Bees on Butterfly Weed 2007

[tillie]

Here they are - butterfly weed began blooming over the weekend:





Linda T

[Cindi]

Linda, wow!!!!  Some very nice pictures of the bees, I am not familiar with the butterfly weed.  I grow Buddlehia, Butterfly Bush, certainly not the same plant, and definitely not in the same family that I can see.  Have a wonderful day, thanks for posting all the pics you do.  Have a wonderful day, great life, great health.  Cindi

[DayValleyDahlias]

The monarchs here love Asclepias eriocarpa...a milkweed...I wonder if your butterfly weed is in the milkweed family?

Gorgeous photos!

[reinbeau]

Asclepias tuberosa is in the milkweed family.  Cindi, you need this plant!  All the pollinators love it, especially our girls.  Unfortunately I think the screwy winter weather we had killed the plants I had out there, I've got to replace them.

[tillie]

It may not grow where you are, Cindi.  Here is a site with a map of where it's found:

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ASTU

It's the plant on my avatar as well....

Linda T in Hotlanta (where's the RAIN????)

[Cindi]

Hey Linda.  The butterfly weed plant may not grow as a perennial here (I presume it is perennial), but I may be able to grow it as an annual.  We have a nursery within my vicinity that has an amazing stock of plants, very large and they are actually very knowledgable people.  I am always getting wonderful advice about plants I require information about.  I am going to see if they have Asclepias tuberosa.  I bet they do.  A another "bee" plant that I have ordered through them, but it has not come in yet is called "Giant White Fleece Flower",  White Dragon Persicarioa polymorpha, also known by other names I am sure, but that is the common name that I know it as.   

It can grow quite large, but I have the room and it shall grow to its heart's content.  Have a wonderful day, I am on a search for butterfly weed.  Great life, great health.  Cindi

[reinbeau]

The only reason I could think that it wouldn't grow well for you, Cindi, is the dampness.  They do like it rather hot and dry.  They come up really late, too, there's a possibility mine will still come up, so mark the spot well where you plant them.  They're gorgeous, there's some hybrids out there that I'm going to try to find to add to my garden.

[Cindi]

I was so busy today planting seedlings that I didn't even get a chance to get even close to my nursery in town.  I planted 2 (13 plants each) varieties of pumpkins, 40 pickling cukes, many eating cukes, almost finished planting all the stuff in my new greenhouse:  habanero pepper, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, green California wonder pepper, basil, more pickling cukes, 6 egg plants, 60 tomato plants (Ultra Girl, Ultra Boy and the Roma for canning), watermelon (only 3), 6 muskmelons.  AND I still have a little bit more room.

By the way, I actually have some very very dry spots on my acreage, so I think that I could grow the butterfly weed.  So, soon I will be on the search for this plant.  Have a wonderful day, great life.  Cindi