Can you grow milkweed in Illinois?
Seeds can’t germinate if they have not been allowed enough time to mature on the plant. URBANA, Ill. – Illinois needs to plant milkweed, and a lot of it, over the next 18 years to ensure the state’s official insects, monarch butterflies, survive.
Where can I find milkweed growing?
Look for milkweed in regularly disturbed areas, and areas of native landscaping. For example, check local parks, nature reserves, along alleys and sidewalk boulevards, rain gardens, prairie, and (safely) roadsides.
Do milkweed plants come back every year?
These native milkweed are perennials, meaning they come back year after year. Their aerial parts (flower, leaves, stem) die back but their rootstock remains alive throughout the winter. Cut back milkweed stalks in the late fall or winter, after they have produced seed pods and these seeds have had time to mature.
Can you buy milkweed for monarchs?
You can collect your own seed or purchase seed or plants to add to your garden, or any landscape in your community. Three species have particularly wide ranges and are good choices in most regions: common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), and butterflyweed (A. tuberosa).
When should I plant milkweed in Illinois?
Fall
Fall Planting – Fall is the best time for planting milkweed seeds. The seeds won’t germinate until spring because they require natural freezing and thawing to soften the seed coat so that the embryo plant can grow. This process stops seedlings from emerging in the fall and being killed by winter cold.
What type of milkweed is best for monarchs?
Female monarchs will lay eggs on all nine milkweed species, but they prefer some over others. Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and common milkweed (A. syriaca) averaged the highest number of eggs.
How can I buy milkweed?
You can purchase milkweed seeds and plants at the following places:
- Xerces.org has a milkweed seed finder.
- Michigan Native Plant Producers.
- Monarch Watch’s Milkweed Market.
- Monarch Watch’s List of Vendors.
What milkweed is native to Illinois?
Within the Chicago region, the following milkweed species (Asclepias) are native: Asclepias amplexicaulis is native to our prairies and is suitable for planting in sunny perennial flower gardens. The flowers are described as “eraser pink” in color and are fragrant (honey).
Will deer eat milkweed?
Despite milkweed’s toxicity, there are many creatures other than monarchs that eat the leaves of this amazing plant. Deer and rabbits have been reported to eat milkweed leaves, and there are many other insects that feed on milkweed such as milkweed bugs, tussock moths, queen butterfly larvae, and more.
How long does it take for milkweed to grow?
It takes at least a month for the plant to be ready for the larvae to eat. Once the plant is big enough, you can simply place the entire plant, pot and all, into the cage. After the larvae have eaten the leaves, simply cut the plant off about two inches above the soil and new shoots will grow in 3-4 weeks.
Can I grow milkweed in Chicago?
Within the Chicago region, the following milkweed species (Asclepias) are native: Asclepias amplexicaulis is native to our prairies and is suitable for planting in sunny perennial flower gardens.
Do mice eat milkweed?
These poisons give monarchs built-in protection from many predators. 1 2 Milkweed provides food for monarchs — and a poison that protects them from predators. The food this monarch ate as a caterpillar will protect it against predators as an adult. Mice eat monarchs!