I recommend raising from egg, using cuttings (which is recommended in my book), and thoroughly rinsing all milkweed before serving. We take great pains to get any OE spores off the leaves of our Mexican Milkweed when we bring it inside to feed to our little guys, including dipping the cuttings in 5% bleach solution, then rinsing before feeding, and doing the same with the eggs on the leaves (which amazingly does not seem to harm them at all). I have offered solutions to those potential problems, but have caught a lot of flack for taking this position the past few years. I started to research the issue found the sad answer and I was then compelled to create a butterfly garden as I now have space for it. If people are educated about potential tropical mw issues they will make better choices growing it…and some of them will even choose not to! They consider this to be good for the environment & are selfless gardeners. The success of science is the long trail of detritus–theories and hypotheses that failed to be true. and this was picked up by the media. They seem to really like it, and it is the only plant we have that I’ve found eggs and caterpillars on. All this said in hopes that anyone in my area who doesn’t know these details will see this and use extreme care with their Tropical Milkweed and the seed pods until such time that the experts: the scientists or … – – until “they” can say definitively that a. Curassavica is safe (or tell us to destroy it completely because it is BAD). Should I cut back the plant now? I live in SE Georgia. I have grown sick and tired of having my ethics and morals questioned because I choose to grow some non-native plants in a controlled garden setting (in Minnesota!). However, it’s important to note there is currently no conclusive data telling us if/how much this is happening. The A. tuberosa and A. incarnata have done poorly, with many plants just not surviving and the others being quite small in their first summer. The species that was distributed most by conservationists — tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) — is one that does not deteriorate in cold weather. Lots of lizards on the plants and no pupas formed. Hi Robin, there are problems with monarchs that are UNIQUE to areas like central/south Florida and southern California. Northeast Region I will probably do that if it looks like there is going to be a cold snap. I helped her by hanging up a sponge which I dipped in sugar water and refreshed often. Tony, I am with you in your belief that it can be used by those willing to take the steps to keep it safe and clean — and contained. I am applying to have my garden considered to be a sanctuary for Monarchs and I need to have a minimum of three types of Milkweeds and a variety of nectar plants. OE is spread by the deposition of spores from the butterfly typically attached to the egg not by the plant itself. Reasons for the fluctuation include weather patterns — extremely cold and wet winters are especially harmful — as well as deforestation in the areas where they gather to overwinter, and loss of habitat in the U.S. Monarch caterpillars feed on one plant only — the milkweed. If my plants have OE, do I cut them all down? Some of your readers do not come away with this basic understanding and think the plant is a cause. I think we’ll win if we keep going. One of them seemed too small to form the chrysalis but it did. Thank U. Hi Robert, all you need to do with tropical milkweed is direct plant in your region (no cold stratification necessary). Yes there are some concerns, but if one is aware of the Monarch cycle, and depending where you live the concerns can be minimized, and the fact the the Monarchs themselves pig out on it, I will say, thank goodness we have it!!! Or do I still need to cut them down? Bring it indoors– once monarch season is over in your region (or should be) bring your pots inside so any late comers won’t be tempted to continue the season in  (too) cold weather. I mean, they’re not embedded, they’re not glued on with superglue, and they’re not kryptonite, right? I am currently reading Monarchs and Milkweed by Anurag Agrawal.. Others stagger their cuttings so there will always be some milkweed available in case of an emergency. For instance, goldenrod flowering coincides with Monarch migration. Eventually the natives were eaten back and have not recovered. The last set of eggs laid in September pull out of here well before our first frost. When my last two monarchs emerged in December, there was nothing blooming. I got monarchs immediately, I was so excited, I posted my success on a nextdoor.com website for our neighborhood and I shared pictures of Monarchs in my garden with my neighbors. What I can offer are personal observations made in the milkweed patches on our property in NE CO. To begin with I have stands of