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        • Aquatic milkweed, Asclepias perennis
        • Arizona milkweed, Asclepias angustifolia
        • Bear mountain milkweed, Asclepias scaposa
        • Bract milkweed, Asclepias brachystephana
        • Broadleaf milkweed, Asclepias latifolia
        • Butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa
        • California milkweed, Asclepias californica
        • Carolina milkweed, Asclepias cinerea
        • Clasping milkweed, Asclepias amplexicaulis
        • Common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca
        • Curtiss' milkweed, Asclepias curtissii
        • Cutler's milkweed, Asclepias cutleri
        • Desert milkweed, Asclepias erosa
        • Dwarf milkweed, Asclepias involucrata
        • Emory's milkweed, Asclepias emoryi
        • Engelmann's milkweed, Asclepias engelmanniana
        • Fewflower milkweed, Asclepias lanceolata
        • Florida milkweed, Asclepias feayi
        • Fourleaf milkweed, Asclepias quadrifolia
        • Green antelopehorn, Asclepias viridis
        • Green Comet milkweed, Asclepias viridiflora
        • Greene's milkweed, Asclepias californica ssp. greenei
        • Hall's milkweed, Asclepias hallii
        • Heartleaf milkweed, Asclepias cordifolia
        • Horsetail milkweed, Asclepias subverticillata
        • Jewel milkweed, Asclepias cryptoceras
        • Largeflower milkweed, Asclepias connivens
        • Lemmon's milkweed, Asclepias lemmonii
        • Longhood milkweed, Asclepias macrotis
        • Longleaf milkweed, Asclepias longifolia
        • Mahogany milkweed, Asclepias hypoleuca
        • Mead's milkweed, Asclepias meadii
        • Mexican whorled milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis
        • Michaux's milkweed, Asclepias michauxii
        • Mojave milkweed, Asclepias nyctaginifolia
        • Nodding milkweed, Asclepias glaucescens
        • Oval-leaf milkweed, Asclepias ovalifolia
        • Parish's woolly milkweed, Asclepias vestita
        • Pineland milkweed, Asclepias obovata
        • Pineneedle milkweed, Asclepias linaria
        • Pinewoods milkweed, Asclepias humistrata
        • Plains milkweed, Asclepias pumila
        • Poke milkweed, Asclepias exaltata
        • Prairie milkweed, Asclepias sullivantii
        • Prostrate milkweed, Asclepias prostrata
        • Purple milkweed, Asclepias purpurascens
        • Red milkweed, Asclepias rubra
        • Redring milkweed, Asclepias variegata
        • Rusby's milkweed, Asclepias rusbyi
        • Rush milkweed, Asclepias subulata
        • Ruth's milkweed, Asclepias uncialis
        • Sand milkweed, Asclepias arenaria
        • Savannah milkweed, Asclepias pedicellata
        • Serpentine milkweed, Asclepias solanoana
        • Showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa
        • Sidecluster milkweed, Asclepias lanuginosa
        • Slim milkweed, Asclepias linearis
        • Slimleaf milkweed, Asclepias stenophylla
        • Slimpod milkweed, Asclepias quinquedentata
        • Southern milkweed, Asclepias viridula
        • Sperry's milkweed, Asclepias sperryi
        • Spider milkweed, Asclepias asperula
        • Swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnata
        • Swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnata ssp. pulchra
        • Tall green milkweed, Asclepias hirtella
        • Texas milkweed, Asclepias texana
        • Tuba milkweed, Asclepias tomentosa
        • Tufted milkweed, Asclepias nummularia
        • Utah milkweed, Asclepias labriformis
        • Welsh's milkweed, Asclepias welshii
        • Wheel milkweed, Asclepias uncialis
        • Whitestem milkweed, Asclepias albicans
        • Whorled milkweed, Asclepias verticillata
        • Woolly milkweed, Asclepias vestita
        • Woollypod milkweed, Asclepias eriocarpa
        • Zizotes milkweed, Asclepias oenotheroides
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  • Home
    • FAQ
    • About
    • Contact
    • Why Grow Milkweed Plants
  • Store
    • Ready to Ship
    • Free Milkweed Seed
  • Milkweed
    • Milkweed Plants >
      • Milkweed >
        • Aquatic milkweed, Asclepias perennis
        • Arizona milkweed, Asclepias angustifolia
        • Bear mountain milkweed, Asclepias scaposa
        • Bract milkweed, Asclepias brachystephana
        • Broadleaf milkweed, Asclepias latifolia
        • Butterfly milkweed, Asclepias tuberosa
        • California milkweed, Asclepias californica
        • Carolina milkweed, Asclepias cinerea
        • Clasping milkweed, Asclepias amplexicaulis
        • Common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca
        • Curtiss' milkweed, Asclepias curtissii
