Asclepias Rex

Asclepias Rex The new ethic in American gardening. Natives only, local genetics. Specializing in milkweed. Returning nature to your yard, one plant at a time.

09/08/2018

Mating monarchs. Saturday September 8th in Asheville. The male is facing up, looks very fresh; the female is facing down, a little bit faded.

09/08/2018

We were at the beach for a week; there was a lot of activity at the hoophouse and the garden while we were gone.
Here’s an almost full grown caterpillar, a J, a chrysalis, and the remnants of a chrysalis.
It’s a big summer for monarchs in WNC. By my observation this is the most late summer breeding in WNC in ten years. I’m hoping that it isn’t just me and that others are also seeing this.

08/28/2018

New England asters are an excellent native for your pollinator garden. There are bumblers and at least six different species of (native) solitary bees on our asters this afternoon. Asters are also hosts for many kinds of caterpillars ... these are unidentified.
If you grow it they will come!

08/18/2018

This beautiful, fresh, female has been in our garden for about an hour now. Late summer breeding of monarchs in WNC is significant and has been documented. I first noticed this in our garden about nine years ago, and other WNC monarch enthusiasts may have noticed it earlier, but it is great to hear people talking about it now.
Natives natives natives.
Moni Hill 4x4 For Wild

08/18/2018

Egg dump? It’s unusual for a monarch to lay more than one egg on a leaf. I think there have been several different monarchs laying eggs the last couple of days. For eggs on one leaf is a lot.

08/18/2018

Late summer breeding in WNC. A little more about this: first, the milkweed plants can be little and in the shade; second, a lot of people are grossed out by the milkweed aphids, but it is important to understand that monarchs coexist just fine with them; and third, note that there is a monarch egg to the left of the caterpillar.
Do not use pesticides on the aphids; you might be killing eggs and caterpillars.
Always natives, only natives.
Monarchs have many problems, but one thing that we can do for them is to plant milkweed.
Moni Hill 4x4 For Wild Tallgrass Prairie Center

08/17/2018

A beautiful, very faded, female monarch laying eggs in our garden right now. We have lots of eggs and caterpillars in our garden now; late summer breeding is significant and documented in Western North Carolina. Natives only, natives always, and milkweed if you want monarchs.

Tussock moth caterpillars, also known as “bird food.” If you want to feed the birds you need to get used to caterpilla...
08/04/2018

Tussock moth caterpillars, also known as “bird food.” If you want to feed the birds you need to get used to caterpillars eating your plants.
Natives only, natives always.

Our beautiful, native, rhododendrons along the Laurel River. There is no excuse for ever propagating, selling, buying, o...
07/03/2018

Our beautiful, native, rhododendrons along the Laurel River. There is no excuse for ever propagating, selling, buying, or planting non-native Asian rhododendrons here. I did say “ever” didn’t I?
Happy Independence Day! Be a true patriot and always plant natives!

I just finished rereading Jim Harrison’s spectacular Returning to Earth this morning. Having this gorgeous dragonfly cho...
05/09/2018

I just finished rereading Jim Harrison’s spectacular Returning to Earth this morning. Having this gorgeous dragonfly choose the Asclepias Rex hoophouse for his return to earth is weirdly humbling. (Posed, temporarily, on common milkweed to remind you to get connected to Monarchs.)
A native plant garden is a living garden.

Wild Ginger with DeWalt drill bits. Several flower buds (and this year I’m going to catch the seeds) and perhaps a few s...
04/05/2018

Wild Ginger with DeWalt drill bits. Several flower buds (and this year I’m going to catch the seeds) and perhaps a few seedlings coming from last year’s flowering. Flowers are right at ground level, but like many of our native plants, the flowers are worth poking around for. And remember, when you are buying your tools at Lowe’s tell them you don’t want their crappy foreign plants. With a little encouragement Lowe’s could be patriotic ...

Common milkweed is coming up in our Hoophouse. Instead of a DeWalt power drill and a pair of safety glasses, picture gor...
03/20/2018

Common milkweed is coming up in our Hoophouse. Instead of a DeWalt power drill and a pair of safety glasses, picture gorgeous Monarchs coming to lay eggs in your garden. No milkweed, no Monarchs.
This one if for my good friend and fellow milkweed freak Moni and 4x4x4 for wild.

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Smith Mill Works
West Asheville, NC
28806

Telephone

(828) 424-9553

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