butterflies

American Lady

Everything you wanted to know about Butterflies, but didn’t know who to ask.

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On Tuesday this week, our staff entomologist, Bill Reynolds, will present an on-line presentation exploring the amazing world of Butterflies and Moths. Bill, who in his previously life, worked as an entomologist for the NC Museum of Natural Science, has spent a lifetime traveling the world to study butterflies. Bill not only has an encyclopedic

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Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia)

More than Monarchs

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Happily feeding on our clumps of the native Asclepias perennis this week were Buckeye butterflies (Junonia coenia). The Buckeye butterfly originated in Africa, subsequently diversified in Asia and then spread to North America, where it is now widespread. As our entomologist Bill Reynolds likes to comment, the insects are better botanists than humans. The buckeye butterfly

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Evening Primrose-like MIlkweed

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Flowering this week is our 2019 seed collection from Texas of the Evening Primrose looking Milkweed, Asclepias oenotheroides. This odd clumping milkweed, which tops out at 18″ tall, only grows natively from Louisiana west to Arizona, and south into Mexico in very dry sites. Hardiness is most likely Zone 7b-10b.

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Monarch Bait

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As gardeners around the country are encouraged to plant more asclepias to encourage monarch butterflies, many folks are finding out that not all species of asclepias make good garden plants. As a genus, asclepias consists of running and clump forming species. There are number of horribly weedy garden plants like Asclepias speciosa, Asclepias syriaca, and

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Redring Monarch food

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One of the little-known native asclepias, milkweed, is flowering in the garden this week. Asclepias variegata, redwing milkweed, is a widespread native, ranging from Canada and Virginia south to Florida, and west to Texas. So, why is this virtually unavailable commercially? Our plants typically range from 1.5′ to 2′ tall, although 3′ is possible. For

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