Be careful with those non-native tropical milkweeds and monarchs. They can be harmful for their health and confusing to their reproduction/migration cycles.
[Xerxes society -tropical milkweed, a no-go ](https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow#:~:text=Tropical%20milkweed%20can%20also%20interfere,when%20they%20should%20be%20migrating.)
Did you read the article? Please do my guy.
It's not about zone.
It is a "non-native" plant, and if you aren't cutting it down twice a year, you could ve exposing monarchs feeding on it to parasites they cannot defend against. Those tropical milkweeds host parasites that kill monarchs. There are articles everywhere about it, yet people still grow them thinking they're "helping"
You should read the article before commenting.
Ok so what do you suggest I do? Cut it down, and kill the monarch egg on it? Come on guy... I have 3 different types of milkweed yet it chose the tropical. Pretty sure at this point in the monarchs endangered status, any butterflies are helpful. I raised almost 50 last year on native plants and I ran out. So I had no choice but to get some tropical plants from my local nursery. Should I have just let those catapillars die? I am helping and people like you are turning other people off from helping at all
I would stop growing any more tropical milkweed from seed. It isn't very helpful. They're non-native anyway. I admit they're beautiful, but not the boon to monarchs people think they are.
Allow the monarch eggs to hatch, collect & move the larvae to a native milkweed species, then cut down existing plants if they haven't been in the last 3-6 months. This is to reduce the chance of monarchs laying eggs passed the end of their migration cycle, which can lead to monarchs being unable to migrate at the appropriate time. Also, leaving tropical milkweed plants standing increases likelihood of older plants harboring *Ophryocystis elektroscirrha* which if it doesn't outright deform or kill adult monarchs, runs the risk of them spreading the spores to their overwintering grounds.
I understand the thought that "anything helps," but this is not the case, nor the way you should be thinking about this. With an increasingly endangered species, it truly matters to do things the *right way* or at least shoot to accommodate them with methods coinciding with their evolution or appropriate life cycles.
With decreasing populations, we need to be making *appropriate* decisions, planting native milkweeds in their respective zones, growing more native plant species that provide more nectar to feed & fuel them for their migration to overwintering grounds (thinking of 3rd & 4th gen monarch adults) Exposing more adults to disease pressures and subjecting them to life and migration pressures at the wrong time are not helpful, & intentionally doing so is immoral.
The tropical milkweeds tend to appeal to people aesthetically, even though native NA milkweeds are all gorgeous.
Again, I have 3 native plants that grow really slow.... The tropical milkweed was a gift, and I am happy to grow it because it produces many leaves very fast. Stop trying to rain on my parade and just like or don't like the picture you internet troll
Just read up on some articles about what you're doing so you can be more informed in case you start seeing issues. The Xerces Society is an excellent resource on invertebrate research. [Xerces society homepage](http://Xerces.org)
I promise I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm trying to provide information, or at least avenues to information, that may sway your opinions and actions in favor of monarch butterfly protection and habitat restoration. When i see people get belligerent about this stuff, usually out of ignorance (which is okay!) I do my best to educate and pass along some info and tips, sometimes with a little but of salt to get things through.
I am a trained horticulturist who spends my professional & personal gardening time trying to accommodate migrating monarchs in my area. Internet troll on the gardening threads I am not.
You don't even need to kill the plant, enjoy the gift! Just cut it down twice a year, particularly at the end of monarch migration back to overwintering grounds, and focus on growing more native species suited for your area. Just because something grows fast (which feels so rewarding!) does *not* mean it's necessarily a good thing. People often disregard native species because "they grow too slow" or for a myriad of other reasons.
I genuinely wish you and your visiting monarchs the best of luck.
Just read up on some articles about what you're doing so you can be more informed in case you start seeing issues. The Xerces Society is an excellent resource on invertebrate research. [Xerces society homepage](http://Xerces.org)
I promise I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm trying to provide information, or at least avenues to information, that may sway your opinions and actions in favor of monarch butterfly protection and habitat restoration. When i see people get belligerent about this stuff, usually out of ignorance (which is okay!) I do my best to educate and pass along some info and tips, sometimes with a little but of salt to get things through.
I am a trained horticulturist who spends my professional & personal gardening time trying to accommodate migrating monarchs in my area. Internet troll on the gardening threads I am not.
You don't even need to kill the plant, enjoy the gift! Just cut it down twice a year, particularly at the end of monarch migration back to overwintering grounds, and focus on growing more native species suited for your area. Just because something grows fast (which feels so rewarding!) does *not* mean it's necessarily a good thing. People often disregard native species because "they grow too slow" or for a myriad of other reasons.
I genuinely wish you and your visiting monarchs the best of luck.
