Be careful of butterfly bushes as they can be invasive, too! But I think they've made some sterile varieties you can buy in the catalogs now. And for those north of me where they freeze down each year I don't think they're too much of a problem. My Grandma's neighbor in West Virginia has one and I haven't seen any others popping up around it. She told me it freezes down to the ground each year but boy, that thing sure does get big during the summer! And it is a great butterfly attractor, for sure. I would just stand there with my camera and they didn't even seem to care. And it attracts butterflies of all sizes, which is nice, too.
Still love those Mourning Cloaks! We had them this past year at the museum (I think the boss ordered or traded with a butterfly farm to get them). We had them for a couple of months and I just loved watching them. We even put some orange slices in the flight cage since they prefer rotting fruit. That was a fun bit of trivia to point out to the guests since everyone thinks butterflies only eat nectar. My Dad got a photo once when he was out hunting of a Southern Pearly Eye nectaring on sap on a tree. That's one butterfly he's seen that I haven't (darn it). And of course, I always teach people that the Zebra Longwing eats pollen which is why it lives six to nine months (better nutrition). So many neat things to know about butterflies!
