Where can I buy milkweed in NZ?
Most garden centres sell swan plants (a type of milkweed) in the season – but ask at the counter if the plants have been sprayed. Some growers/garden centres spray their plants with insecticides to keep them looking good, and of course this could kill your caterpillars.
Is milkweed the same as swan plant?
Gomphocarpus physocarpus, commonly known as hairy balls, balloonplant, balloon cotton-bush, bishop’s balls, nailhead, or swan plant, is a species of milkweed. The plant is native to southeast Africa, but it has been widely naturalized. It is often used as an ornamental plant.
What plants attract monarch butterflies NZ?
Keep the butterflies coming to your place year-round by growing the flowers that provide the nectar they need for energy. Mass plantings of purple, pink or blue flowers attract them. Try asclepias, cleome, alyssum, bottlebrush, hebes, echium, rudbeckia, salvia and wallflowers. Butterflies need water too.
What do monarch butterflies eat NZ?
milkweed
In NZ the natural food species of the monarch (Danaus plexippus) larvae is the Asclepiadiae family – milkweed which includes swan plant (Gomphocarpus fruticosus) and giant swan plant (G. physocarpus) as well as Asclepias species such as tropical milkweed/bloodflower (A. curassavica).
Does milkweed come back every year?
It’s always best to plant milkweeds that are native to your area. These native milkweed are perennials, meaning they come back year after year. Their aerial parts (flower, leaves, stem) die back but their rootstock remains alive throughout the winter.
Will monarchs eat any milkweed?
Milkweed is the host plant for the monarch butterfly. Without milkweed, the larva would not be able to develop into a butterfly. Monarchs use a variety of milkweeds. Monarch larvae ,or caterpillars, feed exclusively on milkweed leaves.
Do monarchs eat common milkweed?
Monarchs cannot survive without milkweed; their caterpillars only eat milkweed plants (Asclepias spp.), and monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs. With shifting land management practices, we have lost much milkweed from the landscape.
How do I attract butterflies to my garden NZ?
Where can I buy milkweed in New Zealand?
Where can I get milkweed in NZ? Most garden centres sell swan plants (a type of milkweed) in the season – but ask at the counter if the plants have been sprayed. Some growers/garden centres spray their plants with insecticides to keep them looking good, and of course this could kill your caterpillars.
What is milkweed and what does it do?
Milkweed or the Asclepiadoideae is a large family of plants with only a handful available in NZ. It is the host plant for the Monarch butterfly, which lays its eggs on the plant, and then the caterpillars begin to eat the leaves.
What is the best milkweed to plant for monarchs?
When selecting milkweed seed or plants, a local native variety is the best option, especially if you are planting in an area where your transient monarchs should be moving on as seasons change. In our part of the world, the swan plant is the popular species of milkweed to plant for monarchs (and other Danaus family butterflies).
What is the difference between milkweed and Asclepiadoideae?
What’s the difference? Milkweed or the Asclepiadoideae is a large family of plants with only a handful available in NZ. It is the host plant for the Monarch butterfly, which lays its eggs on the plant, and then the caterpillars begin to eat the leaves.