09/25/2022
It’s happening!!!! Several years ago I planted four little 4” pots of asclepias fascicularis from . The first fall they were more aphid than plant and I thought they died. The following Spring they came back with reinforcements, but still no butterflies. Last summer, they started to alarm me (putting the w**d in milkw**d - it popped up everywhere!). I was happy to see them thrive (and learned to trim the seed pods off before they opened)….but still no butterflies. This summer I almost exploded when I saw a monarch for the first time, and today, checking on the asclepias (as I obsessively do), we saw all these guys. It’s new-parent-level, bringing-forth-life-level, magic-is-real-level enthusiasm over here. 🦋
PSA: if you want to plant for Monarch butterflies, make sure you plant the right asclepias for your region. Those pretty tropical milkw**ds are no good for our Northern CA monarchs. A. fascicularis and A. speciosa are commonly available and regionally appropriate (here).
