Monarchs Rely on Native Plants for Survival
The eastern monarch butterfly's survival depends on two types of native plants: nectar-rich plants for adults and host plants that nourish caterpillars. Nectar-rich natives such as bee balm, coneflower, beardtongue, columbine, salvia, Joe-Pye weed, butterfly weed, milkweed, blazing star, goldenrod, and asters are essential to sustain adult monarchs so they can reproduce.
The eastern monarch's survival relies heavily on a single host plant: milkweed. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed in the Asclepias genus, making them picky eaters. The leaves of milkweed feed the caterpillars and contain chemical toxins called cardenolides that make both caterpillars and adult monarchs poisonous to predators.
Native plants are species that have grown naturally in a specific region for thousands of years. Georgia gardeners can grow native milkweeds such as swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), or whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) from seed. These plants are often difficult to find locally, so growing them from seed is an excellent alternative.
Gardeners should avoid tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and hairy balls milkweed (Gomphocarpus physocarpus), which do not die back in the winter and interfere with monarch migration and reproduction. By choosing native milkweed and nectar plants, backyard gardeners can support the essential migration pathways needed to keep these magnificent monarchs flying for generations to come.