Monarch

Roger Dewhurst dewhurst at wave.co.nz
Mon Mar 13 06:11:51 EST 2000


On 11 Mar 2000 20:49:36 -0800, cherubini at mindspring.com (Paul
Cherubini) wrote:

>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.


Asclepias phyocarpa(?) is a garden plant in New Zealand.  Any chance
that the caterpillars will feed on that?  Stephanotis is another
garden plant in the same family.  Has anyone seen the caterpillars on
that?




More information about the Leps-l mailing list