can someone tell me who to get these seeds from? thanks. barb
i need a source for multiple varieties of uncommon milkweed.
This site has some
http://www.butterflyencounters.com/store/products.php
i found this site.
are there other sites?
and is this true.................texans don't need to be growing california milkweeds as the monarchs in texas wouldn't be protected from predators unless they eat milkweed common to their migratory route?
Its my understanding that Monarch butterflies tend to only lay their eggs on the same species of plant that they were laid on.... so you will have more success at getting eggs if you are growing species that are common to your area...
so if i want to grow other species for my own self as long as i grow enough natives my monarchs should be fine, right?
I think that it's just easier and more natural to grow the native or more common milkweeds for your area. The article that you are referring to is referring to the Monarchs that are in the CA flyway. From what it says is that they are not as safe eating milkweed that aren't native to that area. Our flyway is much larger and probably includeds several other varieties of milkweed.
Either way, if you are wanting to grow the variety of milkweed for yourself, go right ahead and enjoy it. If you are more interested in the preservation of the Monarch and to create a WayStation or something like it then you might want to research it a little further.
Most people here grow the more common milkweeds, which means you're going to have more luck searching the internet and ordering any other seeds. I say that because I've only had conversations with one DG member that grows anything else. (I don't want to volunteer this person to share their seeds, so I'll let them reply if they want)
Paige
thanks, paige. i do want to grow natives and it sounds like texas has a lot but have you ever seen them? too much development, i guess. i wrote ladybird johnson wildflower soc. to see if they knew where to get the seeds of the more uncommon native seeds. and i am not really wanting anyone to trade seeds with me as i don't have any seeds really to trade. i just want to know where to get them for myself.
mamajack, guess where my boss is today & tomorrow. When I talk to her, I will ask if she will see if they have other milkweed seeds available for sale.
I wonder if the hybrid "Scarlet" milkweed can be a host for Monarchs across the U.S. I was told that it is NOT a Florida native milkweed plant but my Monarchs love it! It grows so easily too. I know that some native milkweed do not grow well in certain zones or under certain conditions. And some of them do not transplant well. I had one native milkweed and it died. I have only the hybrid growing in my yard currently, but am going to be trying tropical milkweed in the spring. Does anyone know about the Scarlet milkweed?
Big Dipper Farms seems to have a nice selection.
Prairie Moon Nursery (based in MN) seems to have a pretty diverse variety of milkweed seed and even lists a couple of bare-root plants. I don't know if bare-root plants work well or not...never tried it. If you want a Texas company, Native American Seed carries two kinds of milkweed seed. But milkweed is notoriously tricky to grow from seed (at least, I think so), so just know that. Those milkweed are so picky about what they require! Some kinds of milkweed need the seed to be cold stratified, for instance. As far as natives, I've got some seeds of Antelope Horns (A. asperula) I could spare.
whatcha want for the asperula, lindaTX8? WHERE IS HELOTES? i want 'em. now someone said that monarchs won't lay eggs on milkweed that they are not familiar with. someone else implied that they would but that it made the caterpillars get "indigestion" if it was not a native one in their migratory route. DOES ANYONE KNOW THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH!!!! LOL. because i want to grow all of the ones in my butterflies normal path but i also want to try a few others for me because i like how they look. but i don't want to make my caterpillars sick. so i need to know the answer to this question. WHO'S THE BUTTERFLY EXPERT ON DAVES?
as far as germinating milkweed the only one i have ever tried is scarlet. i did put it in the frig. for about a month and then sowed about 9 seeds and got about 9 plants. does anyone know if all milkweed is that easy? and what i understand is that if your milkweed seed is not fresh then they all need to be refrigerated for about a month before sowing. is that true?
oh and SMOCKETTE.........................FIND HER. HAVE YOU SEEN THAT OBOVATA OR WHATEVER THE SPELLING IS? IT'S A TEXAS NATIVE, TOO.
i will check out big dipper and i am already looking at prairie moon. the only thing about them is they don't say how many seeds are in a 2 buck pack. but that price is the best i have seen unless there are only 5 seeds in the pack.
