Originally posted by eaglem Great detail and colours..........they are such beautiful creatures.
Indeed, butterflies are amazing little bits of the Creation!
Originally posted by photolady95 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.
Originally posted by rednax Amazing pictures !
So glad you enjoyed these!
Originally posted by swanlefitte 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.
Originally posted by Janse Great series of beautiful butterflies!
Thanks so much!
Originally posted by Jacquot Gorgeous butterflies and captures. I love the Zebra Swallowtails!
They're one of my favorites too!
Originally posted by farmerDavid 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.
Originally posted by BrianR 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!
Originally posted by slowpez Beautiful photographs as always ranger.
Thanks so much!