Re: Cruel plant/Butterfly

Still catching up...
Interesting info Kitty, hadn't heard about this particular plant, Cynanchum  
ascyrifolium, before. Wasn't able to find a picture of it.  Find  it 
interesting that the common name is Mosquito plant.  Let us know how it  does for you.
 
As a note on potential butterfly plants, not all plants in a certain  genus, 
or family, are successful.  At the MG's we did a trial on  this.  Had a line 
of assorted Pasiflora plants, another of several of the  Aristilochias, 
asclepias, etc.  Was interesting that the native butterflies  were very particular in 
what they chose to use as host plants.  This study  was done in several areas 
of the city, and found to have the same results.   In fact when we took some 
of the larvae off of an Aristolochia fimbrata (the  chosen plant of the 
Pipevine butterfly) and put it on the more commonly used  Aristolochia elegans and 
A. gigantea (which never was used)....although the  caterpillars did eat...they 
died, apparently of poisoning (?).   Unfortunately none of us were able to 
come up with any native Aristolochias for  the trial, but among the Asclepias, 
the monarchs chose the mexican native A.  curassavica first over the our native 
species with the more succulent  foliage....although they did use these 
eventually, and were fine.  
 
It was an interesting study.  
Noreen
zone 9
Texas Gulf Coast
 
In a message dated 5/14/2005 11:02:25 PM Central Standard Time,  
gardenchat-owner@hort.net writes:


It's  an asclepiad, so when I found it at Seneca Hill, I thought it might be
good  for our Birds, Bees, and Butterflies garden, so I ordered  one.

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