Milkweed For Monarch’s Santa Clarita Koi Club

Monarch butterflies face a significant problem from a protozoan parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha. This parasite is known to impact the health and survival of monarch butterflies. Some research indicates that certain types of milkweed such as Asclepias Curassavica the tropical variety sold at home improvement stores, can increase infection rates when planted in areas with year-round growth, thereby advising against it use outside natural range zones. Monarch butterflies have a variety of other problematic problems but that is known to be the number one primary problem for California. There is also habitat loss, pesticides, and other parasites that harm them .
Attracting monarch butterflies to your backyard garden is as easy as going to your California native plant nursery and buying establish plants or going the route of starting your own seeds. The winter months are the best time for starting milkweed seeds. There are many different native California milkweeds, Narrow Leaf, Showy, Mexican Whorled, Desert, Woolly, Woolly Pod, Heart leaf, Antelope horn.
There are host plants and then there’s nectar plants.Host plants are the only plants that all species of female butterflies will only lay their eggs on. The reason the female butterfly will only lay their eggs on their particular host plant is their eggs hatch and the caterpillars began to eat the leaves on the plant to get nourishment and grow larger each day . Eventually, the caterpillar hangs and turns into a chrysalis . Days later, emerging into a beautiful monarch butterfly.
Many kinds of flowers can supply nectar for adult monarch butterflies. They prefer nectar plants that are easy to perch on or cling too, and have lots of nectar. There is a few California native plant nurseries in southern California that can advise you on your host plants, seeds and nectar plants.
You can start your own monarch way station in your backyard to help assure the preservation of the species.
Contact the Santa Clarita Koi Club at info@santaclaritakoiclub.com. We meet in one another’s homes and Gardens once a month.