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Butterfly Garden

Poisonous Milkweed vine?

topsiebeezelbub

11 years ago

This morning on This Old House a landscaper showed a dead vine and said it should be removed as it is poisonous to monarch butterflies. She called it Black Swallowtail Vine, and said Monarchs would mistakenly eat it and die! I can't find what vine she is talking about. I have Honeyvine in my garden because I thought I was helping butterflies. Anyone know what the bad one is?

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Comments (6)

fighting8r
11 years ago
Never heard that one.
MissSherry
11 years ago
I've never heard of it either. Honeyvine is fine - monarchs have laid eggs on mine, and I've raised them to adulthood on the leaves. The adults were perfect, but it did take more leaves than it does of tropical milkweed/A. curassavica to get the caterpillars through.
Don't get rid of your honeyvine, that's not the poisonous vine, if indeed there really is one.

Sherry
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Poison Ivy is a very nasty plant. If it is small, use a spade shovel to loosen the plant and soil from about a foot from the stem. Wearing latex gloves, long sleeves and a face mask gently pull the plant until you have all the roots. Like a previous poster said, dispose of plant(s) in a plastic bag along with the gloves (turn inside out to remove when done). If it is growing up a tree and is of a large size, use clippers to cut the vine close to the ground and put a couple of drops of RoundUp on the cut surface of the root. Wait a week or so and repeat as necessary (remember the plant is still living). The poison ivy growing up the tree will probably die in several months but be very cautious and protected when removing vine from tree trunk. Try not to breathe in the spores. Good luck, been battling this stuff for years.
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Was this attached to something? Look at pics of PI vine on tree trunks, they usually have a lot more roots. But if this wasn't near anything to which it could attach roots, that could explain the lack of them. If it is PI, yes, all parts have urishiol, even after it's not still alive, for an unknown period of time until the oil is degraded by the weather, a time period which would vary by location/climate, etc...
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The bean like fruit just confirms it's in the Fabaceae. Whether its an actual string bean or not I wouldn't like to say, not knowing what other candidates there might be in your region. Is it growing where there used to be a vegetable garden? Are there any flowers? What size is that pod? What's inside the pod? Could it be Kudzu? (A plant I've never seen.)
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susanlynne48
11 years ago
I believe she was talking about Black Swallow-wort as it is commonly called, or Cyncnchum louiseae. It is toxic to Monarch larvae. It is not native, but introduced. and is said to be found in the Northeastern USA, as well as Wisconsin, and California. I recall some discussion on this forum a few years ago.

I'm attaching an article from Monarch Watch about Black Swallow-wort. While it is related to Sand Vine, or Blue Vine, Cynanchum laeve, the latter is not toxic to Monarch larvae. (Think Aristolochia tomentosa versus Aristolochia elegans).

Hope this helps clarify your concerns.

Susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Cynanchum louiseae aka Black Swallow-wort
bananasinohio
11 years ago
Yup Black Swallow-wort. There are many Cynanchum species. The ones from Europe are Black Swallow-wort and Pale Swallow-wort (also known as European Swallow-wort). Both are also known as "Dog Strangling vine". I know Black Swallow-wort (C. louiseae) is toxic to Monarchs. They will lay their eggs on it but the caterpillars die when they eat it. Both of these have purple/pink flowers. The native Cynanchum for the most part have yellow or white flowers (some may have light pink). Cynanchum laeve has white flowers and is an excellent host plant for Monarchs.

-Elisabeth
KC Clark - Zone 2012-6a OH
11 years ago
I was reading the Monarch Watch article that Susan linked. Article says that monarchs cannot make it past 3rd instar on Sullivant's milkweed. This is the first time I've ever heard this. I have a patch of Sullivant's. I have more of it than any other milkweed this year. I've found numerous 5th instar cats on it (I bring in cats when I find them but sometimes a cat escapes my detection until it is a 5th instar). I was unable to find another source that questions Sullivant's relationship with monarchs.
topsiebeezelbub
Original Author
11 years ago
Yes, thanks. I guess it has not made it this far south and hopefully never will, but at least you made us aware to be on the lookout.

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