To save the monarchs, Taylor believes people should begin cultivating milkweed on any available patch of land, on the model of the Victory Garden movement during the First and Second World Wars. You can buy milkweed seed from Monarch Watch, which is a nonprofit organization. But Taylor says a better option is to buy milkweed plugs, with well-established roots, so they will begin flowering as quickly as possible. His group focuses on 30 different North American milkweed species commonly used by monarchs, with different species suited to different geographic regions and habitats. It still has 4,000 plugs left to sell for planting this fall and expects to produce 30-40,000 for the spring. The Monarch Watch website also lists commercial plant suppliers offering milkweed for different regions. In addition to milkweed, says Taylor, monarchs and other butterflies depend on nectar plants to fatten up. Zinnias, cosmos, Joe Pye weed, boneset, and verbena are all good choices. So is butterfly bush, he says, but because it can become invasive, use only sterile male plants.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 11:19:23 +0000
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