If a Monarch lays her eggs on it, those caterpillars won’t grow large enough to turn into butterflies.
It is an incredibly invasive twining weed in the milkweed family. If you see this growing, pull it out! (Photo from UNH Extension )Īnother no-grow is climbing milkweed (Cynachum nigrum), also called black swallow-wort. Learn more about Monarch butterfly migration.īlack Swallow wort. Since the plants don’t die back until late into winter, the Monarchs stay there until it is too late to make their yearly trip to Mexico. It is a beautiful plant with bright yellow/red/orange flowers, but it hosts a parasite that infects the caterpillars and weakens the butterflies when they emerge from their chrysalis. Gardeners in southern states should avoid planting tropical milkweed (A. There are some milkweeds that are not beneficial to Monarchs. See maps showing the native ranges of many types of milkweed.
#SHOWY MILKWEED SEEDLINGS FULL#
It needs full sun and is hardy in Zones 3-9. It is drought tolerant, making it a good plant for arid plains and prairie-lands, though it grows well in moist garden soils as well. It has pastel pink flowers on 2- to 4-foot tall plants. speciosa) is native from west of the Mississippi into California and north to Canada. It will grow in wet soil near lakesides or damp marshlands, but also grows well in average garden soil and is hardy in Zones 3-9. It grows 2 to 4 feet tall, has deep rose-pink flowers, and is shade tolerant. incarnata) is also more well-behaved than common milkweed, forming clumps rather than spreading out. Swamp milkweed has thinner leaves and more colorful flowers than common milkweed. It likes full sun and is hardy in Zones 3 to 9.
It is commonly grown in gardens, adapts well to moist or dry soil, and its orange flowers are very showy. tuberosa) is less aggressive than its common cousin, growing only 1 to 2-1/2 feet tall. It has pale purple-pink flowers that are very fragrant and attract many pollinators in addition to Monarchs.īutterfly weed is a bright spot in the garden that attracts all kinds of pollinators. It has a wide-spreading root system and needs an area all its own, where it can really stretch out. Don’t plant this in your flowerbed or it will take over. It needs sun, reaches 2 to 6 feet tall with wide, gray-green, velvety leaves, and is an aggressive grower.
Common milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca ) is a hardy perennial that will thrive almost anywhere in the US, especially east of the Rockies and into Canada.Here are a few to consider they have wide native ranges and are frequently available as seeds or plants:Ĭommon milkweed smells so sweet they should make a perfume from it! Choose milkweed species that are native to your region and are right for your environment. They support 12 species of butterflies and moths, including the Monarch. The milkweed genus (Asclepias) is fairly large, with 73 species native to the US and over 100 in North America. If you decide to grow milkweed in your yard, be aware that the cardiac glycosides contained in the plants are toxic to pets and people also. It is such an effective deterrent that other butterflies, such as the similarly-colored Viceroy, are also avoided by predators just in case they are bitter too. Milkweed is the only food Monarch “babies” eat! It’s that simple. When the caterpillars hatch out, they can start feeding immediately on the milkweed leaves. Toxins in the plant make the adult Monarchs and their larvae taste bitter to predators, protecting them from hungry birds. Not only will you help these valuable pollinators, but you’ll treasure the presence of fluttering friends in the garden!
0 kommentar(er)
