- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Published on: May 29, 2014
Folks are planting milkweed for the monarchs.
The milkweed (genus Asclepias) is the host plant (larval food) for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). No wonder the monarch is sometimes called "the milkweed butterfly."
The perennial plant is so named for its milky juice, consisting of a latex containing alkaloids and other complex compounds. Carl Linnaeus named the genus for the Greek god of healing, Asciepius.
But milkweed is also a favorite bee plant. It's an important nectar source.
The UC Davis Arboretum has a beautiful milkweed patch near Mrak Hall and on any given day, you'll see honey bees foraging. Be prepared to see as many as four or five honey bees on one bloom. The fragrance is delightful and so are the bees!
Comments:
by Richard
on June 5, 2014 at 8:22 PM
Great thoughts on Milkweed! I’m sure most people don’t even consider its importance to bees. I noticed a few years ago that we had a lot less Monarchs, so I spread some seed randomly all over my property. A couple years later--I have tons of Milkweed and Monarchs, and I do notice that bees seem to enjoy the treat as well. I always tease our neighboring beekeeper that his bees are stealing from my yard!
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