What do YOU plant to attract Monarchs?

ducks4you

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I see them here every year. I THINK they like my blue salvia, but I would like to know if any of you plant for them, and What you plant. I just watched Mid American Gardener and one of their Extension office people showed a reddish-orange small flowered plant that sounded like fire flower, but I forgot to write it down. Any ideas? They liked it bc the milkweed is finished by now, but this flower keeps going until the frost. Thanks!!! :love
 

ninnymary

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I plant milkweed for caterpillars. That’s the only plant they feed on. For butterfly’s I plant million firecrackers, yarrow, lantana, cone flower, and wild fushia.

Mary
 

digitS'

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I saw a Monarch in October, 2014!

They rarely come this far north on the west side of the Rockies.

It must require many months, several generations, and the right kind of weather. He/she was in my zinnias but would fly over the neighbor's raspberry jungle if I so much as made a move in that direction.

I doubt if we will have any more sustained good weather tempting the butterfly population. There were very few of any species this year. Drought, monoculture, etc. must have been too much for them.

Steve
 

Zeedman

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I don't intentionally plant anything for butterflies, but monarchs were all over the runner beans this year... often 3-4 at a time. They were competing with the hummingbirds, but fortunately there were enough flowers to share.
 

so lucky

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I plant milkweed for caterpillars. That’s the only plant they feed on. For butterfly’s I plant million firecrackers, yarrow, lantana, cone flower, and wild fushia.

Mary
@ninnymary, what does million firecrackers look like? I tried to look it up, but didn't get a definite pic. Is it a shrub or an annual, bulb, perennial?
 

ninnymary

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E3148CD0-F94C-448E-84B0-D254FD7F7441.jpeg
Cuphea Mexican Firecracker perennial.
 
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