Milkweed Trees Florida. This will mean that more native milkweed plants can be made available for gardeners to help sustain monarchs and other types of butterflies including queen and. Milkweeds in the genus asclepias provide the only plant material monarch caterpillars can eat.
Milkweeds native to florida most people are used to seeing the bright orange flowers of the non native scarlet milkweed asclepias curassavica and don t realize that florida is home to twenty one native milkweeds. Jaret daniels of the. While not on the florida exotic pest plant council list yet this plant has spread into natural areas and is often seen on roadsides and in open pastures.
They are the host for the monarch butterfly caterpillars.
Perhaps most famously milkweed species serve as the host plant for the monarch butterfly. This will mean that more native milkweed plants can be made available for gardeners to help sustain monarchs and other types of butterflies including queen and. The florida association of native nurseries program is working to increase florida s regional north central south ecotypes to stimulate production of native milkweed species. Monarchs feed primarily on milkweed plants asclepias species butterfly experts such as dr.