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Milkweed is a butterfly magnet!
Lens: FA 100 macro Camera: K 5 Photo Location: East Tennessee 
Posted By: mole, 07-17-2016, 07:55 PM

East Tennessee is home to more than half a dozen milkweed species. Each is an excellent nectar source for many insects, as well as a food source for Monarch butterfly caterpillars. This has been an especially good year for our commonest milkweed species, called Common Milkweed! In our Tennessee State Parks, we work hard to provide rich and varied habitat, including habitat for our native butterflies. This also gives us (park staff and park visitors) many opportunities to enjoy butterfly watching.

First, here's a photo of a Monarch laying eggs on common milkweed flower buds.




Now a few snapshots of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies enjoying common milkweed nectar.






Here's a Great Spangled Fritillary nectaring at common milkweed, and resting on an old gate nearby.






Here's one that's not a butterfly, but rather a diurnal moth. Snowberry Clearwings hover like hummingbirds as they sip milkweed nectar.






Will end with a few shots of our Tennessee State Butterfly. Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars eat Paw Paw leaves, and the adults love milkweed nectar. This milkweed patch is right near a paw paw patch - perfect habitat for the Zebras!








Hope you enjoyed the quick glimpse of this butterfly habitat, and that it will encourage you to grow native species for the butterflies. Thanks for any comments & critique!
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07-17-2016, 08:00 PM   #2
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Fabulous series Ranger. Enjoyed viewing all of the species here.

I would like to know what type of soil Milkweed like. I bought some Common Milkweed pods to plant in the fall and though I know they need sunlight, I'm not sure what type of soil they grow in. Can you help me?
07-17-2016, 08:06 PM   #3
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Thanks for your kind words!

You are correct, Common Milkweed thrives in sunlight. They also seem to grow best in rather damp (but not soggy) places. Ours are most common on red clay soils - especially on old farmland. Hope that helps!
07-17-2016, 08:14 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by mole Quote
Ours are most common on red clay soils - especially on old farmland. Hope that helps!
We have sandy soil here. However, I can make a garden with the correct type of soil, though I'm not sure where I could find some clay to add to the soil. Thanks for the help on these. I want to draw butterflies and other insects to my yard if I can.

07-17-2016, 08:17 PM   #5
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Butterfly weed (an orange-flowered species of milkweed) would probably do better in sandy soil. It's also a little less aggressive in the flower garden. Note that I am NOT a gardener, just an observer of these species in the wild (and in other folks' gardens!).

PS - butterfly weed is Asclepias tuberosa

Last edited by mole; 07-17-2016 at 08:18 PM. Reason: added latin name
07-17-2016, 08:23 PM   #6
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Great detail and colours..........they are such beautiful creatures.
07-17-2016, 08:24 PM   #7
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Thanks for the suggestion Ranger. Actually, I think Butterfly weed was what I was thinking about buying and got the two mixed up. I'll give the Milkweed a try too though. My flower garden doesn't have sand, it has a mixture of dirt and potting soil. I was only thinking if the Milkweed needs a lot of sun, I might plant them outside my flower garden but if they do better in mixed soil garden, I'll try them there and see how they work out.

I will get some Butterfly weed though too.

07-18-2016, 01:00 AM   #8
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Amazing pictures !
07-18-2016, 01:03 AM   #9
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Great photos and informative. I grew up in minnesota with milkweed all around. Now in New Orleans I see monarchs all over but never milkweed. I didn't know so many other species use it. I was begining to wonder if monarchs need it. Also was fascinating to see one laying eggs on top. I thought they always laid them under leaves.
Thanks for the post.
07-18-2016, 01:57 AM   #10
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Great series of beautiful butterflies!
07-18-2016, 02:54 AM   #11
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Gorgeous butterflies and captures. I love the Zebra Swallowtails!
07-18-2016, 03:08 AM - 2 Likes   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by photolady95 Quote
Thanks for the suggestion Ranger. Actually, I think Butterfly weed was what I was thinking about buying and got the two mixed up. I'll give the Milkweed a try too though. My flower garden doesn't have sand, it has a mixture of dirt and potting soil. I was only thinking if the Milkweed needs a lot of sun, I might plant them outside my flower garden but if they do better in mixed soil garden, I'll try them there and see how they work out.

