Sonoma’s Garden Doctors: All about those ants

Rosie E. asks: I’ve placed ant bait disks in areas that always seem to be the entry-way that ants enter the house soon after the first seasonal cold and rainy weather occurs. From past experience, control has always been effective as long as the bait disks are left for a few days before removal. It has been interesting watching the ant “scouts” find the bait and within hours there are hundreds of ants following the ant trail. Now, four days have passed and all the ants are gone along with the numerous dead bodies. Amazing! What happens to the dead bodies? Do the ants eat them?

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According to my research, the fellow worker ants definitely do not use the dead for food; they carry them away to their own “dump” chamber. Perhaps it is their instinct to keep their tunnels free of debris and prevent disease attacking the colony or simply adding to the health of the soil during the decomposition of the bodies.

Entomologists, whose specialty is studying ants, can offer more definitive information. You are not the only reader who has pondered ants and their fascinating habits, even what happens to the dead bodies.

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Jackie writes: I am planning on renovating my back yard and really don’t want to make the same past mistakes such as planting the shrubs too close to each other. Within 3 years, my woody shrubs were overcrowded and I ended up removing a good number of them. It was an expensive mistake!

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The importance of determining plant placement before a landscape renovation or even a new landscape installation will allow for future plant growth, keeping the integrity of the plants’ original form (less pruning), provide good air circulation for disease control and prevent root competition that ultimately leads to poor vigor and decline.

Try this easy formula: Add the plants’ ultimate mature spread and then divide by 2 to calculate the distance between them at planting time.

Another easy method is to purchase a plastic drafting template of circles. Decide on the scale you wish to use - e.g. ¼” equals 1’ - and draw the mature width of each chosen plant (let’s say 4- and 5-feet mature widths), using the template as a guide. A drafting ruler is helpful. Drawing the different size circles, depicting individual plants, on paper will help you visualize the proper plant placement and avoid future mistakes.

Do the research on each of your favorite plant choices and make a note on their mature width and height. Plant labels, garden books and websites will give you this information. Visit a local nursery for help and by all means observe your neighbors’ landscape that includes mature plants; one particular specimen may be the perfect plant that will fit nicely in your garden space.

Lastly, don’t be fooled and purchase that darling little tree or shrub in a one-gallon container that can reach the height and width of a fast-growing redwood tree.

While the newly planted landscape may appear a little sparse at first, be patient and simply fill in with seasonal drifts of annuals until the shrubs become larger. It won’t take long, honest.

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L. Mae asks: I have a wide variety of butterfly-attractant perennials in addition to flowering shrubs. So far, I seem to have done well attracting numerous butterflies. I really like ornamental grasses and would like to include them in the garden. What ornamental grasses should I plant that will attract butterflies?

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There are two types of butterfly attracting plants. One is plants that provide nectar and fruit for adult butterflies. The second type is called a host plant and it provides food for the butterfly larvae.

Each butterfly visits and prefers a small set of plants, so diversity in planning and planting a butterfly garden is important. It sounds like you have done this by diversifying the planting of perennials and shrubs in your habitat garden.

The grasses suggested are plants for the female butterfly to place her eggs on that will provide the right food source for her larvae. The following is a list of larval/ host ornamental grasses that will enhance your habitat garden. Thanks to butterfly expert Julie West for her recommendations.

California festuca, California native

Festuca species, (Fescue)

Carex species, (Carex)

Muhlenbergia rigens (Deer Grass), California native

The butterflies attracted by the listed grasses are: California Ringlet, a variety of skippers including Umber Skipper, Woodland Skipper, Fiery Skipper and Sachem Skipper.

Plant the grasses in clumps or small drifts. Choose a sunny location. Don’t forget to add a few rocks to absorb the sun’s heat and serve as a perch for butterflies to warm their wings. Add a small pool of water or mud puddle as a source of mineral nutrients.

Additional sources of information include the Butterfly Garden at Sonoma State University; The Native Plant Society, U.C. Master Gardeners, and Santa Rosa Garden Club. They all offer information on habitat gardening.

Favorite Books:

Butterflies through Binoculars: The West, by Jeffrey Glassberg

Caterpillars in the Field and Garden, by Thomas Allen, Jim Brock and Jeffrey Glassberg

Butterfly Gardening, Creating Summer Magic in Your Garden, by The Xerces Society and The Smithsonian Institution

Dana Lozano and Gwen Kilchherr are garden consultants. Send your gardening questions to The Garden Doctors, at pdgardendoctor@gmail.com. The Garden Doctors can answer questions only through their column, which appears twice a month in the newspaper and online at pressdemocrat.com.