Good grief! Here's the problem...ESPECIALLY if you live in Southern California... We have SO many micro-climates that if you were truly to find 'a' native, chances are, it is NOT going to grow in the supposed area you are told it is native to because of the micro-climate. Yes, this is true. I don't care what anyone tells you. I have had so many people contact me asking why their 'native' milkweed isn't growing. hmmm...shall I explain wby? Why does the A. curassavica grow better in certain areas whereas the A. fasicularis just sit there and, well, NOT? Could it be the soil? Water quantity? Moisture in the air? Fog layer? Altitude? Oh my, I could go on and on and on. Even within one city, there are a variety of micro-climates so that you can't state that a 'native' is going to definitely grow! Sheesh. If people are this fired up over a Milkweed plant, then perhaps they should just grow it in a pot. There are many plants that are NOT natives and there aren't any complaints that I hear of. In fact, lots of the fires that we've had lately? Native plants not having any water *but that's natural because they're not supposed to, right? so the area is dry and brittle and fire prone...and by leaving it 'back to the native' it opened up a huge fire zone So was it bad? Bad meaning bad having these native plants out there? No. Bad for fires though, yes. I'm not saying we shouldn't have native plants. Nah, not that at all. I just think that it's like politics and religion and not something people should argue over. Each person should be entitled to their own opinion. Plain and simple. I don't think this is something worth arguing over. Sherry

Thank you for sharing. I, too, have been watching the population decline through participation (by monitoring and reporting local conditions) in the Monarch Larvae Monitoring Project out of University of Minnesota. (www.mlmp.org) Unfortunately, this decline is not confined to monarchs, but is affecting many other pollinators as well: the honeybee (brought to the new world by European settlers) and many species of our native bees, bumblebees having been hit very hard in many regions. A major portion of our food supply is directly or indirectly dependent upon insect pollinators. As Professor Doug Tallamy says, we need to support the biodiversity that supports us. Another great resource on pollinator conservation is the Xerces Society (www.xerces.org). 1. For food sources, choose plants to provide as long a season of growth and bloom as possible (native plants are best as they co-evolved with our other native species). 2. Don't forget some water - a saucer filled with pebbles and water will do (and male butterflies need the minerals found in mud puddles in order to reproduce). 3. Reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides. 4. Consider providing the shelter of a small brush pile, nesting bundle or, more elaborate, an "insect hotel" ... I'm going to let you all do your own search on that phrase. 5. Allow some of your herbs and veggies go to flower and set seed - you'll find them less desirable for culinary purposes, but beneficial insects will love the nectar and birds will enjoy the seed. Instead of deadheading all your plants, towards the end of the season allow some seed heads to remain for the birds - goldfinches love seeds of the purple coneflower, others go for rose hips.

What kind of milkweed are you planting Joe? In my experience, you can't change your mind if you plant asclepias syriaca. That stuff is impossible to kill. I wish I had stuck to other species or at least planted it somewhere other than where I did. I have a few orange milkweed plants (a tuberosa) and planted swamp milkweed and purple milkweed last year. Crossing my fingers that they'll return. My purple milkweed was still very small at the end of the season last fall. Monarchs really like tropical milkweed but it's just an annual. Somewhere there's a Monarch website that sells it very cheap in bundles. Tempting.

GW is supposed to start a milkweed forum soon.