I saw some the other day. Weeds. Beautiful weeds. Milkweeds, actually. I saw them at Trump National Golf course near Charlotte. They were growing tall and proud beside the cart path. Fortunately, the course manager knows good weeds from bad ones and he left the milkweeds alone. The monarch butterflies thank him for that kind act.
Milkweed is the only plant that can sustain a Monarch caterpillar until it pupates and develops into a butterfly. Without milkweed, monarch butterflies would become extinct in one summer.
It’s important that we, too, plant some weeds in our yard.
My wife Nancy has established a little wildflower garden and she also has planted milkweed, a perennial. In addition, we have a towering butterfly bush, which attracts adult monarchs. It is always our hope that the monarchs will find the milkweed, lay their eggs and the ensuing caterpillars will become adult monarchs.
Milkweed is available commercially, as are butterfly bushes. Most commercially available Butterfly Bushes are variations of Buddleia Davidii. These bushes are hardy and can survive temperatures down to minus 20 degrees. They grow between 6 and 15 feet tall. They smell heavenly.
If you don’t have a few weeds in your yard, plant some.