo: Anne Toal	Dainty Sulphur (Nathalis iole)	red Mexican bird of paradise, common dogweed, Labrador tea, asters, wild marigold, and rabbitbrush	daisy family, dogweed, and low-growing plants in the aster family: shepherd's needle, sneezeweed, fetid marigoldd, and cultivated marigold
Photo: Anne Toal	Large Orange Sulphur (Phoebis agarithe)	lantana, shepherd's needle, bougainvilla, rose periwinkle, turk's cap, and hibiscus	feather tree, and pithecellobium and inga species in the pea family
Photo: Megan McCarty	Mexican Yellow (Eurema mexicana)	flower nectar	acacia and diphysa, especially fern acacia
Photo: Megan McCarty	Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)	aster, common milkweed, and goldenrod	alfalfa, clovers, related legumes, and white clover
Photo: Megan McCarty	Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia)	alfalfa, coreopsis, houstonia, and verbena.	small-leaved plants in the pea family: alfalfa; prairie clovers, indigo, and clover
Gossamer-wing Butterflies (Family Lycaenidae)
Photo: Jerry Friedman	Purplish Copper (Lycaena helloides)	trailing lantana and sweet bush	docks, sorrels, and knotweeds
Photo: Clinton & Charles Robertson	Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)	sweet bush, trailing lantana, milkweed, blood flower, goldenrod, and Queen Anne's lace	legumes, hibiscus, hollyhock, passion flowers, and mallow
Photo: Anne Toal	Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus)	sweet bush, trailing lantana, desert broom, goldenrod, Hercules club, shepherd's needle, sweet pepperbush, and wild plum	mistletoes
Photo: Megan McCarty	Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus)	sweet bush, trailing lantana, winter cress, dogbane, common milkweed, wild carrot, shepherd's needle, butterflyweed, and white sweet clover	junipers, especially alligator juniper
Photo: David Bygott	Leda Hairstreak (Ministrymon leda)	sweet bush, mesquite, trailing lantana, and seepwillow	mesquites
Photo: Gary Jue	Boisduval's Yellow (Eurema boisduvalliana)	scruffy prairie clover, buckwheat, false indigo, and white sweet clover	senna and cassia species in the pea family
Photo: Anne Toal	Caeraunus Blue (Hemiargus isola)	scruffy prairie clover, buckwheat, false indigo, and white sweet clover	acacias, kidneywood, and baja fairy duster
Photo: Bill Bouton	Greenish Blue (Plebejius saepiolus)	scruffy prairie clover, buckwheat, clovers, and falseindigo	clovers, especially alsike
Photo: Anne Toal	Marine Blue (Leptotes marina)	scruffy prairie clover, buckwheat, false indigo, and white sweet clover	baja fairy duster, kidneywood, false indigo, members of the pea family, leadwort, alfalfa, milkvetch, and mesquite
Photo: Anne Toal	Reakirt's Blue (Hemiargus isola)	buckwheat, white clover, and false indigo	pea family
Photo: Michael Rosenberg	Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe)	scruffy prairie clover, cassia, wild indigo, and white sweet clover	sennas and shepherd's needle
Photo: Katja Schulz	Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon)	scruffy prairie clover, buckwheat, dogbane, privet, blackberry, false indigo, common milkweed, and white sweet clover	woody shrubs and occasionally herbs: dogwood, New Jersey tea, meadowsweet, and collinsia
Photo: Forest & Kim Starr	Western Pygmy-Blue (Brephidium exile)	scruffy prairie clover, buckwheat, false indigo, and white sweet clover	pigweed, saltbush species, and others in the goosefoot family
(Family Riodinidae)
Photo: Anne Toal	Fatal Metalmark (Calephelis nemesis)	flower nectar	seepwillow and sometimes virgin's bower
Photo: Megan McCarty	Palmer's Metalmark (Apodemia palmeri)	flower nectar	mesquites
Photo: Svdmolen	Mormon Metalmark (Apodemia mormo)	eriogonum, buckwheat, and yellow-flowered composites: senecio and rabbitbrush	buckwheat
Photo: Systasea Zampa	Arizona Powdered-Skipper (Systasea zampa)	French marigold	mallows
Photo: Brocken Inaglory	Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis)	white-flowered composites: shepherd's needles, fleabane, and asters; also French marigold, oregano, sedum "autumn joy," red clover, knapweed, and beggar's ticks	globemallows, mallow, hollyhock, alkali mallows, velvet-leaf, and poppy mallow, and beggar's ticks
Photo: David Bygott	Erichson's White Skipper (Heliopyrgus domicella)	French marigold	mallows
Photo: Northern Prairie Wildlife	Small Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus scriptura)	French marigold	alkali mallow, scarlet globemallow, and desert globemallow
Photo: Stonebird	Northern White Skipper (Heliopetes ericetorum)	French marigold	unknown
Photo: Vitaly Charny	Golden-banded Skipper (Autochton cellus)	French marigold, trailing arbutus, blackberry, abelia, and hollyhock	legumes, New Mexico locust, and hog peanut
Photo: Bill Bouton	Violet-clouded Skipper (Lerodea arabus)	French marigold, bidens, and lantana	Bermuda grass and green spangletop
Photo: Eugene Zelenko	"White" Common Checkered-Skipper (Pyrgus communis albescens)	French marigold	mallows
Photo: Aaron Gunnar	Northern Cloudywing (Thorybes pylades)	nectar from blue, purple, pink, or white flowers including dogbane, selfheal, crown vetch, Japanese honeysuckle, thistles, common milkweed, Deptford pink, and hoary vervain	legumes, and plants in the pea family: beggar's ticks, bush clover, clover, and lotus
Photo: Pbedell	Golden-headed scallopwing (Staphylus ceos)	unknown	pigweeds and Fremont's goosefoot
Photo: Kretyen	Funereal Duskywing (Erynnis funeralis)	deerweed and California buckwheat	deerweed, legumes: New Mexican locust, bur clover, desert ironwood, and vetch
Photo: Bill Bouton	Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius)	flower nectar	lupine, golden banner, lotus, and other legumes
	Mexican Cloudywing (Thorybes mexicana)	flower nectar	clover, wild pea, and vetch
	Mohave Sootywing (Hesperopsis libya)	flower nectar	shadscale
	Afranius Duskywing (Erynnis afranius)	flower nectar	legumes: deerweed, lupine, and milkvetch
	Common Sootywing (Pholisora catullus)	ogbane, marjoram, oxalis, white clover, common milkweed, peppermint, cucumber, and melon	lambsquarters, amaranths, and cockscomb
	Dreamy Duskywing (Erynnis icelus)	lueberry, wild strawberry, blackberry, Labrador tea, dogbane, New Jersey tea, winter cress, purple vetch, and lupine	willows, poplars, aspens, and occasionally birch
	Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius)	flower nectar	lupine, golden banner, lotus, and other legumes
	Sleepy Duskywing (Erynnis brizo)	wild azalea, blueberry, blackberry, and dandelion	scrub oak and other shrubby oaks
	Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus)	aster, ironweed, verbena, milkweed, and woodland stonecrop	grasses, sedges, especially bermuda grass
	Orange Skipperling (Copaeodes aurantiacus)	flower nectar	side oats grama, Bermuda grass, sideoats grama, and green spangletop
	Dull Firetip (Apyrrothrix araxes)	nectar from monarda and baccaris	oaks: Arizona blue, emory, and Mexican blue
	Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)	aster, butterfly bush, and milkweed	aspen tree and willow
	Weidemeyer's Admiral (Limenitis weidemeyerii)	sap, snowberry, tree sap, and carrion	willow, aspen, cottonwood, ocean spray, and shadbush