Tag: monarch concerns

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Monarchs and Milkweed in 2015

sm-Milkweed in FULL bloom-CumberlandCoCt-byPatSuttonw-sig
A meadow of Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) in Cumberland County, NJ. I’d love to see wildlife management areas around NJ and elsewhere thick with this native wildflower, but sadly invasive non-natives have crowded them out in many places

 

Back in February the Press of Atlantic City pointed the finger at wildlife gardeners as contributing to the demise of Monarchs, specifically that by planting Tropical Milkweed we “may be killing” Monarchs. My e-mail box overflowed. My phone rang off the hook. I promised to get back to folks but didn’t get a chance until now.

I’ve addressed the issue and the latest news of Monarch numbers this past winter in Mexico, which directly affects the coming year.

To learn more be sure to read my latest post on Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens:

Monarch & Milkweed Concerns — 2015

PLEASE leave any comments in the comment section at the end of my post. That way other readers can benefit from your comment and my reply (rather than writing to me directly). Thanks a bunch!

Many are concerned and planting milkweeds, but there too you have to be careful of where you buy your native milkweeds.  Don’t buy milkweeds from big box stores because many plants sold by big box stores have been treated with insecticides called neonicitinoids.  Monarch caterpillars will die eating these plants!  Read more HERE.

Other posts I’ve written about Monarchs may also be of interest:

Too, I’ll be giving my “Milkweeds for Monarchs” program, packed with helpful information, three times this spring.  Check out our “Upcoming Events” page for details and plan to join me.