I love this plant! It's great for attracting all sorts of cool insects- from monarchs to aphids which, in turn, lead to ladybugs (eggs, larvae, pupae & adults), lacewing larvae, syrphid fly larvae and tiny wasps that parasitize the aphids (the aphids turn brown and puff up when parasitized). I encourage everyone to plant this, especially now that the monarch population was depleted this winter. Help them out by planting food sources!
Recently I read a story encouraging us to plant lots of these plants for the Monarchs. Their numbers are dwindling after hard winters in Mexico so this larval plant is essential. Ignore the aphids: as Wizzie says, they'll attract tons of beneficial insects & won't bother your other plants.
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I love this plant! It's great for attracting all sorts of cool insects- from monarchs to aphids which, in turn, lead to ladybugs (eggs, larvae, pupae & adults), lacewing larvae, syrphid fly larvae and tiny wasps that parasitize the aphids (the aphids turn brown and puff up when parasitized). I encourage everyone to plant this, especially now that the monarch population was depleted this winter. Help them out by planting food sources!
Recently I read a story encouraging us to plant lots of these plants for the Monarchs. Their numbers are dwindling after hard winters in Mexico so this larval plant is essential. Ignore the aphids: as Wizzie says, they'll attract tons of beneficial insects & won't bother your other plants.
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