This Queen Butterfly is nectaring on
Asclepias curassavica
Milkweed. Her proboscis is sticking into the
flower. It's like a long straw that she uncurls to sip nectar from the
flower.
| Asclepias curassavica Milkweed |
Monarch and
Queen Butterflies sip nectar
from Asclepias Milkweed, so we call it a nectar
plant. They also lay eggs on it, so we call it their
host plant.
Asclepias, often called Scarlet Milkweed even though it also has a
yellow variety, is a great butterfly garden plant. It grows a couple of
feet tall and makes an attractive flower. Since it's both a host and a
nectar plant, it's all you need to start your butterfly garden and attract two of
our largest butterflies, the Monarch and Queen.
The seed pod opens up and releases a bunch of adorable silky puffballs,
each attached to one seed. They float with the breeze to seed other
places.
Did you notice the white dot on the leaf above? It's a butterfly egg.
This is the yellow flowered variety:
It's funny; I have this orchid that at a glance looks a lot like Asclepias curassavica Milkweed.
I've seen both Monarch and Queen butterflies try to nectar on it, so
they must be attracted to the colors or appearance, because I really
doubt that it smells the same to them. Humm... I wonder, can butterflies
smell? I know that they taste with their feet, but I've never heard of
them having a sense of smell. Perhaps they don't.
Above, a Queen Butterfly nectars on
Asclepias curassavica Milkweed. You may have noticed the little yellow
dots on the stem and seed pod. Those are
aphids. Milkweed is very attractive to
aphids. Don't worry, aphids are very attractive to
lady bugs, so
eventually the lady bugs will find the aphids on your Milkweed Plants
and eat them up.
When you plant a butterfly garden, you plant an
ecosystem, and your garden turns into a mini-conservation area for all
sorts of neat critters!