06/11/2025
TROPICAL BUTTERLY W**D CONTROVERSY
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Have you heard that you shouldn't plant any non-native butterfly w**d? Here's the scoop: when butterflies see any type of Asclepias "butterfly w**d", it signals them to mate and lay eggs on that plant. It's advised to cut down your butterfly w**d to the ground in October so that they don't lay eggs too late, causing the babies to die from cold or lack of food after the host plants and food plants go dormant for the winter. This is true for any butterfly w**d, not just the tropical variety. So, if we have a long, warm season and your milkw**d is still thriving in October, check to see if there are any eggs first (tiny white dots on the top or bottom of leaves) and, if not, then chop it down to the ground and check it occasionally to make sure it's not growing back before spring. Another benefit to doing this is that it helps control any diseases or parasites they carry that can be passed between them via the host and food plants. So, when you cut it back to the ground and it flushes back out, it doesn't have the disease or pests on it anymore. Give us a call if you'd like to have a garden that attracts butterflies or encourages a healthy population. Thank you to everyone looking out for all God's creatures, great and small. They need our protection more than ever.