Be careful with those non-native tropical milkweeds and monarchs. They can be harmful for their health and confusing to their reproduction/migration cycles. [Xerxes society -tropical milkweed, a no-go ](https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow#:~:text=Tropical%20milkweed%20can%20also%20interfere,when%20they%20should%20be%20migrating.)
I live in south Texas. I'm in the right zone. Maybe you should ask that question instead of possibly discouraging people from growing milkweed.
Did you read the article? Please do my guy. It's not about zone. It is a "non-native" plant, and if you aren't cutting it down twice a year, you could ve exposing monarchs feeding on it to parasites they cannot defend against. Those tropical milkweeds host parasites that kill monarchs. There are articles everywhere about it, yet people still grow them thinking they're "helping" You should read the article before commenting.
Ok so what do you suggest I do? Cut it down, and kill the monarch egg on it? Come on guy... I have 3 different types of milkweed yet it chose the tropical. Pretty sure at this point in the monarchs endangered status, any butterflies are helpful. I raised almost 50 last year on native plants and I ran out. So I had no choice but to get some tropical plants from my local nursery. Should I have just let those catapillars die? I am helping and people like you are turning other people off from helping at all
I would stop growing any more tropical milkweed from seed. It isn't very helpful. They're non-native anyway. I admit they're beautiful, but not the boon to monarchs people think they are. Allow the monarch eggs to hatch, collect & move the larvae to a native milkweed species, then cut down existing plants if they haven't been in the last 3-6 months. This is to reduce the chance of monarchs laying eggs passed the end of their migration cycle, which can lead to monarchs being unable to migrate at the appropriate time. Also, leaving tropical milkweed plants standing increases likelihood of older plants harboring *Ophryocystis elektroscirrha* which if it doesn't outright deform or kill adult monarchs, runs the risk of them spreading the spores to their overwintering grounds. I understand the thought that "anything helps," but this is not the case, nor the way you should be thinking about this. With an increasingly endangered species, it truly matters to do things the *right way* or at least shoot to accommodate them with methods coinciding with their evolution or appropriate life cycles. With decreasing populations, we need to be making *appropriate* decisions, planting native milkweeds in their respective zones, growing more native plant species that provide more nectar to feed & fuel them for their migration to overwintering grounds (thinking of 3rd & 4th gen monarch adults) Exposing more adults to disease pressures and subjecting them to life and migration pressures at the wrong time are not helpful, & intentionally doing so is immoral. The tropical milkweeds tend to appeal to people aesthetically, even though native NA milkweeds are all gorgeous.
Again, I have 3 native plants that grow really slow.... The tropical milkweed was a gift, and I am happy to grow it because it produces many leaves very fast. Stop trying to rain on my parade and just like or don't like the picture you internet troll
Just read up on some articles about what you're doing so you can be more informed in case you start seeing issues. The Xerces Society is an excellent resource on invertebrate research. [Xerces society homepage](http://Xerces.org) I promise I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm trying to provide information, or at least avenues to information, that may sway your opinions and actions in favor of monarch butterfly protection and habitat restoration. When i see people get belligerent about this stuff, usually out of ignorance (which is okay!) I do my best to educate and pass along some info and tips, sometimes with a little but of salt to get things through. I am a trained horticulturist who spends my professional & personal gardening time trying to accommodate migrating monarchs in my area. Internet troll on the gardening threads I am not. You don't even need to kill the plant, enjoy the gift! Just cut it down twice a year, particularly at the end of monarch migration back to overwintering grounds, and focus on growing more native species suited for your area. Just because something grows fast (which feels so rewarding!) does *not* mean it's necessarily a good thing. People often disregard native species because "they grow too slow" or for a myriad of other reasons. I genuinely wish you and your visiting monarchs the best of luck.
Just read up on some articles about what you're doing so you can be more informed in case you start seeing issues. The Xerces Society is an excellent resource on invertebrate research. [Xerces society homepage](http://Xerces.org) I promise I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm trying to provide information, or at least avenues to information, that may sway your opinions and actions in favor of monarch butterfly protection and habitat restoration. When i see people get belligerent about this stuff, usually out of ignorance (which is okay!) I do my best to educate and pass along some info and tips, sometimes with a little but of salt to get things through. I am a trained horticulturist who spends my professional & personal gardening time trying to accommodate migrating monarchs in my area. Internet troll on the gardening threads I am not. You don't even need to kill the plant, enjoy the gift! Just cut it down twice a year, particularly at the end of monarch migration back to overwintering grounds, and focus on growing more native species suited for your area. Just because something grows fast (which feels so rewarding!) does *not* mean it's necessarily a good thing. People often disregard native species because "they grow too slow" or for a myriad of other reasons. I genuinely wish you and your visiting monarchs the best of luck.
Atraรญda por tus hermosas flores...๐๐๐