Butterflies in Bloom
Is a photographic essay on the relationship between butterflies
and flowering ornamental plants.

These photos were taken during the late summer and early fall by Dr. Jerry Parsons and his assistant Forrest Appleton.
Click on the image below and the whole collection can be viewed in the Butterfly Gallery, sorted by butterfly name, sorted by flower name, or as a special feature showing all the stages in insect metamorphosis. Special thanks to Brooke Bludau for the beautiful graphics and page layout.
 

USDA PLANTS National Database
This U. S. Department of Agriculture resource is a complete database of
almost all plants in the United States. The Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, crop information, automated tools, onward Web links, and references.



Q. What plants are in the PLANTS database?
The PLANTS database contains native and naturalized plants of the PLANTS Floristic Area (PFA), which consists of North America and all additional U.S. territories and protectorates. Vascular plant distributions are mapped at the state and province level, and by U.S. county.Our checklists for the non-vascular mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens cover all of North America north of Mexico;

Q. How do I look up a single name or symbol?
Use the PLANTS Name Search at the top of the left hand menu. If you want a list for an entire genus or family with synonyms, or a state, please use the State Search instead.

Q. How do I refine my search using multiple criteria?
Using the Advanced Search (top of the left hand menu) you can search and download all the data at PLANTS with comprehensive flexibility. You can also do geographic searches via the State Search function, but only for a limited number of criteria (scientific name, common name, symbol, family, and state distribution).
 
Q. How are your symbols put together?
Each symbol is composed of the first two letters of the genus+first two
letters of the species+first letter of the terminal infraspecific
name+tiebreaking number (if needed) Genus and family symbols are the
first five (genus) or six (family) letters of the name, plus tiebreaking number (if needed). Symbols were first used in the Soil Conservation Service’s National List of Scientific Plant Names (NLSPN), and have been perpetuated in the PLANTS system.
 
Q. Do you have symbols for unknown plants?
Yes. The symbols for unknown plants represent generic categories such as ‘deciduous tree’ or ‘herbaceous vine’ that are useful in survey, monitoring,and inventory work.  These symbols and associated descriptive names are widely used by a number of federal agencies.

Q. Do you still have only one common name when many plants have several?
PLANTS have a single National Common Name (always found below the
scientific name at the top of the PLANTS profile). For some plants,
alternative common names appear in the top PLANTS profile box. PLANTS also maintains a single common name for each state; these state common names are available only to NRCS resource managers. 

The Sierra Club

Founded in 1893 by the great naturalist John Muir, the Sierra Club members strive to both protect and enjoy the remaining wild places.

A Modern Herbal

A hyper-text version of A Modern Herbal, 1931, by Mrs. M. Grieve.
Over 800 varieties of medicinal, culinary, and cosmetic herbs, including
economic properties, cultivation and  folk-lore.

Edible Wild

The Edible Wild web site focuses on edible wild herbs and plants, harvesting ethics and cooking with weeds, edible flowers and herbs. Lots of interesting articles and links.