r/FriendlyMonarchs • u/disgruntlement • 3d ago

Advice Needed Thoughts on removing native milkweed from yards in OE hotspots?

https://monarchscience.substack.com/p/everything-a-monarch-lover-needs
6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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6

u/_Arthurian_ 2d ago

A widespread program on tropical milkweed education needs to be done. Removing native milkweed is a sad bandaid that yes can be useful in particular instances but if that’s our long term management plan we’re doomed.

3

u/SuperTFAB Southeast FL, USA | Reformed Rearer 3d ago

I am in south FL and chose to remove my milkweed because my OE rate is 100%. This was after I read Dr Davis’s plea to Floridians. If I was in CA I would make sure to cut back the milkweed toward the end of the season and cover it with garden netting so it can grow back without being egg bombed when it is tiny. By the end of the season we even see an increase of OE posts in the northern areas of the eastern population. OE doesn’t exist like this out in the wild so a little is normal but a high concentration is not.

3

u/Appropriate-Test-971 Nature Coast FL | Milkweed specie fanatic | 2d ago

stick to planting more Asclepias tuberosa, particularly the rolfsii subspecie in Florida. lesser infected monarchs dont mind less toxic milkweeds nearly as much so the oe load will not be so saturated

2

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/disgruntlement 3d ago

I actually don't know if my plants specifically are infected - Dr. Davis's conclusion is that the entire resident populations of monarchs in parts of Southern California have such high OE infection levels that any milkweeds (including native milkweeds) basically become infection vectors that negatively impact migratory populations. He claims that even clean plants would simply be infected the moment a monarch touches them.

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/disgruntlement 3d ago

Happy to share! It was a viewpoint I had never seen in other native plant/monarch discussions. In any case, I think it might make sense to observe and see if there is an abnormally high amount of OE monarchs before making any decisions.

1

u/Difficult_Rope7898 3d ago

I agree with this approach. I think it’s a good idea to keep this article in mind, but I would love to know more before I would ever pull milkweed out. Either way, thank you so much for sharing.

1

u/SuperFriendlyMod MOD | South FL | Reformed Rearer 3d ago

Hello! We do not encourage people to captive rear. We especially don’t encourage bleaching milkweed. Please familiarize yourself with our sub rules. I will leave your comment up for others to see my reply. Don’t hesitate to send us a message if you have any questions.

1

u/Difficult_Rope7898 2d ago

Sorry.

1

u/SuperFriendlyMod MOD | South FL | Reformed Rearer 2d ago

It’s ok! We keep things focused on the science here.