Best Milkweed For Monarchs. Written by jeff fulkerson. Milkweed plants contain small traces of cardenolides bitter chemicals monarchs store in their bodies to discourage predators which associate the butterflies distinctive colouration with bad taste.
Milkweed asclepias spp is a family of perennial flowering plants that are native to africa and north and south america. However when given a choice their favorite milkweed by far is the asclepias incarnata common name. Some insects such as monarch butterflies have evolved a resistance to the poison and can safely consume the plants.
But relying on a single type of plant for survival is a risky strategy that has put monarchs in grave danger.
Without milkweed there would be no monarch. But relying on a single type of plant for survival is a risky strategy that has put monarchs in grave danger. Milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars eat. California milkweed asclepias californica heart leaf milkweed or purple milkweed asclepias cordifolia.