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Of Milkweed and Monarchs
Q. A few years ago, I planted some milkweed seeds that I got from a non-profit organization promoting monarch butterfly conservation. The milkweed grew and spread like crazy through underground roots. However it is very tall and droopy, never flowers, attracts very few butterflies and is extremely unattractive. I see one or two caterpillars on the plants every year, but after a few days they disappear. (I assume they’re being eaten?) I’m very disappointed and am considering digging it all out. Any ideas? Thank you,
“And this past summer was especially hard on them,” adds Ron. “The warm weather brought out a lot of predators and parasites. I especially noticed a lot of flies attacking the eggs and young caterpillars. Interestingly, houseflies will die after they eat a monarch egg or caterpillar, but that doesn’t stop them.”
Ron explains that his backyard is only 50 by 50 feet, but he jams a lot of plants in there; and over the years, has learned which ones really attract the most butterflies. “The legendary butterfly bush (Buddleia) is great,” he explains, “but it needs a few years to get to a big enough size to attract good numbers. The real winner for me, especially for monarchs, is Tithonia—commonly known as Mexican sunflower. Its native to Mexico, as are the monarchs, and they really seem to recognize it. If you want to see a lot of monarchs, plant a lot of Tithonia.
“Milkweed”, he continues, “is mostly a host plant; it’s what the monarch caterpillars feed on. You install lots of milkweed in the hope of attracting the egg-laying adults, who show up in my part of Pennsylvania around the end of June. Those adults will also feed on the nectar in the milkweed flowers, but the bloom season is really short—each type only blooms for about a month. And this year, it was even shorter, because milkweed doesn’t bloom well in the heat.
“The basic orange flowering milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), commonly known as ‘butterfly weed’ does best in terrible soil with very little nutrition; you often see it growing in the stones along railroad tracks. If you want it to thrive in your garden, plant it in 50% sand and don’t feed it. ‘Common milkweed’ (Asclepias syriaca,) which has pink flowers, is hard to grow from seed, so you might want to start with plants. And Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), may be the best choice for getting adults to lay lots of eggs. It does prefer a moist soil, but unlike its common name, does not require a ‘swamp’.
“The young caterpillars are really small, so females prefer to lay their eggs on milkweed plants with the kind of small tender leaves that are easy for them to eat. The eggs are about the size of a pencil point, are laid singly and hatch in about four days. Because of the high risk of predation, I bring eggs and tiny caterpillars inside into clean cages and feed them fresh milkweed leaves. They grow fast inside, and I release them as adults—who always immediately fly southwest. Watch closely if you try this, because they fly very high and are quickly out of sight.”
Ron explains that he’s part of the “Monarch Watch” butterfly tagging program out of the University of Kansas, which is how he knows that a monarch he tagged on September 20, 2003 ended up in El Rosario, Mexico in 2004 after flying 2,038 miles. “The monarchs migrating back to Mexico pass through our part of the country from early September through the first week of October,” he notes, adding that September 20th through the 24th is typically the peak period in his Pottstown garden, during which he’ll see a hundred or so a day.
But look fast, he adds. Migrating monarchs will only stop in a backyard for about a minute and a half each. In addition, they’ll only land on flowering plants that are in full sun, and greatly prefer Tithonia—at a rate of ten to one over butterfly bush.
You can learn lots more at www.MonarchWatch.org or from Ron’s book, “Attracting Butterflies; a Handbook for Butterfly Gardening.” You can order Ron’s book from Xlibris or Amazon.
Oh, and although it’s pronounced like you’re ‘all riled up’, Ron’s last name is spelled Richael….
