Soft Landings

Participants at Bent Tree’s Lake and Wildlife meetings often hear words like, ‘host plants, keystone, conservation, and native under canopy.’ These are impactful words that carry more meaning than any dictionary can define.

Oaks are one of the largest contributors for wildlife across North America. That huge contribution has earned them the title, ‘Keystone Tree.’ While being keystone, with wildlife within any forest depending on them at some point of their life cycle there is still a need for a healthy under canopy. The trees are doing quite a bit, supporting the eggs and beginning stages for caterpillars, but the areas under the trees support the metamorphosis from pupa to butterfly.

A Penn State Extension article ‘Soft Landings- Crucial Habitat for Pollinators’ has shown that 94% of caterpillars pupate off the host tree. “And the spaces beneath keystone trees where the pupa end up are known as soft landings which are diverse native plantings under keystone trees.” “Soft landings play a critical role in the life cycle of pollinators by providing shelter and habitat for moths, butterflies, bumblebees, fireflies, lacewings, and beetles.”

A critical role, but one easy to provide. Ferns, seed bank gardening (check out Pollen, Nectar, Seeds, and Bent Tree), allowing native grasses some space, leaving the leaves while not using pesticides or chemicals on your part of BT’s under canopy are ways to simply support tomorrow’s butterflies.

Email btsongbirdnest@yahoo.com if you have any questions of how you can help today’s caterpillars become tomorrow’s butterflies. https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/monroe/news/soft-landings-crucial-habitat-for-pollinators