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I've been planting wildflowers at my new house as well and it's very fun to watch which plants different insects prefer. I've noticed that Monarch butterflies
by quasse 5y ago
I've been planting wildflowers at my new house as well and it's very fun to watch which plants different insects prefer.
I've noticed that Monarch butterflies ignore almost all plants in my area but they love Mexican Sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifolia). I wonder how much of that is regional, since they're supposed to like Zineas and Verbena but they've shown zero interest in mine.
- mod 5y agoAt my place the Monarchs (a couple weeks ago) were all attracted to a plant I haven't properly identified. It looks like queen anne's lace--crowns of many tiny, white flowers. We have a few similar-looking species in the region (Ozarks), and it could be any of them. Maybe worth a shot finding out if you want some other options for them!
- nanomonkey 5y agoThey absolutely love the wild fennel plants in my yard, which looks similar to queen anne's lace.
- dmux 5y agoI'm not sure if this is the plant you're describing, but in New England, Monarchs are really attracted to Milkweed. The White Swamp [0] variety may be what you're describing. [0] https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/asclepias_perennis.shtml https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/asclepia...
- mod 5y agoI do believe I see a lot of that in the understory, where there is a canopy and shade. In this particular case, though, it was a similar plant that I normally always see in sunny areas. On the edges of my mowed yard, I was seeing a lot of monarchs for a few days.