SMOCKETTE.................IS SHE HERE? lol
i have just been reading some about the milkweed. it might not be a good idea to grow milkweeds that are not native. apparently the monarch is a threatened species or at least near threatened. there is debate now re: introducing non-native plants and what that does to the monarchs sense of "place". as all plants have different genetic material that is specific for different regions. in other words, i think what it was saying is that since they are already somewhat threatened it might cause the monarchs to get screwed up in their migratory paths. and even currassivica or scarlet milkweed is not native to texas or anywhere in the u.s., right?
Asclepias curassavica is not native to the US. It grows wild in many countries south of the US border, and sometimes escapes cultivation even in the southern US. However, research done comparing how well Monarch caterpillars grow on different kinds of milkweed has shown that the cats thrive on it. So it's safe.The most important thing to remember is that species of milkweed which ONLY grow on the west coast of the US shouldn't ever be used for Monarchs that follow the more eastern migration route of Monarchs. And that includes Texas. If you will send me a d-mail with your address, I'll send you some of the Antelope Horn seed.
LBJ Wildflower Center is probably a good place to start for native seeds. WildflowerFarms used to have several native to Texas but they disappeared. I grow A. curassavica and the cats and butterflies do wonderful using it. It's been a few years since I did any research on it tho. It's so well adapted here tho, and we aren't far from those southern borders where it is native.
It would be interesting to know what plants they would chose to lay eggs on if they were given several different choices, not including anything native to the eastern flyway. I don't know but I wouldn't think that our native seeds would require cold stratification since we rarely get a winter! I've got about 4 Antelope Horn seeds that I was given and hope to get them started next spring. Just for good measure I'll probably put them in the refrig for a couple of weeks anyway.
Oh...no one knows the total truth about what to use and none of us claim to be experts! ;) lol It's an interesting topic that we can all learn from.
i see. scarlet milkweed is not native to texas but it is part of our eastern migratory plants so it would be o.k. for any butterflies passing thru here. i had 3 caterpillars on my scarlet milkweed. i went out today and they are all gone. what happened to them?
You can't really know but they either went off to pupate, moved to another plant, or were lunch for some predator. The only way to protect them fully is to bring them inside into a cage.
are wasps their biggest predator? what kind of wasp?
mamajack--
Some of these milkweed seeds might be of interest to you.
http://www.hardyplants.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SP&Category_Code=Asclepias
A firm definition of 'native plant' seems to be elusive...depending on what plant and what range when. How long does a plant need to grow in a region to be considered 'native'? I don't think there is an 'absolute truth' about the monarchs and milkweeds either. Science is constantly evolving and scientists are evaluating. As is nature.
In any case, the monarchs seem to like that A. cur. 'silky red' and it's easy to grow and pretty!
Called my boss in Austin this morning & asked her to get any seeds she could fr Ladybird Johnson Ctr. Well, let you know as soon as I find out!
:~)
smockette, as always, you are my kind of girl!
TABASCO......................................NOW WE TALKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS THE BEST SITE I HAVE SEEN.... FOR SEED QUANTITY, VARIETY AND BEST OF ALL ...PRICE!! AND NOT JUST MILKWEEDS. GOTTA GO LOOK AT THE SALVIAS AND AGASTACHES AND HIBISCUS AND.....................................
oh, smockette, i am dense...........so she was visiting near the ladybird johnson center, huh? i knew that.
She was attending classes THERE !
Hi, mamajack-- I like that seed site. Has a huge range of offerings and the prices are fairly reasonable. It is a family operation, I believe. I have ordered from them a few times and always had good and quick service.
BTW, If you use your lower case for posting , I (and others) would find your questions easier to read....Thanks. t.
what does BTW mean? and why does lower case letters make it easier to read? and do you mean when you post on daves?
BTW - By the way
Posting in upper and lower case letters such as you would normally write makes the flow of reading much easier. And upper case usually means "shouting" if you have something in explanation (!) to say. This is just a courtesy thing for posting and emailing.
Thanks Judy for the seed link, just spent almost 30 bucks on flowering plants for bf's and hummers. You enabler you!
You might want to call a native plant nursery in your state to see if the uncommon milkweeds would pose a problem. I know here in California, I am only supposed to plant the natives and I got this information from Las Pilitas Nursery and they seem to know what they are doing.
Yeah, it was you Mary that started all the ruckus about whether we could be planting the wrong kind! ;) lol...J/K! I thought that was very interesting info you posted from that nursery.