02/06/2023
Another Gem From The Garden Academy
These are Texas native milkweeds. Please grow these varieties instead of the Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica). All milkweeds provide nectar and serve as host plants for certain species of butterflies. However, Tropical Milkweed can actually do some harm if it is not managed properly.
Native milkweeds go dormant in the late fall. Tropical Milkweed does not. This can encourage Monarchs to stay here and continue breeding, rather than complete their migration. This interrupts the natural life cycle of the Monarch.
In addition, this can lead to a buildup of OE, parasitic protozoa that infects Monarchs. Heavily infected Monarchs don't fly as well, have shortened lifespans, and cannot migrate successfully.
All milkweeds can host OE. But when the native milkweeds go dormant, the OE dies off with them. When they regrow in spring, fresh, new, uninfected growth greets the migrating butterflies.
What can we do to help?
If you grow Tropical Milkweed, cut it down to the ground when the fall migration begins.
Grow native milkweeds. These can be hard to find, but some local nurseries carry them. They are in limited supply because of our demand. People want the easy, and pretty Tropical. We need to support the nurseries that carry the natives by trading with them and spreading the word. Give them at "atta-boy" when you stop by.
Propagate native milkweeds from seed. This can be a challenge, but it can be done. Some are easy, others require vernalization - a process that mimics winter. To learn more about this, join Joys of Butterfly Gardening SE Texas. To find seed of some native milkweeds visit Terroir Seeds LLC home of Underwood Gardens.
And lastly, ethically collect the seeds of native milkweeds. This means making sure the property owner has given permission AND that you collect no more than 10% of any native stand.
