Hummingbird and Butterfly Gardening: how did he know?, 1 by LadyCleo

LadyCleo wrote:
I only started seeing Monarchs in early-mid July here this year. Milkweed is a host plant. The adults lay their eggs on it and the cats eat the leaves after they have eaten their egg cases. Adult Monarchs visit many other plants for nectar, which they feed off of. Butterfly bush, coneflowers, black eyed susies, zinnias, cosmos, lantana, monarda, petunia, ornamental oregano, asters, liatris and russian sage are all popular favorites. Hopefully, there is some wild milkweed nearby, if the bozos with the herbicide haven't wiped it all out. Why don't you plant some just to be sure? It's a pretty plant. I love the height, bloom, seed pods and beautiful silky stuff that explodes from asclepias incarnata. It's not hard to grow either. Mark the spot where you have planted it though, as it is very late to break dormancy in the spring and easy to assume that you have lost it. There's lots more info on MonarchWatch.org if you'd like to check it out.