Monarch
Paul Cherubini
cherubini at mindspring.com
Sat Mar 11 15:51:01 EST 2000
Mike Smith wrote:
> The only plants I can suggest for the Monarch caterpillars are other members of
> the Asclepidaceae family, various species of Milkweeds, either plants or vines.
In New Zealand the only milkweed around is the swan plant (Asclepias fruticosa)
- a non native species which was introduced there by accident (as was the monarch
butterfly) in the late 1800's. So the person in New Zealand who ran out of swan
plant to feed monarch caterpillars will have to scout around the countryside to try
and find more of it. The swan plant is a weed of disturbed ground so is common
along road sides and in cattle pastures.
Paul Cherubini, Placerville, Calif.
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