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Q. A few years ago, I planted some milkweed seeds that I got from a non-profit organization promoting monarch butterfly conservation. The milkweed grew and spread like crazy through underground roots. However it is very tall and droopy, never flowers, attracts very few butterflies and is extremely unattractive. I see one or two caterpillars on the plants every year, but after a few days they disappear. (I assume they’re being eaten?) I’m very disappointed and am considering digging it all out. Any ideas? Thank you,
- ---Regina in Wilmington, Delaware
- ---James in Flemington, NJ
“And this past summer was especially hard on them,” adds Ron. “The warm weather brought out a lot of predators and parasites. I especially noticed a lot of flies attacking the eggs and young caterpillars. Interestingly, houseflies will die after they eat a monarch egg or caterpillar, but that doesn’t stop them.”
Ron explains that his backyard is only 50 by 50 feet, but he jams a lot of plants in there; and over the years, has learned which ones really attract the most butterflies. “The legendary butterfly bush (Buddleia) is great,” he explains, “but it needs a few years to get to a big enough size to attract good numbers. The real winner for me, especially for monarchs, is Tithonia—commonly known as Mexican sunflower. Its native to Mexico, as are the monarchs, and they really seem to recognize it. If you want to see a lot of monarchs, plant a lot of Tithonia.
“Milkweed”, he continues, “is mostly a host plant; it’s what the monarch caterpillars feed on. You install lots of milkweed in the hope of attracting the egg-laying adults, who show up in my part of Pennsylvania around the end of June. Those adults will also feed on the nectar in the milkweed flowers, but the bloom season is really short—each type only blooms for about a month. And this year, it was even shorter, because milkweed doesn’t bloom well in the heat.
“The basic orange flowering milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), commonly known as ‘butterfly weed’ does best in terrible soil with very little nutrition; you often see it growing in the stones along railroad tracks. If you want it to thrive in your garden, plant it in 50% sand and don’t feed it. ‘Common milkweed’ (Asclepias syriaca,) which has pink flowers, is hard to grow from seed, so you might want to start with plants. And Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), may be the best choice for getting adults to lay lots of eggs. It does prefer a moist soil, but unlike its common name, does not require a ‘swamp’.
“The young caterpillars are really small, so females prefer to lay their eggs on milkweed plants with the kind of small tender leaves that are easy for them to eat. The eggs are about the size of a pencil point, are laid singly and hatch in about four days. Because of the high risk of predation, I bring eggs and tiny caterpillars inside into clean cages and feed them fresh milkweed leaves. They grow fast inside, and I release them as adults—who always immediately fly southwest. Watch closely if you try this, because they fly very high and are quickly out of sight.”
Ron explains that he’s part of the “Monarch Watch” butterfly tagging program out of the University of Kansas, which is how he knows that a monarch he tagged on September 20, 2003 ended up in El Rosario, Mexico in 2004 after flying 2,038 miles. “The monarchs migrating back to Mexico pass through our part of the country from early September through the first week of October,” he notes, adding that September 20th through the 24th is typically the peak period in his Pottstown garden, during which he’ll see a hundred or so a day.
But look fast, he adds. Migrating monarchs will only stop in a backyard for about a minute and a half each. In addition, they’ll only land on flowering plants that are in full sun, and greatly prefer Tithonia—at a rate of ten to one over butterfly bush.
You can learn lots more at www.MonarchWatch.org or from Ron’s book, “Attracting Butterflies; a Handbook for Butterfly Gardening.” You can order Ron’s book from Xlibris or Amazon.
Oh, and although it’s pronounced like you’re ‘all riled up’, Ron’s last name is spelled Richael….
Helpful Products from Gardens Alive!
Shrubs Alive!TM Fertilizer for Trees and Shrubs - Shrubs Alive! will help young trees and shrubs grow fast and reach mature size more quickly. Your older trees and shrubs will benefit too.
Flowers Alive!TM for Perennials – Flowers Alive! formulations release nutrients slowly to keep flowers blooming longer. And because plants are stronger, they are better able to ward off diseases and insects, as well as beat stress from heat and drought.
Flowers Alive!TM for Annuals - If your annuals tend to wear out before the end of the season, it could be that they are starved for nutrients. Flowers Alive! for Annuals provides the nutrients that flowering plants need for bigger blooms, without excessive stem and leaf growth.
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