I will get some Butterfly weed though too.
They will grow whereever you plant them. The "weed" part in their name is no joke! We have them in every crop in every field on every soil type. They are quite hardy. They don't grow much in uncultivated land. They are first colonisers like dandelions or poplars.
Beautiful pictures indeed! Here we see the monarchs on them but mainly smaller black insects eating the leaves. Nice set of butterflies.
David
07-18-2016, 04:48 AM - 1 Like   #13
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Great series demonstrating the role milkweed plays to all butterflies. It's great to have healthy patches of butterfly food to camp out by and wait for subjects.

Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, is indeed pretty tolerant of different conditions. I've seen it spreading happily along a sand beach - it can tolerate dry soils and drought with great dignity. This version is most definitely an aggressive spreader and it can be tough to dig out once it gets established. Shade does seem to slow it down, I've found several patches in the middle of disturbed woods - the growth was lankier and the colonies tended to be much sparser than you'd find in an open field but the plants were still healthy.
07-18-2016, 06:15 AM   #14
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Beautiful photographs as always ranger.
07-18-2016, 05:33 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by eaglem Quote
Great detail and colours..........they are such beautiful creatures.
Indeed, butterflies are amazing little bits of the Creation!


QuoteOriginally posted by photolady95 Quote
Thanks for the suggestion Ranger. Actually, I think Butterfly weed was what I was thinking about buying and got the two mixed up. I'll give the Milkweed a try too though. My flower garden doesn't have sand, it has a mixture of dirt and potting soil. I was only thinking if the Milkweed needs a lot of sun, I might plant them outside my flower garden but if they do better in mixed soil garden, I'll try them there and see how they work out.
I will get some Butterfly weed though too.
Easy to mix up, since both are in the Milkweed genus. Here in Northeast Tennessee we have: Butterfly Weed milkweed, Common milkweed, Swamp milkweed, Red-Ring milkweed, Poke milkweed, 4-leaf Milkweed... We also have Climbing Milkvine, a close relative but probably not good Monarch food. Oh, and if you look for Butterfly Weed, be sure they don't try to sell you butterfly bush! The latter is a non-native shrub that can become very invasive.

QuoteOriginally posted by rednax Quote
Amazing pictures !
So glad you enjoyed these!

QuoteOriginally posted by swanlefitte Quote
Great photos and informative. I grew up in minnesota with milkweed all around. Now in New Orleans I see monarchs all over but never milkweed. I didn't know so many other species use it. I was begining to wonder if monarchs need it. Also was fascinating to see one laying eggs on top. I thought they always laid them under leaves.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks for your kind words! Monarch adults can survive without milkweed, but not the caterpillars. Perhaps the ones you are seeing have flown into the area from some nearby farmland or fields where there is milkweed? Perhaps you could try planting some... Oh, and you are right, most butterflies usually lay their eggs under leaves. But this is not the first time I've spotted a Mrs. Monarch laying eggs among the flower buds.


QuoteOriginally posted by Janse Quote
Great series of beautiful butterflies!
Thanks so much!

QuoteOriginally posted by Jacquot Quote
Gorgeous butterflies and captures. I love the Zebra Swallowtails!
They're one of my favorites too!


QuoteOriginally posted by farmerDavid Quote
They will grow whereever you plant them. The "weed" part in their name is no joke! We have them in every crop in every field on every soil type. They are quite hardy. They don't grow much in uncultivated land. They are first colonisers like dandelions or poplars.
Beautiful pictures indeed! Here we see the monarchs on them but mainly smaller black insects eating the leaves. Nice set of butterflies.
David
You are so right about the hardiness of milkweed, especially common milkweed. Those smaller black insects might be the caterpillars of the Milkweed Tiger Moth.

QuoteOriginally posted by BrianR Quote
Great series demonstrating the role milkweed plays to all butterflies. It's great to have healthy patches of butterfly food to camp out by and wait for subjects.

Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, is indeed pretty tolerant of different conditions. I've seen it spreading happily along a sand beach - it can tolerate dry soils and drought with great dignity. This version is most definitely an aggressive spreader and it can be tough to dig out once it gets established. Shade does seem to slow it down, I've found several patches in the middle of disturbed woods - the growth was lankier and the colonies tended to be much sparser than you'd find in an open field but the plants were still healthy.
Thanks for your insights and information!


QuoteOriginally posted by slowpez Quote
Beautiful photographs as always ranger.
Thanks so much!
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