According to several comments in plantfiles, Snow on the Mountain is a host plant for butterfies. I did not know this! Does anyone know which butterfly? One particular comment mentions red white and blue colored butterflies.
I just planted a row of these as a backdrop to an annual bed and was excited to learn that I may have yet another host plant in my yard.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/221/index.html
Does anyone have photos of butterflies or cats on these plants? I would love to see them.
Deborah
Host? Euphorbia Snow on the Mountain
I have had Euphorbia marginata growing on my property for many years. I have never once seen a butterfly cat on it...I don't know what species of butterfly they are talking about, but maybe in another part of the country it is a host plant?
I'll be watching my E. marginata closely. I just can't think of which butterfly they may be talking about. I'll go back to pf and re-read those comments to see what part of the country these posters live.
I saw the 2 member comments in the plant files, and there were 2 people posting the occurance of cats, but no other information anywhere..not even on the www, confirming that Euphorbia marginata is a larval host.
I read some serious cautions I can believe about the sap being highly caustic. They used it instead of branding on cattle, so be careful.
Deborah, you might dmail the 2 with those comments. Ask them what kind of larvae, or if they have pics. I would like to know as well.
Deb
Will do and I'll let y'all know.
You know, I wonder if those two people may have mistaken E. marginata for another plant also referred to by that common name. Also called Bishop's Weed, Aegopodium podagraria is an invasive weedy plant which IS a host plant for a couple of butterflies, but it's so highly invasive that gardeners usually avoid it like the plague. Wouldn't be the first time someone put misleading info on PF because someone was just going by a common name. And I've gotten the sap of E. marginata on me before and I doubt it's used to brand cattle, as it didn't do anything to me. Of course, I always wash it off fairly soon. BTW, if you want more blooms on A. marginata, pinch it back just a tad before it gets to a foot tall. That encourages it to branch usually. They prefer a sunny location.
I did d-mail them although their post was in 2004. They're not listed as subscribers so I don't know how often they visit Dave's It could very well be mistaken identity. I noticed that many people sear the ends after cutting. I guess that's to stop the sap flowing. I'll be cautious anyway and will surely pinch back. I do need them to fill in by being bushy.
Thanks!