One plant that has done extremely well is the whorled milkweed at my local park. It has been flowering since late June in the short grass prairie remnant at Purgatory Park.
Talking to City of Minnetonka Natural Resources staff this week while volunteering, I learned that this is the only place in the municipality where whorled milkweed grows. The staff are very excited with the results of their ongoing restoration work at this site and throughout the Park.
The flowers are typical milkweed flowers, white in color, opening upwards along the stem. This milkweed is a favorite of wasp species for nectaring. When walking through the large swath on the remnant it is teeming with insect activity.
This particular patch of whorled milkweed is growing alongside Black Eyed Susans, Stiff Goldenrod, Little Bluestem, Anise Hyssop, Evening Primrose and Thimbleweed.
Be sure to look for Monarch Caterpillars and Milkweed Leaf Beetles on this plant.
What a beautiful plant! This one didn't make it into my wildflower guide, so it must not grow in this part of the country. Too bad; I tend to be partial to those narrow-leaved verticillata species. -Jean
ReplyDeleteHello I have just found you through Blotanical and really like your subject and content. Really interesting post and makes me realise why the botanical latin is all for the best!
ReplyDeleteCatherine - Thanks for stopping by my blog
ReplyDeleteWould you believe I have rabbits who continually mow this down? I've tried establishing it for 2 years now, and nothing. Apparently rabbits have to eat 1/3 of 1/2 their bodyweight in milkweed before getting sick or worse. Very frustrating when you're trying to grow as many asclepias species as possible!
ReplyDeleteBenjamin - have not had this problem with rabbits. I guess they're full from the lead plant and purple prairie clover by the time they get to the whorled milkweed!
ReplyDeleteYup... Rabbits luv this milkweed.... egg in a blender of water sprinkled over the whorled leaf milkweed with a watering can does help to protect from bunnies, but it's kind of a drag to keep reapplying...
ReplyDeleteI found whorled milkweed growing naturally in my sand hills garden, (where it had extreme drainage, and not much rain) and shared it with people that irrigated... It didn't seem to mind the additional water... it grew lushly... Made it very attractive to the rabbits...
I have some pictures of the whorled milkweed and monarch butterflies in this monarch blog
I've found that the seeds come up much better than butterfly weed...
HI Gardens,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about your whorled milkweed. I'll be sure to check out your photos. I think I'll try collecting some seed this year.
Heather