Very cool site. I had no idea there were so many different milkweeds in my area! I have to look more closely from now on.

I planted Swamp milkweed a few years ago when I lived in a swamp. We had never seen that particular species in the area (only saw common and occasional orange), and of course it flourished. Years later I saw it had seeded itself in nearby fields. I felt so wonderful my "babies" moved on!

Not sure what you mean by a "reality check," but I sure love the site, if for nothing else than looking at the pictures.

I was being bad. On one of the other threads someone was talking about only planting natives and mentioned milkweeds. Knowing there were only a few types that were native to that posters state I decided to look it up. There are only 3 milkweeds that are native to that area so I quess the person will either have to remove the non-native milkweeds or live with some non-native plants. They sounded like they had the idea that the only plant good plant for birds and other wildlife was a native plant. Problem is that although advertisers and books on natives don't bother to list where certain plants are native. They just list all of the plants for birds and other wildlife under the topic no matter where they are native. Which is where the "reality check" comes in. Rather than taking everything you read and hear as a hard fact somethings need to be researched.

My non-native apple, cherry, and peach trees feed lots of animals and birds. I only occasionally get some fruit for my self.

Here is the statement "We are people that try to plant native species to help native wildlife. We don't pull native "weeds" like milkweed that the Monarchs use just to make our neighbors happy" Nothing here about only native plants being good for birds and other wildlife, just that I try to plant native plants and that I don't pull native plants that some consider weeds. I agree it is a pretty cool sight I didnt know there was more than one kind native to this area.

A good example of why a reality check is occasionally needed. Are all the milkweeds or other plants in any area native? Or are they ones that birds, other wildlife, and humans have spread. Are the plants that we consider native actually native? A even better reality check is that if all non-native plants were removed what would be left. What part of grass, to trees, to grass is your current system in. If you are trying to grow grasses that were native to an area at one time and the cycle has progressed to deep trees or even dessert will you succeed?

Not knowing what is native to your area and importing plants that are being kept in check by growing conditions in another area can be an invitation for rampant growth.

A lot of milkweeds native to my area. Glad the local native nurseries know they're selling me the right thing...lol.. âº

I am growing many of the species native to the northeast. This includes -

A syriaca - common
A incarnata - swamp milkweed
A tuberosa - butterfly weed
A. verticillata - ??
A. purpurascens - purple

Also, I'm trying to grow Asclepias variegata (white milkweed) which is not native to New England, but it is in New york or Pennsylvania (close enough). For fun I've tried to grow a couple that are not native to the northeast - like Asclepias asperula and A. speciosa (very common in the west but doesn't grow in eastern US), but not had much success yet.

Some of the milkweeds are kind of fussy plants, susceptible to slugs and milkweed beetles, also I sometimes have problems with fungus or wilt.