A. tuberosa, A. speciosa, A. incarnata and also grow the non-native A. curassavica. I am learning as I go and I have learned so much from websites like this one. This is bad enough, but they also eat caterpillars or even the chrysalides. Monarchs that ate native milkweed had comparable survival rates at both current and higher temperatures. , Agree. Is that a good idea? There is no way that the OE spores can be spread to adult monarchs nectaring on tropical milkweed flowers. To make matters worse, the researchers found that monarchs that did not migrate were more likely to be infected by the protozoan Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE), which causes the butterflies to suffer from wing deformities, smaller body size, reduced flight performance, and shorter adult lifespans. Over the years we have modified our message to include the use of Native varieties of Milkweed due to the contacts of well meaning people that read ” Milkweed hurting the monarchs” or the like and we would like to put forth our scientific observation over 13 years. Is this infestation dangerous for the monarchs? I have seen at least 10 split green milkweed seedpods. What has always bothered me about the tropical milkweed issue, is that none of the potential solutions are discussed. I have a hard time keeping it alive for the last remaining cats to survive, but we always make in just in time. Hi Deanna, I have nothing against native purists and, as long as someone takes responsibility for the plants they grow, it’s their choice to decide which plants are best suited for their garden…native or otherwise. My question is can we get away with just thoroughly rinsing the stems and leaves under a strong cold spray of water from a shower-head spray, and “squeegeeing” each leaf between thumb and forefinger under running water — that should physically (not chemically) remove any OE spores, right? Curiously, we had also never found a garden chrysalis until this season. There is room in my garden for native and non-native (though according to a post above, tropical milkweed is now considered a native for California, YAY!) Touching spores while nectaring cannot infest an adult butterfly, and spores cannot move onto new parts of a plant, such as flowers that are opening in the fall.). The monarchs here really do not need to migrate. My point is that I think some native purists aren’t open to discussing options other than tropical milkweed removal. This way, there’ll always be some milkweed available for unexpected monarch visitors. to put it into a pot? Three species are reported in the upper Midwest and should not be planted by gardeners. Milkweed is a beautiful pink and white plant that attracts even more beautiful butterflies to your home! Also, if having resources readily available disrupts migration, then why do the Monarchs ever bother coming back North, if they are surrounded by native tropical milkweed in Mexico? If you would like quicker gratification, dig and rip the root networks up of common in the fall and replant them. I have the original plants that I planted from the nursery, and, now, I have dozens of “volunteer” plants that have sprouted on their own. To a breeder of Monarchs this is obvious as the larger monarchs at the end of each season do not mate even with ideal habitat full of ASCLEPIAS CURASSAVICA. A Tropical Solution: Once again, cutting back milkweed plants (or potting them to bring indoors) can make a huge difference. I feel that if it is not perfectly dry at egg hatching time the eggs do not hatch and that may be part of the problem with our silkmoths also. This past Spring was cooler and wetter, and I had fewer seedlings sprout, and an abundance of caterpillars that severely denuded the surviving plants, resulting in far fewer seeds for me to gather. There was no OE epidemic nor any disruption of the annual North-South migration cycles or the winter clustering phenomenons. Everything has been hypothesized that is just a question without an answer or may still be wrong. Large milkweed bugs are herbivorous - they feed on the leaves, stems, and seeds of milkweed using their long proboscis. Evolution has devised its plan over millions of years and we are possibly interrupting it in just a few. Still giving it a chance though…. I believe the concern is lies in growers planting it far south, where it won’t die off. I have 4 eggs and no monarchs in my yard for the past 4 days. Maybe the science about Asclepias Curassavica infecting monarchs by growing Tropical Milkweed where it isn’t native is sound, maybe it isn’t. south-central Mexico in recent weeks and some have arrived in the lowlands of northeastern Mexico where some are laying eggs on the evergreen tropical (currassavica) milkweed that grows wild there: good luck! In the past decade, I tend to raise more around migration time because most of my gardening projects are