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Because of this, it is most often suggested to grow milkweeds that are native to the geographical area they are planted in to prevent negative impacts on monarch butterflies. [25] [26] Monarch caterpillars do not favor butterfly weed (A. tuberosa), perhaps because the leaves of that milkweed species contain very little cardenolide. [27]
Asclepias fascicularis is a specific monarch butterfly food and habitat plant. However, it provides negligible cardenolide content, a set of protective chemicals that reduce the virulence of the OE parasite and bird predation. [citation needed]
A. tuberosa is a larval food plant of the queen and monarch butterflies, as well as the dogbane tiger moth, milkweed tussock moth, and the unexpected cycnia. [3] [12] Because of its rough leaves and trichomes, it is not a preferred host plant of the monarch butterfly but caterpillars can be reared on it successfully.
Breeding monarchs prefer to lay eggs on A. incarnata. [20] The species is therefore often planted in butterfly gardens and "Monarch Waystations" to help sustain monarch butterfly populations. [21] However, A. incarnata is an early successional plant that usually grows at the margins of wetlands and in seasonally flooded areas. [22]
Asclepias californica Greene; Asclepias candida Vell.; Asclepias cinerea Walter; Asclepias circinalis (Decne.) Woodson; Asclepias compressidens (N.E.Br.) Nicholas ...
Like several other species of milkweed, A. asperula is a food for monarch butterfly caterpillars. Along with being food for monarchs, the plants also contain toxic cardiac glycosides (cardenolides) that the monarchs retain, making them unpalatable and poisonous to predators.
It serves as a host plant for larvae of monarch, queen, and soldier butterflies (Danaus plexippus, Danaus gilippus, and Danaus eresimus, respectively). It also serves as a source of nectar for adult butterflies and insects. [8] Researchers have concluded that A. lanceolata provides a high-quality nectar resource for its pollinating helpers. [7]
This species is a known host plant to the Monarch Butterfly. Because it serves as a nesting ground for the Monarch's larvae, it is a vital component in preventing the extinction of these butterflies. Because it serves as a nesting ground for the Monarch's larvae, it is a vital component in preventing the extinction of these butterflies.