        • Cutler's milkweed, Asclepias cutleri
        • Desert milkweed, Asclepias erosa
        • Dwarf milkweed, Asclepias involucrata
        • Emory's milkweed, Asclepias emoryi
        • Engelmann's milkweed, Asclepias engelmanniana
        • Fewflower milkweed, Asclepias lanceolata
        • Florida milkweed, Asclepias feayi
        • Fourleaf milkweed, Asclepias quadrifolia
        • Green antelopehorn, Asclepias viridis
        • Green Comet milkweed, Asclepias viridiflora
        • Greene's milkweed, Asclepias californica ssp. greenei
        • Hall's milkweed, Asclepias hallii
        • Heartleaf milkweed, Asclepias cordifolia
        • Horsetail milkweed, Asclepias subverticillata
        • Jewel milkweed, Asclepias cryptoceras
        • Largeflower milkweed, Asclepias connivens
        • Lemmon's milkweed, Asclepias lemmonii
        • Longhood milkweed, Asclepias macrotis
        • Longleaf milkweed, Asclepias longifolia
        • Mahogany milkweed, Asclepias hypoleuca
        • Mead's milkweed, Asclepias meadii
        • Mexican whorled milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis
        • Michaux's milkweed, Asclepias michauxii
        • Mojave milkweed, Asclepias nyctaginifolia
        • Nodding milkweed, Asclepias glaucescens
        • Oval-leaf milkweed, Asclepias ovalifolia
        • Parish's woolly milkweed, Asclepias vestita
        • Pineland milkweed, Asclepias obovata
        • Pineneedle milkweed, Asclepias linaria
        • Pinewoods milkweed, Asclepias humistrata
        • Plains milkweed, Asclepias pumila
        • Poke milkweed, Asclepias exaltata
        • Prairie milkweed, Asclepias sullivantii
        • Prostrate milkweed, Asclepias prostrata
        • Purple milkweed, Asclepias purpurascens
        • Red milkweed, Asclepias rubra
        • Redring milkweed, Asclepias variegata
        • Rusby's milkweed, Asclepias rusbyi
        • Rush milkweed, Asclepias subulata
        • Ruth's milkweed, Asclepias uncialis
        • Sand milkweed, Asclepias arenaria
        • Savannah milkweed, Asclepias pedicellata
        • Serpentine milkweed, Asclepias solanoana
        • Showy milkweed, Asclepias speciosa
        • Sidecluster milkweed, Asclepias lanuginosa
        • Slim milkweed, Asclepias linearis
        • Slimleaf milkweed, Asclepias stenophylla
        • Slimpod milkweed, Asclepias quinquedentata
        • Southern milkweed, Asclepias viridula
        • Sperry's milkweed, Asclepias sperryi
        • Spider milkweed, Asclepias asperula
        • Swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnata
        • Swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnata ssp. pulchra
        • Tall green milkweed, Asclepias hirtella
        • Texas milkweed, Asclepias texana
        • Tuba milkweed, Asclepias tomentosa
        • Tufted milkweed, Asclepias nummularia
        • Utah milkweed, Asclepias labriformis
        • Welsh's milkweed, Asclepias welshii
        • Wheel milkweed, Asclepias uncialis
        • Whitestem milkweed, Asclepias albicans
        • Whorled milkweed, Asclepias verticillata
        • Woolly milkweed, Asclepias vestita
        • Woollypod milkweed, Asclepias eriocarpa
        • Zizotes milkweed, Asclepias oenotheroides
  • Map
    • Canada >
      • Alberta
      • Saskatchewan
      • British Columbia
      • Manitoba
      • Ontario
      • Québec
      • New Brunswick
      • Nova Scotia
      • Prince Edward Island
      • Newfoundland & Labrador
      • Nunavut
      • Yukon Territory
      • Northwest Territories
    • USA >
      • Alabama
      • Alaska
      • Arizona
      • Arkansas
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Delaware
      • District of Columbia
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Kentucky
      • Louisiana
      • Maine
      • Maryland
      • Massachusetts
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Mississippi
      • Missouri
      • Montana
      • Nebraska
      • Nevada
      • New Hampshire
      • New Jersey
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • North Carolina
      • North Dakota
      • Ohio
      • Oklahoma
      • Oregon
      • Pennsylvania
      • Rhode Island
      • South Carolina
      • South Dakota
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Utah
      • Vermont
      • Virginia
      • Washington
      • West Virginia
      • Wisconsin
      • Wyoming
    • Mexico >
      • Baja California
      • Baja California Sur
      • Sonora
      • Sinaloa
      • Chihuahua
      • Durango
      • Coahuila
      • Nuevo León
      • San Luis Potosí
      • Tamaulipas
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Grow Milkweed Plants Podcast
Texas Monarch Migration 2015 - Episode 006

Picture
Texas Monarch Migration 2015

Migrating monarchs pass thru Texas in early spring. In addition to great BBQ and a vibrant music scene, Austin is a great location to enjoy the first generation of the 2015 monarchs. If these first generation monarchs are successful in locating milkweed then the relay race to Canada will be successful. The Texas milkweed is super important and provides a habitat that allows the monarch to reproduce. My hope is that you will grow more milkweed and it will lead to a monarch butterfly population explosion! 

Welcome to grow milkweed plants podcast. This podcast is brought to you by milkweed plants. Milkweed plants makes the monarch butterfly possible. If you would like to help this podcast then you can start by planting and growing a milkweed plant. More information is available at my website www.GrowMilkweedPlants.com a link will be available in the show notes. 

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center was the first stop on a quest for milkweed plants and monarch butterflies. At the entrance was a volunteer who pointed out a nesting Great Horned Owl. The baby birds had just hatched but were out of sight on the high ledge. Ashley, my wife, immediately noticed the turtles in the pond next to us. I was very pleased that the volunteer knew of at least two locations where I could seen milkweed. The first plant was nearby. It is located in the Family Gardens and the species is Antelope-Horns. It was my first time seeing antelope-horns and my first impression was that it was smaller than I expected. But Antelope-Horns makes up for its low growing size by putting out an amazing flower bloom in the summer. I could already see the blossom forming on this plant even though it was merely early April.

As my wife and I walked the grounds there was endless bluebonnets in bloom as far as the eye could see. But that wasn’t all. I also located an additional seven Antelope-Horns and a Swamp milkweed plant. I was tipped off about the swamp milkweed plant by an acquaintance on twitter who goes by @spiderwort52 spelled - s p i d e r w o r t 5 2 Needless to say it was nice to see the additional plant. It was located in a half barrel planter next to an insectarium. The insectarium was closed but will reopen for the Summer months and it is likely to display monarchs in all phases of their life cycle. 

Our last trail at the Lady bird Johnson Wildflower Center was out along the Texas Hill Country Path. After seeing a few more Antelope-Horns we sat down for a rest on chair swings beneath the oak trees. It wasn’t long before I darted out of the swing toward the edge of the meadow. Low and behold I saw a monarch butterfly scouting out the flowers. There was a good breeze blowing and the monarch was moving quickly. Had I not been exercising respect for the wildflower meadow I would have chased after the monarch for a close up photo. But because I was visiting such a special place for wildflowers I decided I would follow the rules and stay on the path. Within a few moments the monarch had passed by and was out of sight. 

There milkweed I found in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center was very healthy and free of aphids but I did not locate any caterpillars nor did I see any monarch eggs on the plants. A few days later in San Antonio the reverse was true. 

My wife and I picked a day with cool temp's to enjoy the Riverwalk. It may have been due to the cool temps and overcast skies or it could be something different but I did not see any monarch butterflies in San Antonio on Saturday April 4th. It was pretty nice to see that the San Antonio River Authority milkweed garden was maintained and even more exciting to see the monarch caterpillar and eggs in a city park environment.

San Antonio River Authority made a milkweed garden in 2009 it is south of the Pearl Brewery. I counted 26 Tropical milkweed plants from previous years. Numerous plants were sprouting from seed in the garden bed. I checked the underside of many of the milkweed leaves. I found one monarch caterpillar that had hatched in the last day. In addition to that tiny caterpillar were three monarch eggs located on the underside of leaves. Two eggs were on the same plant and one egg was on the plant right next to the plant with the caterpillar. 

I have found pretty good success with following milkweed observations using iNaturalist.org the milkweed plants I expected to locate in the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center were there and I added about three additional observations for Antelope-Horns. One catch about using public observations is that the location data isn't always precise. One reason may be cellular and GPS coverage in remote locations. When I went looking for Antelope-Horns at McKinney Falls State Park It was not till I had walked the entire 2.8 mile trail that I realized that the observation I was searching for had an accuracy of 2333 meters from the pinned location of the observation. While I appreciate the observation, I am reminded that the observations shared are bread crumbs that someone behind me may be following. I try to be sure my iPhone has good location accuracy for my own observations. This makes it easier for you to visit the plants I am sharing on websites like iNaturalist.org

I have found pretty good success with following milkweed observations using iNaturalist.org and PlantsMap.com do you grow and sell milkweed in a nursery business? Visit www.GrowMilkweedPlants.com/grower


Be sure to listen to other free episodes of the Grow Milkweed Plants podcast.

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