finished for the season. These autumn migrating Monarchs now carrying dormant spores can infect other plants (as quoted below) during their travels and will lay infected eggs when arriving at your house the following year. THE MOST HEARTBREAKING MUTATION WAS PERFECTLY FORMED BUTTERFLIES UNABLE TO FLY, TWO OF WHICH WERE BORN WITHOUT THEIR PROBISCUS IN OTHER WORDS, STARVED TO DEATH. I’m not sure of the success rates but I’m guessing you would need an environment similar to what they experience overwintering in the wild for optimum health…glad to hear you will be cutting back your milkweed this season. In southern California where I live, it is the variety of milkweed that is available at my local native plant nursery. I can see why folks might be concerned about OE, but for most gardeners growing this lovely gem, I don’t think it becomes a big issue. ),” the scientists said in a statement released in January following the milkweed kerfuffle. There is a bigger picture here and it almost seems like this article and some commenters are advocating tropical milkweed as an the option to support Monarchs, almost defensively. Just today I cut back to about 12 inches but was reluctant to cut further as I still have at least a 5 or 6 ts on my 8 or 10 plants. It is dislodged by rain, wind etc. If they’re large and plump I assume it’s their time and they’re starting the chrystalization process. Thank you so much for helping me on the decision of how to handle this issue. This milkweed species may be bad news for monarch butterflies Mexican milkweed, also known as tropical milkweed, delays the butterflies' instinctual … The goal isn’t to be OE free, but to greatly reduce the number of spores so that your milkweed supply can support healthy butterflies. After reading the article you referenced and others, I came to the same conclusion you did. Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed as Threat to White Fringetree, Are Asian Citrus Psyllids Afraid of Heights? We who come to these Monarchs sites all want the Monarch Butterfly to survive. In order to counteract this trend, many conservationist groups have encouraged people to grow milkweed in their backyards and gardens, and they have even distributed milkweed seeds for this purpose. If they are hanging upside down, well obviously they’re well on their way, or if there are silks around them and they’re beginning to attach themselves in place, well duh, I get it. People want an easy equation: Monarch + Milkweed = Saving Monarchs. When do you recommend cutting milkweed back in the fall? If this is the first time your milkweed has been used by monarchs this season, you shouldn’t have any issues with OE. I have had significant success in raising monarchs by using this plant in my protocols. I hadn’t visited in quite awhile so my last visit a couple years ago was a shock. Common plant names can be confusing, especially when you have Pokeweed and Poke Milkweed which look and sound alike but are not in the same plant family and serve very different uses. If you are willing to take simple precautions growing Asclepias curassavica, then it can be a valuable asset for attracting and supporting monarchs inside your butterfly garden. There’s an army of us. I ordered some other milkweed seeds to give them a go, but I’ve been told not to expect much success. He didn’t fumigate the side where garden is, but could some of it have reached the plants with the wind and made the cats sick? You can always cut back tropical milkweed you bring indoors and let fresh growth emerge over winter. I liked your comment about hands down the Monarch like the Tropical plants. Hi Laurel, March 30, 2014…still a controversial issue today. A small taste of milkweed is typically not fatal to animals, but can be dangerous if large quantities are consumed. There is also the issue of the higher levels of cardenolides in A. curassavica vs. A. syriaca, for example. You writing drips with it. Merely an appeal to the researcher ‘s authority, which is a logical fallacy, not science. A bunch of my caterpillars seem to have issues. Scientific studies often take years and years, but the Monarchs need help NOW, so until there are definitive answers to some of the questions posed it seems we should try and share our experiences so as to benefit a species so adored and loved by all. If you’re gardening in USDA hardiness zone 7 and below, it’s highly unlikely you’ll be dealing with overused milkweed or fall-lingering monarchs. I keep up with my tropical milkweed, keep it cut back, and I use a mild bleach solution on the leaves I feed the cats (when I briefly stopped cleaning them with bleach, a large majority of my monarchs eclosed with deformities). This is not some miracle plant, however. Recently, after reading on the butterfly garden forum some posts that sounded rather alarmist, I started reading about