Gillette's Habitat Garden

Field notes / wildlife

Who showed
up.

Animal species photographed at one Central Ohio yard since 2023. None of these were planted. They arrived because something here was worth arriving for.

See the full project on iNaturalist

This is an ongoing log of wildlife species found on the property from 2023 to the present. These records come from iNaturalist and can be found on the Gillette's Habitat Garden project page.

Butterflies and moths: breeding and host plants

Nectar brings adults in. Larval host plants are what let a population reproduce on site.

Confirmed breeding

  • Black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) on golden alexanders (Zizia aurea). Caterpillars observed in 2026.
  • Monarch (Danaus plexippus) on butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata).

Host plants in place

  • Great spangled fritillary (Speyeria cybele) uses violets (Viola). Three violet species grow here, and none get weeded out.
  • Common buckeye (Junonia coenia) uses wild petunia (Ruellia).
  • Pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos) uses asters (Symphyotrichum).
  • Grass skippers and satyrs use native bunch grasses.

The biggest host plant on this property isn't in a flower bed. It's the sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) in the front yard, a recorded host for luna moths (Actias luna) and dozens of other moth species. Luna cocoons overwinter in the leaf litter underneath, which is why the litter stays where it falls.

Loading speciesLoading animal observations2023–present