My husband started something this morning — a discussion of milkweed and the monarch butterfly. Did you know this beautiful butterfly ONLY lays her eggs on the milkweed plant. The only reason this species would dwindle is because of a lack of this plant. There’s something in the plant that makes the monarch taste bitter which is why it doesn’t have many predators. We used to have a big ‘ole vine of it in our chain link fence but when we replaced the fence, it was gone. I think we’ll get some! Except, I want to get the bush kind (not the vine).
Character Education Through Story — Planting Seeds for Tomorrow’s Leaders
I’d like to support the monarchs, too. I see them around our yard, but I don’t know if we have any milkweed or not.
I used to visit Pacific Grove, California, where they had a monarch festival every year. There’s a park in town where the butterflies stop on their annual migration.
I planted milkweed a few years ago, and it comes back strong every summer. And it does, indeed, attract the monarchs. It’s so fun to see both the butterflies and the caterpillars.