This morning I checked in on Carol Clark’s blog and found that she an excellent explanation of the differences in Green Milkweed and Antelope Horns Milkweed. So check out her post on “Green Milkweed and Antelope Horns Milkweed, Let’s sort those out!“! She has done some other great posts you might want to look over as well. I hope everyone is getting some of the hit and miss rain. We have gotten a little over half inch at this time.
A blister beetle on the Slim Leaf Milkweed (Asclepias stenophylla).
Close up of the Slim Leaf Milkweed (Asclepias stenophylla).
Green Milkweed(Asclepias viridis) gone to seed. Conveniently grew next to the dark trunk of a slash pine for a dark background.
I still have some Green Milkweed(Asclepias viridis) that are in bloom.
Green Milkweed(Asclepias viridis) almost ready.
I looked to see if a caterpillar was on the plant, but there was none. According to Monarch Joint Venture, “Deer and rabbits have been reported to eat milkweed leaves, and there are many other insects that feed on milkweed such as milkweed bugs, tussock moths, queen butterfly larvae, and more.” Multiple of my milkweeds have had the whole tops chomped off.
This milkweed goes by several names. Wand Milkweed or Green-flower Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) are a couple of them.
Close up of a different plant but same species – Wand Milkweed.
As I was going around looking at the different Wand Milkweeds, I found these yellow aphids on one. I think the siphunculi (two black tubes sticking out the abdomen) are cute. The siphunculi are openings or a pore which pheromones are emitted. They can be long or short.
Prickly Pear tuna was filled with rain water this morning. Maybe some fairies may get a bath!
A true bug nymph on the tuna.
All of these ants were smarming one of the dead cactus pads that was killed in the February cold spell.
My American Beautyberry has started to bloom. Many of our beautyberries were killed from the February deep freeze.
One of my White Compass plants is about to bloom.
Keep looking!
7 Comments
Ignorant me didnt know there were so many different milkweeds. Thank you
I got several A. viridis seeds to sprout and hope they will get big enough to bloom next year, but none of the stenophylla seeds came up yet. Fun day! Rain here now after mostly clear today.
Thanks for posting the TPWD publication link. That was my first thought when I saw Judy’s comment. They did a wonderful job on that booklet.
My beautyberry bushes all did fine through that freeze. I lost a lot of my milkweeds but not sure if that was from drought or freeze. I’m down to 2 Green, 1 Whorled and a few Slim. It may be too dry here for Butterfly MW. They died out after the first year even with twice weekly waterings for establishment. I really love Wand. I’ve had no luck with it surviving here either.
I agree, it is a wonderful booklet. Wish they still had it in print. My butterflyweed I got in the wild did not make. Nor the one I got from the nursery. That might have been my last attempts to grow anything. LOL
Ignorant me didnt know there were so many different milkweeds. Thank you
Check this out to see all the milkweeds in Texas https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_rp_w7000_1803.pdf All of Texas has 37 species! The North Central Texas Flora has 15 species!
I got several A. viridis seeds to sprout and hope they will get big enough to bloom next year, but none of the stenophylla seeds came up yet. Fun day! Rain here now after mostly clear today.
Bummer on the seeds not working. I will watch for more to collect for you.
Thanks for posting the TPWD publication link. That was my first thought when I saw Judy’s comment. They did a wonderful job on that booklet.
My beautyberry bushes all did fine through that freeze. I lost a lot of my milkweeds but not sure if that was from drought or freeze. I’m down to 2 Green, 1 Whorled and a few Slim. It may be too dry here for Butterfly MW. They died out after the first year even with twice weekly waterings for establishment. I really love Wand. I’ve had no luck with it surviving here either.
I agree, it is a wonderful booklet. Wish they still had it in print. My butterflyweed I got in the wild did not make. Nor the one I got from the nursery. That might have been my last attempts to grow anything. LOL
I read that butterfly milkweed can be picky about where it wants to grow.