by Mindy Block
In 2013, I purchased a butterfly milkweed at Cathy's Flower Stand in Mt. Sinai thinking it was our native butterfly milkweed. I planted it in the backyard, and all was fine until it bloomed yellow.
In 2013, I purchased a butterfly milkweed at Cathy's Flower Stand in Mt. Sinai thinking it was our native butterfly milkweed. I planted it in the backyard, and all was fine until it bloomed yellow.
Not only that, but it impacted the Butterfly Milkweed I was growing commercially at the front of the property. Many were no longer orange.
Apparently, this isn't a true native, but cultivated to be yellow. According to American Meadows, "Hello Yellow Butterfly Weed was developed from the native Butterfly Weed and has golden clusters of flowers."
A local vegetable breeder, Ken Ettlinger, considered the range of colors exciting. Our plants ended up ranging in color from a brilliant peachy salmon to pale orange to yellow. Ken explained, "You're growing out a specialized variety, and the monarchs will still come to feed on them." So I selected for the colors I liked and clipped the yellow so the bees couldn't cross pollinate them.
Then Dai Dayton from Friends of Long Pond Greenbelt said, "We can't buy Quality Parks butterfly milkweed if it's not truly native, because Vineyard Field is a grassland restoration, and we need it to be orange." Fortunately, most of the hybridization had disappeared, as I was bringing in more seeds from other sources to maintain biodiversity. I then assured her that they were the traditional orange.
Apparently, this isn't a true native, but cultivated to be yellow. According to American Meadows, "Hello Yellow Butterfly Weed was developed from the native Butterfly Weed and has golden clusters of flowers."
A local vegetable breeder, Ken Ettlinger, considered the range of colors exciting. Our plants ended up ranging in color from a brilliant peachy salmon to pale orange to yellow. Ken explained, "You're growing out a specialized variety, and the monarchs will still come to feed on them." So I selected for the colors I liked and clipped the yellow so the bees couldn't cross pollinate them.
Then Dai Dayton from Friends of Long Pond Greenbelt said, "We can't buy Quality Parks butterfly milkweed if it's not truly native, because Vineyard Field is a grassland restoration, and we need it to be orange." Fortunately, most of the hybridization had disappeared, as I was bringing in more seeds from other sources to maintain biodiversity. I then assured her that they were the traditional orange.
It's tough being a purist. Despite my best efforts to keep out the yellow intruder and remain native, I am still partial to some of the color variations.
You may also want to check out Swamp Milkweed and Common Milkweed
You may also want to check out Swamp Milkweed and Common Milkweed
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