If we ever build those multi-generation starships, we prolly oughta blend in some monarch butterfly genes into the peeps chosen to make the journey to help everyone stay on track.
While the monarch may not be the prettiest butterfly to visit the middle Georgia garden, it certainly has the most impressive story.... Every school child knows the story of the monarch's incredible journey, this blog concerns making sure our garden plays a supporting role....
Even freshly hatched, the cats are all over the milkweed.
Travelin on...
Here's one that is soon to build a chrysalis, but before it does, it took a good look at the neighborhood... it ate leaves from 4 different butterfly-weed plants, I caught up with it as it dozed on a sassfrass leaf.
Butterfly-weed is difficult to grow from seed, and difficult to transplant, but an important addition to the garden in spite of the necessary extra effort.
butterfly-weed makes quite the show, aside from it's part in the monarch's migrations...
Quite attractive to other butterflies as well...
If one is lucky enough to already have butterflyweed in the garden, probably the easiest way to propagate is through root cuttings. Very scary stuff... asclepias tuberosa has one root... dig it in the spring and cut an inch of root from the bottom, plant the original, plus the new cutting.(s)..
The cutting should develop into a new plant within the month...
I've been grouping my milkweeds, it helps the monarchs find them... This should surprise no-one... After all, big fields of a single crop creates conditions favourable to the "bad bugs"....
Monarch visits Whorled-leaf Milkweed.
Close-up of bloom.