Forest Service lists 33 of them on their website as being used by the monarch butterfly as a host plant (a plant where they lay their eggs and the larva eat). There are 73 varieties of milkweed plants in the United States, and the U.S. No milkweed literally means no monarch butterflies. This is why the milkweed plant is so vital for monarchs. It’s also well-known milkweed is the only species of plant monarch caterpillars will eat. It is well-known and well-documented monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed plants. There are other aspects that also factor into the decline of the monarch population, but it is widely believed the loss of milkweed plants is a big cause of this decline. The monarch butterfly is in trouble, however, and part of their demise is the loss of habitat, particularly the loss of the milkweed plant along its migration routes and traditional breeding areas. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.) Make it part of your permanent landscape this season.(Kaytee Wild Bird Black Oil Sunflower Seed) Hardy from one end of the country to another, easy to grow, and ready to self-sow if you want more plants, Showy Milkweed is a treasure. Either way, once the seeds have gone through their chill time, you can sow and grow them indoors until they have at least 2 sets of true leaves. Put the bag in the fridge where it won't be disturbed for a month.
But that takes up space, so another method is to place the seeds onto a moistened paper towel, fold the towel over them, and place it in a plastic bag. If you have room in your fridge, pop the seeds into the Bio Dome and put the whole Dome (or just the bottom tray, covered with plastic) into the fridge. When your seeds arrive, they need about a month of chill time. Here are just a few of the butterflies you can look for on your Showy Milkweed: It's an amazing sight, and one that every gardener should experience. And if you look very closely under the stems, you may see semi-transparent chrysalises containing beautiful folded-up butterflies, just waiting to break open and fly. That means that the caterpillars have fed and are ready for the chrysalis stage. Or let the handsome seedpods form, cut them off, and share the rewards with friends who lack Showy Milkweed in their gardens.īecause milkweed is a food source for monarch caterpillars, you may find some nibbled foliage. It will self-sow, so if you don't want volunteers, simply remove the last blooms before they set seed. Some asclepias species (not the cultivated varieties, but the wild species) can be invasive, but Showy Milkweed is far more restrained. This is not a container plant it grows a long taproot, so try to plant it where you know you want it to grow, because transplanting is very difficult. Be sure to site Showy Milkweed in a fully sunny spot, in well-drained soil. Honeybees and bumblebees find the nectar irresistible too. And the blooms have that distinctive licorice aroma so beloved of hummingbird mint.īutterflies aren't the only pollinators to visit these blooms. You will seldom find it out of bloom for 4 to 5 months at a stretch. The blue-green leaves are thick and slightly hairy, topped by glorious rosy-pink starbursts fully 4 to 5 inches wide from late spring into early fall. Showy Milkweed is a stout, well-branched plant, airy and beautifully textured. A pollinator magnet you simply must grow in your sunny garden, it is a Native American perennial with so many merits, you will wonder how you ever got by without it. We are honored to make Showy Milkwood seeds available this season.
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