this issue. This is a potential problem for those in US coastal regions including Florida, Texas, and Southern California. However, milkweed also hosts a wide variety of other insect species such as red milkweed beetles, milkweed aphids and a moth called the milkweed tussock (also known as the milkweed tiger moth). There is a woman in Texas that has a permit to receive chrysalides in the mail if you want to ship them. Hopefully we will get some insight into the behavior patterns of the western monarchs when the counts are finished later this month. How To Harvest Milkweed Seeds: All of the Facts, None of the Fluff! Recently there was an article in a local paper ridiculing those of us raising Monarchs, the premise being that Florida monarchs do not migrate, are not on the migratory path, therefore it will make zero difference in the big picture. If I say anything against the writer’s view I am Automatically a ‘native purist’. We have quite a few of these bugs. Fall is upon us and it’s time to harvest your milkweed seeds. You’re reading a lot into two words Deanna…Respectfully, the selfish gardener, Deanne (Not to be confused with Deanna) says. OE Disease Spores Build Up on Overused Asclepias curassavica plants. I am trying to help people discover their best milkweed options, that in the process also help the struggling monarch population. North Carolina: As to the theory that tropical milkweed is hurting Monarchs, I say Horse-Pucky! There’s a plethora autumn blooming flowers that attract Monarchs & many other butterfly species: asters (like New England, New York…), goldenrods, sunflowers, coneflowers, Autumn Joy sedum…. Hi Penny, sorry to hear about your December monarchs. This year I released over 300 monarchs, and my neighbor released over 100. I would like to have milkweed plants for Monarch butterflies. Hi Michael, thank you for your comment. I used to get rid of them because they were destroying my cabbage and broccoli, but they are butterflies, so now that I am trying to be a sanctuary, how can I kill them? After a few successful meals, predators learn there is no reason to avoid feasting on monarch larvae. I also have a large population of small lizards. Many in your region also use weak bleach solutions to disinfect eggs and also milkweed. I try to encourage people to diversify their milkweed, because having more varieties helps to insure you’ll always have viable milkweed that’s ready to support monarch life. It will be a great science fair project for my kids. By planting milkweed in your own garden, landscape and throughout your community, you can help reverse the fortune of these beautiful insects. Down here in Zone 10b we also have a native giant milkweed, a 9a – 11 host plant/tree. More Tropical Milkweed Growing  Info and Resources, Growing Milkweed in Continuous Growing Regions, More Info on the Tropical Milkweed Controversy, Filed Under: Butterfly Garden Ideas, Container Garden Ideas, Milkweed Garden Ideas, Minnesota Garden Ideas, Monarch Butterflies, Organic Gardening, Raising Monarchs, Starting A Garden Tagged With: asclepias curassavica, monarch migration, tropical milkweed, tropical milkweed issues, tropical milkweed problems, We live in SW West Virginia (Jackson Co.). I think to myself, surely there wont be any eggs at this date. I have come to the conclusion, a variety of milkweed is the best way to go. Monarch expert Karen Oberhauser from the University of Minnesota recently did a Q & A for Journey North and this is what she had to say about Asclepias curassavica: “When tropical milkweed is planted in the coastal southern U.S. and California, these plants continue to flower and produce new leaves throughout the fall and winter, except during rare freeze events. Tropical milkweed itself is not “bad.” (It provides larval food for monarchs in many places where it occurs naturally, such as across the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America.) I feel it was important to leave them be until the first frost to help sustain them on their journey I feel it is more important now than ever to provide waystations for them with the growing popularity of GMO crops in this area that make it easier for farmers to eradicate weeds with herbicides, further diminishing native milkweeds. The large caterpillars seem to disappear. When should I cut back my Asclepius curravassa? Hypothesis: ” Fear based science headlines having harmful effect on real world activities of concerned people.” I wonder if there is a Government sponsored grant for this study ? We have had an unusually warm, short winter. We did have a temp drop 2 days ago and after this is when some of them have died or started acting sluggish. The leaves of non-natives like tropical milkweed and balloon plant (Gomphocarpus physocarpus) stay viable from first leaf until first frost. Monsanto nor glyphosate is hurting the monarchs. Florida where I have swamp if I want to use it. From an article via U of Georgia: …” Dormant spores on the outside of the female’s abdomen are scattered on the eggs and milkweed leaves.”