And come join us in the butterfly thread...we're super nice, I promise! That means you, too @SCurtis The thread "March 2015 Butterflies, Moths & Larva" in Gardening for Butterflies, Birds and Bees forum

I'm trying to go native this year with my milkweed. I ripped out all of my Tropical Milkweed although I keep finding seedlings. I live in one of those areas where Monarchs don't migrate and Tropical Milkweed keeps them breeding all year. This causes an increase in the OE spores which make Monarchs sick. So I'm going native. I bought some Spider Milkweed and Whorled Milkweed from Everwilde Farms: http://www.everwilde.com/ Not only do they sell many types of milkweed, but they have handy maps on each page to show you where it's native. That way, you don't accidentally buy something that may not be native and do as well in your area. Even if you don't buy from them, the maps are super handy!

Also, Milkweed is the host plant for the Queen butterfly. Two for one host plant!

And just a fact to throw out there for everyone...the Monarch in the first picture is a male. How can you tell? See those two black dots on the lower wings? They're on that black line closest to the body. Those are scent glands that only the males have to attract females. So if you see those dots - male. No dots - female. Now get out and plant some milkweed!

YES to milkweed! Thank you SCurtis and mellielong.
Praire Moon Nursery has a good selection of milkweed seeds also
https://www.prairiemoon.com/mi...

Let's bring back the Monarchs!

I winter sowed common milkweed, swamp milkweed, and butterfly weed. Seedlings just emerging!

Yes, those folks at Prairie Moon are good, too. It's great to see so many more sources of native milkweeds so everyone throughout the country can find something to help those Monarchs!

Melanie, thanks for that link to Everwilde -- I knew we had common milkweed and swamp milkweed growing wild here, but apparently there are a number of the other types as well !

@mellielong Thanks for the info, Mellie. You are a wealth of information. I was thrilled last fall, when I discovered a pot of butterfly weed hidden in some discount pots at Lowe's. It had gone to seed and had three seed pods on it. Hoping to have more plants soon

Thanks for all the extra info Melanie! I'll definitely be joining the forum. So far I have only ordered whatever milkweed seed is native to my area. I'm definitely going to check out all the other types that work here! I noticed a few weeks ago when I went to lowes to pick up a butterfly mix seeds there were literally no milkweed seeds in there whatsoever. I thought that was so sad! So if anyone is wanting to do a mix for their butterfly gardens make sure to check if there are any in the mix, you'll probably have to add it in there.

I'm glad everyone is planting milkweed this year! I have seen A. tuberosa seeds here at Home Depot and Lowe's and that's a native variety. But they also sell A. curassavica plants which is Tropical Milkweed and not native. Plus, research has found it contributes greatly to the spread of the OE spore in the more southern states where the plant does not die back. If you don't want to rip yours out like I did, just make sure you cut it back during the winter and keep the new growth off of it! This will keep those darn Monarchs from laying their eggs during the winter season! Plus, it's good to cut your plants back, anyway. Makes them bushier, and usually gets rid of the milkweed aphids and bugs (at least for a while). A fresh start, if you will.

I consider the A. curassavica to be native here, and not a problem. There's no Monarchs here during the winter in any case. All my milkweeds that were in the ground went completely dormant this winter and only recently I saw growth starting on them. I just hope that if any Monarchs do show up and lay eggs, there will be enough foliage. The milkweed I have in pots aren't very big yet either. I'm hoping for lots of little seedlings this year!