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It’s odd it’s called milkweed yet not scientifically named “asclepias”.

Missouri here. Last year, I spotted my first Monarch visitor on July 8. I have yet to spot a Monarch in my garden. In my location, there's a delay compared to last year. Hoping to see some soon.

My favorite vendor has Korean Mint Agastache. Is this the same?

I have parsley for the first time this year not knowing and I just saw a black swallowtail along with a monarch they both seem to be eating off my zinnia flower

The first one I ever saw was in October, 2014, in Bear Creek Park, in Colorado Springs Colorado.

Oh we need one here in Paradise! Thanks!

Thanks for letting me know that.

Terrica L Williams Princess Lavengra

Rabbits chew threw plastic. My large front garden has turned into the baby Bunny nursery. So it's getting a chicken wire fence this fall. I grow everything myself and I hate watching my babies get eaten.

Got. 0ne. And. It works. Love it. Ty. For sharing

Im definitely gonna give this a shot...thanks Dave!! 👍

This works at first but then smart guys learned how to get a running start and jump from the ground up to the bird feeder in one ninja jump!

Check this out

Thanks worth a shot 👍🏻

Hi Dave:) so informative! Nice presentation! Off topic, but you remind me of a younger Robert De Niro I’m sure you’ve heard this before?:)

Would a plastic one work as well?

Thats a great idea thanks. I have one of those squirrel busters & it was crazy expensive (but it does work) but they always get to my suit still. Have to specifically look for the hot pepper suite which they don't like. Not now i am going to use a slinky :).

I read about a fellow who planted a 1/4 acre of milkweed and had several hundred that he raised. The next year he grew 2 acres of milkweed. And they remembered and brought their friends. He had thousands. Tens of thousands. So much so that researchers could see the impact of his 2 acres on butterfly migrations in that one year alone. It has certainly given me an idea.

I have sandy soil with lots of rocks, and my yard is a hill. I have a back problem & can't lug water out there to water plants IF I could even grow any !!! But I noticed butterflies around my apt. Other ppl did, too. I do have a hummingbird feeder. Are butterflies attracted to those ??

Those squirrels are tricky Dave. My husband puts Vaseline on the pole which helps. They've even jumped off the roof of my house onto the seed tray. My husband kept wondering how they were getting up the pole with all that Vaseline and he kept putting more until we see him jump one day. We had to move the pole further out from the house. Im gonna try your slinky method on another hook.

Thank you, Dave. This was very informative. I’m going to try it on my feeders.

A monarch caterpillar bit, or walked over a still soft chrysalid. Some juice leaked out. Will it die?😢

As a kid milkweed filled every ditch along all the country roads. Monarchs were everywhere. Now the ditches are all mowed back all season long and I am lucky if I see one a year. I am currently dedicating a 1/4 acre at the back of my property as a Monarch waystation with regional milkweed varieties and local wildflower mix.

The monarchs and swallowtails that come to my yard, absolutely prefer the zinnias, butterfly bushes and heirloom burgundy monarda. And yes, I have some hyssop. It’s interesting how their preferences vary from yard to yard/garden to garden.

Hi, luv your info on Mourning Cloaks. I live in So. California and have 12 Mourning Cloaks chrysalis on my front porch beginning on June 10...seven have hatched and gone their merry way, and still have 5 hanging in various spots on porch. They are so beautiful, but I live in a city and find it extremely odd that these butterflies can survive here. Is this common for the Cloaks?

Tulip poplar.

Consider Sullivants and Showy….

Where I can get the compost manure?

You got beautiful butterfly garden.❤❤❤❤❤❤

I've been considering planting lavender for a few years now, thanks for the info and reminder! I'm going to get some seeds for next year. Maybe some bee balm too! Happy summer from Maine!☀️

It's a good idea to have flowers for the bees, too!

