Monarchs and milkweed

[ns22]

Anyone else setting up a butterfly garden?

 

[T.C.]

That's milkweed? The milkweed here looks nothing like that.

 

[Rick]

That's milkweed? The milkweed here looks nothing like that.

There are many species. 

 

[Digger]

I set up Butterfly bushes last year to attract feeders.  That particular species of plant (or numerous species) did a terrific job luring various types of butterfly and bee.  I won't harvest bees for mantis food (as we all know, something's up with the honeybee population), but captured lots of Silver Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) butterflies, a fairly small species which my mantids loved. Picture below.  Even though Monarchs and Tiger Swallowtails are far from endangered, I find them too large for most of my pets.

This is the type of plant I bought (most larger nurseries carry them) which worked so well: