ButterflyBushes.com
(Rose Franklin's Perennials)

   Milkweed plants (Asclepias) are the host plants for Monarch butterflies...but milkweed is also a highly sought nectar source for many other butterfly species! Aside from attracting Monarch butterflies for egg-laying, milkweed entices swallowtails, painted ladies, American ladies, red admirals, fritillaries, and hairstreaks for nectaring.
   Milkweed also draws hummingbirds and hummingbird clearwing moths to the garden for nectar.
  On this page we offer Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), Hairy Balls Milkweed (Asclepias physocarpa), Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriacea), and Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) when we have it available for shipping.  
Tropical Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Wee
          What's a hummingbird clearwing moth? You'll find the answer on our FAQ page.

8 plants for $20.00            

Want to learn more about milkweed plants?  
If so, please read our Introduction To Milkweed.

And if you would like to see pictures (arranged sequentially) that show the life stages of a monarch butterfly, check out our article on 
Monarch Metamorphosis.

On Behalf of the Butterflies    by Rose Franklin 

   Over the last decade or so there has been a lot of effort put forth to help the Monarch butterfly in its struggle to survive. Milkweed, the host for Monarch caterpillars, has been destroyed as fields and meadows have been converted to housing developments, shopping centers, golf courses, and resorts. In the remaining farm fields where milkweed still flourished, Roundup-ready corn seed is now being planted. Roundup-ready corn seed, first introduced in 1996, will produce plants which thrive even after numerous applications of Roundup, a very powerful herbicide. The corn survives to produce its crop, but everything else in the field is killed. As a result of persistent applications with Roundup, milkweed could be forever destroyed in these fields. And without Milkweed, the Monarch population cannot survive.

   And it’s not just in the U.S. that the Monarch faces obstacles to its survival. The oyamel fir forests of central Mexico, where billions upon billions of Monarchs overwinter, are being ruined at an alarming rate through illegal lumbering. Entomologists fear that if the oyamel forests disappear, so too will the Monarch butterfly.

   There are a lot of organizations teaching people about the obstacles facing the Monarch. Among the best known are Monarch Watch, Monarch Butterfly Fund, Monarch Lab, and Monarch Joint Adventure. A new IMAX film, “Flight of the Butterflies”, explains in vivid 3D the magical story of the Monarch butterfly migration. It’s no wonder millions of people know about of the dilemma facing the Monarch.

   But who knows that other butterfly species are facing the same hardships that the Monarch is? Very few. In reality, other butterflies are dwindling in number too, some just as fast, or even faster, than the Monarch. Why? Because the plants they need for their survival are being destroyed at a rapid pace too. In those same fields and meadows where milkweed used to grow, there were other native plants which other butterflies utilize as host plants.

   Queen Anne’s Lace, also known as wild carrot, is the host plant for Black Swallowtail caterpillars. Aster is the host for Pearl Crescent caterpillars while wild violet is the host for Great-Spangled Fritillaries, Aphrodite Fritillaries, and Meadow Fritillaries. Plantain is a host for Buckeye caterpillars and thistle is a host for Painted Ladies. All of these plants, too, used to be much more plentiful than they are today.

   Once wild flower meadows are converted to housing developments, golf courses, and resorts, the newly planted turf is regularly sprayed with herbicides to kill off everything but the grass. In the course of tidying the turf though, butterfly host plants are being destroyed. And as is the case with the Monarch and milkweed, other butterflies cannot survive without their host plants either.

   Many butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves of trees because it is the foliage of these trees that their caterpillars feed on through their larval stage. Tiger Swallowtails and Red-Spotted Purples often use black cherry as a host, while Giant Swallowtails often utilize prickly ash. Mourning Cloaks and Viceroys lay their eggs on willow, while Commas and Question Marks often lay their eggs on hackberry or elm. Most of these native trees grow in wooded areas or in mountainous regions where insecticides have been aerial sprayed many, many times in the past 30 years or so to control the gypsy moth population. But the same insecticides that kill gypsy moth caterpillars also kill butterfly caterpillars. Insecticides cannot distinguish between the two caterpillars and selectively kill just the gypsy moths. How many butterfly larvae have fallen victim to this assault? I do not know. Butterflies were not the intended targets of the aerial spraying but they have certainly suffered the consequences, likely being killed off by the millions.

   But what organization has stepped up to campaign for the survival of butterfly species other than the Monarch? I have seen very little in the news about the struggle of the Tiger Swallowtail, the Giant Swallowtail, the Red Admiral, or any other butterfly aside from the Monarch.

   Are Tiger Swallowtails, Giant Swallowtails, or Zebra Swallowtails any less beautiful than Monarchs? No, they are not. All of the Swallowtails are gorgeous, maybe even more beautiful than the Monarch. So why is it the case that everyone is focusing the Monarch? It just doesn’t seem fair to me.

   It’s not that I think there should be less people devoted to educating others about the struggle of the Monarch. It is that, since most butterfly species are struggling to survive in a world that has turned hostile toward them, people should be concerned about the other butterfly species also. Why campaign to save just the Monarch when other butterflies are in dire need of help too?  

   I think it is wonderful that Monarch Watch and similar organizations have studied the biology of the Monarch, monitored their population status, and educated the public on the turmoil facing this majestic butterfly. But I think it is time we begin to help the other butterfly species that, in reality, are quickly dwindling in number too.

   Let’s do as Monarch Watch suggests, and plant milkweed for the Monarchs. But let’s also plant dill, parsley, and fennel for Black Swallowtail caterpillars to feast on. Let’s plant rue, as this plant serves as a host for both Black Swallowtail and Giant Swallowtail larvae. Let’s plant some native trees, like black cherry, birch, hackberry, pawpaw, and elm, all of which are utilized as butterfly hosts. And let’s plant some vines that are utilized as host plants: hops for Question Marks and Commas, Dutchman’s Pipe for the Pipevine Swallowtail, and Passion Vine for the Gulf Fritillary.

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