Well I'll tell ya, the mint family sure is useful from feline stimulants to phenomenal herbal teas and treats, and as the video clearly states, they're all rabbit and deer repellant. P.S our native mints like Mountain Mint, specific salvias, and a few others are a pollinators dream.💚

Also wanted to add all cats in May I found I was able to see them fly away as butterflies. While watering plants i found the one. I also seen all their mothers laying eggs on my milkweed.

I also got monarch cats in May and I have 1 full length cat on a milkweed plant now. The heat has been so bad and no rain in sight so I'm having to water my flower beds I have lots of new milkweed growing and my original plants from last year made it through winter because we had a very unusually mild winter with zero freezes not even a close to freezing temp all winter so my hibiscus I have planted in my circular shaped bed has gotten taller than me at 5ft 7in it never got Even close to my height before it's been planted there 4 years now. I have 2 different types of bottle brush trees planted. I have Penta growing in all my beds large butterflies love them and all my torenia seeded for this year but with the heat and no rain only 2 or so took root I should have a full bed of torenia, Penta, sweet William and zinnia right now but not so this time. Just too hot and dry.

I’m in south gulf Florida, and have struggled to keep native milkweed, since it takes so much of one plant to support a single caterpillar. Plus the lizards and hornets seem to wipe out most of the caterpillars before they get half grown. A local park has giant milkweed, and a lady there gave me a slip to start my own plant. I’ve been taking caterpillars to the park so hey can survive.

Thank you for not killing the rabbits . I think too many people do. I enjoyed your video. Well done .

Monarch Butterflies rate Common Milkweed number 1. And so do I. Common Milkweed is the Monarchs host plant. Necessary for Monarchs survival. Plant as much Common Milkweed as possible.

Thank you for telling us about the coffee grounds. I just planted my Liatris in our garden this year. Nice video. Ty.

I wanted to get this flower as a replacement for lavender but I haven't been able to keep them alive 😭. I was growing a different Agastache from out west, Agastache urticafolia. They seem to be finicky about drainage, but they need moisture too which is a hard combo for me to give any plant -- I have really heavy clay and our summers are extremely dry.

Hi Dave! Hello from Florida. Was reading ‘What Is Poop’ with my grandkids. It didn’t cover butterflies so here we are 😂 - thanks for the summertime education!

I should have know I was looking for the butterfly guy the whole time. Thanks.

Zinnias are on your avoid list. Caught the little bugger eating the tops off of all my zinnia and sunflowers. Dang rabbit 🤬🤬🤬

comma

Dave I first saw these flowers in 2022 blooming along the Dakota Rail Trail near New Germany, MN, while I was biking the trail. Bought some last year at a native plant sale and I'm so excited they are blooming this year. So I really loved this episode on beard tongue!

I was blessed with 14 black swallowtail caterpillars this year!

It's nickname is the cancer plant because the milk in the stems can be used to treat skin cancer. I'm growing my own plant now cause I've had around 20 surgeries already to remove melanomas and squamous cell carcinomas,. I can't take anymore cutting so I'm going to treat myself using this and see what happens. It supposedly burns out the cancerous cells.

Liquid fence works great for rabbits. I’ve have had some of my natives desimated by rabbits after liquid fence I haven’t had one issue

There are bunch of beard tongues in North America, I have 3 in my garden this year (all purple serralatus, rydbergii & ovatus), I'm in NW Oregon --- I don't get any butterflies visiting them sadly, bumble bees love them though, as do hoverflies and other native bees. They all supposedly like well drained positions but I have one, Penstemon ovatus that has tolerated clay really well this year. I've tried to grow red flowered varieties native to the southwest like Firecracker Penstemon (eatonii) but they've all died (after they were devoured by slugs 😢). But there is probably a Pentemon for every garden, you just need to find the one that works in your area!

Is this Penstemon digitalis?

Can anyone help me with common diseases or issues with the giant milkweed? I have an issue with mine and I don’t know what to do. The only thing I’ve found online are other people with the same issue but no one has been able to say what it is.