Tropical milkweed flowers

[CrazyConure]

It opened up and it's extreamly aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Tjohn]

Beautiful!!

 

[Beverly]

Yes, it is a pretty flower and lots of pollinators will be attracted to it. All different types of butterflies enjoy the rich nectar, some wasps, hummingbirds. The flowers also attract little round. bright yellow
aphids. Because this plant is both a host plant (for Monarchs and Queens) and a rich source of nectar, i do not spray anything on the leaves or the flowers. Not even soapy water. I hand squish all the aphids unless there are lady beetles on the plant in which case i let them eat the aphids. First flowers are wonderful, but more wonderful is to find little chew marks on the leaves telling you you have little Monarch caterpillars feeding on the plant. The eggs are deposited on the underside of the leaves, usually one or two single eggs per leaf, sometimes you will find an egg on a stem or flower. The eggs are white, congratulations!!!!

 

[CrazyConure]

I see a few monarchs flying around outside, but I don't see them on the flower itself. I guess I'll have to wait a bit.

I don't spray anything on this plant.

 

[Beverly]

Have you seen them on the leaves of the plant? Very likely they are laying eggs, or scoping out the plant as a place to lay eggs. They are more interested in reproducing than eating. They are very happy to see a host for their babies. They do a kind of happy dance around and up and down the host plant. How many plants do you have? Leave them be for awhile and when the sun is starting to go down and the bflies have left the garden, look for eggs on the underside of the leaves. If there are eggs, they will generally emerge from the egg after 3 days depending on how warm it is, they will eat what is left of the egg and go to sleep for awhile. It could be they are identifying the host, will leave to procreate and return tomorrow to lay the eggs.

 

[zigs]

That's lovely CC

 

[alp]

What a stunning plant! I have the yellow ones seedlings stage! Yours is simply STUNNING!

 

[CrazyConure]

Thanks!

The butterflies don't touch the plant. I bought 4 milkweeds.

 

[alp]

But bees do. The first time I saw this flower. I didn't even knew what it was. There were loads of them outside the giant conservatory of the RHS Wisley. They were all smothered with bees. Don't remember seeing a butterfly on them though. I kept taking pics of them because of their vibrant colours.

 

[Beverly]

You bought plants? and did not grow from seed? By "butterflies" do you mean Monarchs? If the Monarchs do not visit them they may have been sprayed by pesticides/insecticides if they were plants when you bought them. Florida has a year around population of Monarchs that do not migrate to Mexico in the winter. If you are talking about butterflies other than Monarchs and only have one blossom and 4 plants, they are probably nectaring on other more mature plants.

 

[alp]

I bought seeds Asclepias tuberosa. Actually, a very kind gentleman sent me some orange and pink. The pink ones never germinated. Two of the very few orange ones Asclepias tuberosa germinated and promptly died. I bought from ebay and more or less every single one germinated. I planted some outside and some indoors and hopefully the butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa will have something to show. Love the orange colour. I nearly bought one at £3.50, but at that point, money was tight, money is still very tight, any way!

 

[LIcenter]

I have volunteers popping up in many places of my yard. I guess last year the wind was blowing just right, and I now have a small grove 4' x 6' of them in one of my front beds. I'll have to move them tho. Once the trees finish leafing out so goes enough sunlight in that area.

 

[alp]

@LIcenter would love to see yours .. I fell into love with the plant ever since the first time I saw them.. last year on a very hot June day!

 

[LIcenter]

@LIcenter would love to see yours .. I fell into love with the plant ever since the first time I saw them.. last year on a very hot June day!

These are not tuberosa as you were talking about. They are tropical milkweed. Asclepias Curassavica I do also have butterfly weed, common milkweed, and swampweed which has pink flowers as shown in my avatar.

 

[alp]

Ah, I see. I'm googling RHS to find out more. Thank you.