I don't know if they have any butterfly specialty but Catskill Native Nursery in Kerhonkson should have a bunch of milkweed plants. I'd call them first though since I don't think that they ship plants and Kerhonkson is a bit of a hike from you.

Mountain Pine Nursery is where i've purchased it before. I'm going there on saturday to pick up some brugmansia for my hummers. Great place, good people. I've yet to get monarchs or their eggs to come around tho.
I'm just south of you, above Greenwood Lake.

http://www.mtnpinenursery.com/plants.html
or for online plants...
http://www.seedsavers.org/Home.asp

ps..? What made you give up beautifull Florida for less than scenic Monroe? I mean, it has a nice Shoprite...but..?

>>>ps..? What made you give up beautifull Florida for less than scenic Monroe? I mean, it has a nice Shoprite...but..?LOL!!!

What else? LOVE!

I fell in love with, and married a ummm.... "yankee" ;o)))

Actually i love it here. We live in a pretty house on the side of a mountain with a great view. After 40 years in Florida, this is just really fun, for me and my 8 yo son. Great school for him, too. Monroe is... well... close to NYC ;o))

But i'm still not used to all these rocks in my yard!

susan

Do you mean the milkweed that grows alongside the roads here in Orange County? It seems to be everywhere. We have monarchs every year here...they love the lilacs and the azaleas this time of year. Good Luck!

"Do you mean the milkweed that grows alongside the roads here in Orange County?"

In Florida i planted Asclepias tuberosa, which is available potted in nurseries there. it's a smaller variety than the "wild" milkweed i saw last summer here in Orange County. I did collect some seeds of the local variety though, and will sow those. I was just hoping to find some potted plants to get an earlier start. :o)

Susan

Hi everyone, and thanks for the replies. I've done some more research online and found that what i was using in Florida is Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica. it will grow up here as an annual, and is an excellent food plant for Monarch caterpillars. It's a more tender-leaved plant than the local wild milkweed, IMO, so maybe it's more enticing for the 'pillars? Just speculation, but i found a seed source online and ordered seeds to get started for this year. next year i will already have some seeds and can start them indoors, which will give me an earlier start. I'm also going to check out Mountain Pine Nursery when the weather warms up a little, LOL... what's with this cold, grey weather lately?

thanks again,
susan

Here is a link that might be useful: Tropical Milkweed

Hi Susan. I'm the other zone5 susan. LOL. I bought a peach colored milkweed from White Flower Farm in Connecticut years ago. It has reseeded nicely in my garden. Each year it is stripped of its leaves down to bare branches from the monarchs.

Spring in NY is typically rainy...you know, March winds bring April Showers, April showers bring May flowers...only this year we're getting the rain in week long spurts with flooding, interspersed with weeks of sunny drought. It's always something different around here. Wait till our hazy, hot, humid summer droughts. You'll feel more at home. I love this cool weather, though, and head north for the summer.

Enjoy NY! It's the autumn that beats anywhere on earth.

I've been growing asclepias tuberosa for years - available at most of the local nurseries in Dutchess county and elsewhere. Also have the 'milkweed that grows along the road) coming up in my wild garden and I leave it for the monarchs - of which I get very few but they do seem to like buddleia which I also grow. And sedum Autumn Joy.

Wow, that Asclepias curassavica is very pretty! Make sure to save some seeds to trade (hint, hint!).