…. Now, during the migration, a constant stream of monarchs and hummingbirds are visiting the flowers on the A. curassavica. Have you ever seen the black & white version of a Monarch (minus the orange color)? I also check for OE and I raise the cats on native milkweed. So perhaps there is merit to this study. I think our success this year was because of A currvassica. You might try swamp milkweed if your region get’s lots of rain…it’s a popular nectar flower and host plant. Thanks. However, there are a lot of gardeners unable or unwilling to grow some of the more unruly milkweed varieties in smaller spaces. So sad. California experienced its warmest year on record and I am wondering if monarchs are now going to shift to overwintering in places like southern California? So that means these butterflies had to have grown up in the southern States or in Mexico on non-native tropical milkweed and then migrated north, thus helping to repopulate the central States. They got excited too (most posts are usually about the drug and theft problems around here, so happy news was a welcome relief) I got requests for seeds from my neighbors so I packaged up saved seeds from my tropical milkweeds and zinnias to give out for free. Instead, water the plants to ensure that they are able to tolerate the aphid feeding. If there is enough good quality Swamp Milkweed I will use it instead of the tropical variety until after the first instar, and then they are fed almost exclusively on Tropical Milkweed. I am confused about some of these posts. Milkweed may attract aphids and other insects. How long do you suppose it would take to achieve this degree of planting if you are using tropical milkweed in your personal gardens? The good news is that monarchs will utilize many different species of milkweed to support their life cycle. During the spring and summer, they go to all the milkweeds, because it’s all fresh growth. The failures are widespread and so severe that some scientific journals no longer accept results based on the old standard of p-values. https://imageshack.com/a/img923/8695/KlyNkk.jpg. My experience too – monarchs avoid the northern USA type of tuberosa. See, that is what I thought – it is a native plant in their home range. I started heart leaf milkweeds, they are hard to start, my one plant is small, it is nice and it will if it survives it will be a beautiful plant. 25+ Milkweed ideas for Butterfly gardens. The A. syriaca was great for the monarchs, but it looks untidy. The peak of the monarch butterfly egg-laying season is in early to mid-August, Norris explained, and monarchs prefer to lay their eggs on young milkweed plants. Michael, please do research the connection between Monsanto and these scientists from the University of Georgia as well as the publisher of the article — the UK’s Royal Society (their national academy of science), and be sure to let us know what you find out. We have a few of those white nylon mesh butterfly habitats (the Caterpillar Castle) and sometimes the milkweed leaves or branches touch the mesh walls of the enclosure and the caterpillars just climb up the branch … and then keep on climbing. The way I see it, tropical milkweed re-growers are putting adults that are spore free & migrating south at risk of becoming infected by luring them to one’s newly re-bloomed milkweed, not guaranteed to be “clean”. We have to have a “label” to distinguish the various types of gardeners. I’m not sure how large the patch is, but something like this is an option to consider: plant cage protector. So far I’ve noted that EVERY ONE of the events he warned about has come to pass exactly on the timetable he laid out. It turns out that tropical milkweed doesn’t die back in the winter like native milkweed does, creating new winter breeding sites, keeping monarchs from migrating farther south. (we have the 45 eggs indoors, raising them and are hoping that once butterflies the temperature will be moderate. All from the natives. So if a Winter Cutting Policy in northeastern Mexico was implemented it would be harmful because it would deminish the production of spring migrants in northeastern Mexico that fly north and help repopulate the USA. I had pentilas growing along the entire side of my home and we got beautiful butterflies, my grand kids really enjoyed them. Those last monarchs are mainly fed tropical milkweed. It is October 25th and there are still feeding Monarch caterpillars on my tropical milkweed. I plan to do it very carefully but I don’t know how sensitive the plant is, I wouldn’t want it to get damaged during the re-potting. I kept thinking I would do it and propagate the cuttings. The tropical are doing