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I have lately been smitten by the idea of trying to help the threatened Monarch butterfly population by planting milkweed wherever possible. There are a ton of youtube videos on the subject. I particularly like what Paul Lund of Michigan has been posting, though I don't plan on actually fostering the caterpillars like he does. Milkweed is the only host plant for larval Monarchs, but WOW! There sure are a lot of varieties. I found this cool map link for finding what is native to your area. Tropical milkweed is controversial for the U.S., as researchers are starting to suspect that growing it in the southern U.S. may mess with the butterflies' likelihood of migrating south when they should and is thereby exposing them more to a nasty parasite that is threatening the whole population. If you do grow it, it is recommended to chop it down in late fall. We can also apply mild bleach solutions to sprouts in spring, and seeds we may plant, to further kill off the invisible parasite.
Anyway, I hope you are intrigued by the map. ☺
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Milkweeds also host Queen and Viceroy catterpillars, too, so Yay!
See? "Weeds" are good! Lol
MikeInBatonRouge
Level 8
Mar 9, 2019
3
I love roses. Lots of things like to chomp on them. I used to worry that inviting butterflies would threaten my roses. I was wrong. Ignorance. I had no idea that most moths and butterflies are pretty specific about their host plants for their caterpillars. Roses are host to only a very few "worms," so I was worrying for nothing.
It is vital, though, to forego insecticides. Possible exceptions made for occasional spot treatment with insecticidal soap. Maybe others can speak to that better than I.
MikeInBatonRouge
Level 8
Mar 9, 2019
3
I just use insecticidal soap on all my plants. I usually get those yucky yellow aphids on the milkweed if they get to dry. I make sure to look for caterpillars first before spraying if there are a lot of them. I also just spray a forceful stream of water on them to knock them off the plant then spray the insecticidal soap on the ground to kill them off. It takes a little more work to protect plants this way, but is so much safer for all the good insects.
I have 5 plants in my yard. The two in the front yard are full of caterpillars right now. The three in the back yard are completely eaten up by the caterpillars that are now in their cocoon phase. I love that they stop by my property on their migration. I'm going to chop most of the two in the back yard down now as they grow back pretty quickly. Thanks for posting this.
Redheadedgammy
Level 9
Mar 9, 2019
4
Great! Apparently, growing more than one variety also helps them. I know I started with a plan for just butterfly weed, but I have this boggy area in my,side yard with poor drainage, plus a drainage culvert ditch along the front of my property, so I am adding a white variety of the swamp milkweed. Don't know if the common milkweed will like my yard, but seeds are cheap, so I am giving them a try, too.
Here in southern Louisiana, I have bought seeds for Butterfly Weed (asclepias tuberosa), Swamp Milkweed (asclepias Incarnata), and Common Milkweed (asclepias syriaca).
We are supposed to chill them for a month before planting, so I have them all in my fridge, along with about a hundred purple cone flower seeds.
MikeInBatonRouge
Level 8
Mar 9, 2019
2
Interesting! I might have to add some milkweed to my yard! And it seems there are a bunch of varieties in NC for me to choose from!
Heidi68
Level 8
Mar 9, 2019
3
Yay! That is why I am posting.
I feel a tad possessd now and am planning to plant host plants for Swallowtails and Fritillaries, too. This whole ecosystem-awareness thing is a kick. ?
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