Tag Archives: milkweed

MONARCHS BUTTERFLIES ON THE HOUSE?

IF YOU WANT MONARCHS, PLANT NATIVE MILKWEEDS

Monarch butterfly and chrysalis on house

Anchored by the chrysalis from which she emerged, a female monarch butterfly clings to the side of my home during the eclosure process of metamorphasis. The chrysalis was formed by a monarch caterpillar who chose a protected spot where the foundation meets the shingles. My home is a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat in North Easton, MA that has both native butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnate). Milkweeds are essential to monarchs, as female monarchs lay their eggs only on milkweed plants. If you want monarchs at your home, milkweeds are not too fussy – and you can start attracting butterflies with just a couple of plants.

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SAVE THE DATE: 9/26 A FIELD DAY FOR MONARCHS!

Monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus on white snakeroot, Ageratina altissima, Sharon, MAA monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, feeds on the nectar of white snakeroot flowers, Ageratina altissima, during its southern migration in a Sharon, MA garden on September 26, 2019. This pair of natives co-evolved since the retreat of the last ice age, and they depend on one another, and the entire web of life, for their continued existence.

MONARCHS DELIGHT

September 26th was like a dream to me. I looked out the kitchen window while doing the dishes, and there were several monarchs in my gardens, all at one time. I’d seen one or two here and there this season, but never a parade of several at a time, like that day. I dropped the dishes and dashed out with my camera.

Later, on arriving at a Sharon, MA client’s gardens, Monarchs flew up every time I turned a corner on the mowed paths that snake around many beds where clouds of white snakeroot are now in bloom. I counted at least two dozen monarchs at least twice, and twice saw four monarchs on one snakeroot. It was like living and working in a dream where the monarchs have recovered and are robust in numbers again. It wasn’t a dream, but it was a remarkable parade of flight and feed that I shall not forget. Of course there were other native butterflies, like spangled frittilaries, and native bees, like Bombus sp., and other native plants in bloom.

THE BEST PLANTS FOR POLLINATORS: We can all make a difference in our yards, our gardens, our landscapes, our containers, one plant at a time, by design. Please join me doing so! These are the native plants that support the entire life cycle of the most butterfly and moth species:

Trees and shrubs:

  • Oak trees – Quercus sp. such as white, red, pin, black, bear
  • Willow trees – Salix sp.
  • Black cherry trees – Prunus serotina

Herbaceous plants:

  • Goldenrods – Solidago sp. such as blue-stem (axillary), seaside, bog, white, showy, downy, zigzag
  • Asters – Symphyotrichum, Oclemena, and Aster sp. like New England, tartarian, heart-leaved, large-leaved, purple-stem, bushy, small white
  • Milkweeds – Asclepias sp. like common, butterfly weed, swamp, poke, butterfly, clasping, green

Have fun, and let me know if you need a hand!

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