fantastic. Night time temps are in the 40’s. Last year I bought 3 milkweed plants. What other varieties are recommended for the Houston area? I have raised monarchs for over 30 years. The tropical produced seed so I threw them in one of my beds last winter and planted the others. I had a monarch caterpillar on it which sadly died after going into his J position. (Or at least as far from it as frost-free areas of the US get) The plant can even establish in a non-cultivated setting here, I wouldnt be too surprised if it would be locally banned or regulated at some point. This is a list of some of the potential milkweeds you can try in your region…I’m sure some will be more successful than others. He says Monarchs instinctively switch preference to the tropical milkweed when they are infected with Oe, because it is higher in cardenolide concentrations, means greater sequestration, reducing the spore load in the larvae. First, central and south Florida have a year round population of butterflies so it stands to reason that some don’t migrate. OR — he could be lost and starving and can’t find his way back to the milkweed leaves. It’s the best variety to support early monarchs. Paul, you are quite the monarch historian. The a. Curassavica was represented to me as native. Milkweed Leaf Miners. I successfully raised and released over 300 monarchs. It is important to help the habitats, not just the monarch butterflies. I also treat my plants with hydrogen peroxide which promotes root growth and is supposed to kill disease spores, although I’m unsure if it kills OE. I live in deep south Texas, about 30 miles from the Mexican border. More than any other, the caterpillars of Monarch butterflies are most closely associated with eating milkweed–anything in the Asclepias family. Further south, Asclepias curassavica attracts even more pollinators…. My survival rate is always between 95-100% and the few that didn’t make it over the past few years have all been from predation or freak accidents. That would explain more success for predators. THANK YOU! I’ve caught the milkweed bug. They can sit for up to 24 hours before they molt…they usually eat their old skin afterwards. Do I cut back the milkweed plants or do I let them remain as they are? here is the group where you can find info about shipping chrysalides. Hi Ana, check out some of the milkweed options on the link below. Then on the website someone in the neighborhood who was a retired docent from a local wetlands sanctuary started posting objections to my seed distribution, same issue, about growing non-natives. Sorry you have boneheads pestering you because they just feel the need to get their panties in a wad over something… I too grow Asclepias curassavica, in Mid-Missouri. Otherwise, they should probably be OK outside too. Let me know, thank you for being willing to answer and be patient with us that are slowly learning but quickly falling in love with the Monarch Butterfly, Hi Elizabeth, unless the weather is unseasonably warm, the monarchs probably won’t make it out on time. Example: The seasonal monarch migrations in New Zealand and southern Australia are just like our own – the butterflies become mostly non-breeding in the early fall and overwinter in clusters as shown in the photos below. And last season I had only ‘1’ successful Monarch make freedom. Over the past 30 years raising monarchs, I’ve also learned some painful lessons that resulted in monarch deaths. The cats seem plump and healthy. MOST CHYRSALISES WERE FORMED PERFECTLY, BUT OFTEN THE BUTTERFLY WOULD NOT EMERGE, THOUGH I COULD SEE THE FORMED WINGS, AND COULD TELL WHAT DAY IT SHOULD EMERGE, THE BUTTERFLIES WERE DYING IN CHYRSALIS. It’s helpful to have a diverse selection of native milkweed and flowering plants, but avoid tropical milkweed (A. curassavica). Last fall I had tropical milkweed growing and had a monarch lay a lot of eggs on it. Master Gardeners tell us to cut down our milkweed in October – up til now, not for OE, but to encourage migration. The growing popularity of raising monarch butterflies at home has sparked a contentious debate among citizen scientists, professional academics, and butterfly enthusiasts. It’s warm, they have an abundant nectar and food source year round. Let’s get better at looking at the dimensionality of the monarch life cycle and enable them to have a better chance than our other environmental demises, due to our lack of understating. I am, however, concerned that the largest majority of people are unaware of the risks that come with Tropical Milkweed — because the first year it was growing in my yard, I was! None of us is out to destroy the Monarchs. When I read the first sentence, I was bracing for another attack about how non-natives are destroying the environment and not supporting the native ecosystem.
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