2
Monarch/Common Milkweed
Swallowtail/Butterfly Weed
1492. There are plants which were
native to the North American
continent, and others that were
regional natives.
Some experts believe that it is
important to only grow those
plants which were originally native
to your specific area of the
country.
There is some validity to this
viewpoint, since even native
plants can become invasive when
grown in a location outside their
normal range. For instance, some
species which are well-behaved in
their typically dry southwestern
locale can become aggressive
when encouraged by plentiful
rainfall and richer soil.
Why bother growing native
plants at all, when there are so
many beautiful species available
from all over the world.
While it isn’t necessary to turn
away completely from these
varieties, there are many
advantages to incorporating
native plants into your habitat,
including value to wildlife,
hardiness, and conservation.
Value for wildlife
As plants and wildlife evolved
together, adaptations were made
by both to ensure that each was
able to serve the other in the
most effective way possible. As
more and more natural habitat is
destroyed by development, we need
to help wildlife survive by replacing
some of the native flora which is
lost.
Butterflies are a prime example.
It would be difficult not to
appreciate the beauty of these
insects and we tend to take their
presence for granted, until we
suddenly realize that there are far
fewer than we remember from
years ago.
A look at their requirements for
survival gives us some clues to the
reasons for their decreasing
numbers.
We often read in the newspaper
about the declining forest habitat
for monarch butterflies when they
reach the end of their migratory
journey in Mexico. This is indeed a
concern, but we need look no
farther than our own local suburbs
to find threats to their survival.
Monarch caterpillars eat only
milkweed plants. They have not
adapted to other food sources, so
if there is no milkweed in an area,
there are no monarchs.
Milkweed is a plant that survives
in “waste places," in abandoned
fields and along roadsides. If we
have cleared the fields for homes
and shopping centers, or even for
cultivated crops, and mowed the
roadsides or polluted them with
salt in the winter, then there will
be no milkweed.
With this awareness, we can
take steps to bring the monarch
back. In our own yards we can
plant native milkweed and once
again provide a food source for the
monarch caterpillars as well as
nectar for a wide variety of adult
butterflies.
If you have an area that can be
left natural, the common milkweed
can be allowed to grow. If you
prefer a more cultivated
appearance, butterfly weed
(Asclepias tuberosa) with its
bright orange blossoms, pink-
blooming swamp milkweed
“The arrangement of
plants in the landscape
and the species
composition of the
vegetation largely
determine the abundance
and variety of wildlife
living in any area."
Native Shrubs and
Woody Vines of the Southeast,
– Leonard Foote & Samuel Jones, Jr.
“To these more modest
ends, the number of people
planting a piece of native
grassland, not the size or
sophistication of the
individual plantings, is
what will matter, for if we
don’t grow milkweeds in
our gardens, we’ll have to
tell our grandchildren,
"We used to see monarch
butterflies long ago."
Noah’s Garden
– Sara Stein
