Monarch Butterfly Milkweed. Without it they cannot complete their life cycle and their populations decline. They are called milkweed because the plants contain latex a milky white fluid.
Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed and the caterpillars eat milkweed. The monarch s top 4 favorite milkweed species are bolded in the list below. However when given a choice their favorite milkweed by far is the asclepias incarnata common name.
Its wings feature an easily recognizable black orange.
A monarch butterfly perches on milkweed at the patuxent wildlife research center in laurel md friday may 31 2019. They are called milkweed because the plants contain latex a milky white fluid. Common milkweed asclepias syriaca is a native herbaceous perennial whose main virtue is its appeal to butterflies especially the monarch which deposits its eggs on the milkweed when the caterpillars hatch they feed on the leaves of milkweed. Some insects such as monarch butterflies have evolved a resistance to the poison and can safely consume the plants.