• Home
  • About
  • News
  • Events
  • Native Plants
  • Conservation
  • Long Island Parks
  • Park Resources
  • Contact
Quality Parks

News

The Yellow Intruder

7/20/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
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. 
​
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. 
Picture
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

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe

    Categories

    All
    Bridgehampton
    Browns River Tidal Wetlands Area
    Caran Markson
    Coastal Erosion
    Flanders
    Forest Therapy
    Hunting
    Interpretive Sign Needs
    Islip
    KMS Native Plants
    Linda Lombardo
    Long Island
    Manorville
    Open Space Preservation
    Phil Benvin
    Port Jefferson
    Public Access
    Rewilding
    Rocky Point
    Solid Waste
    Tips
    Wildlife

    RSS Feed

Picture

Board Members

Mindy Block, President & Founder
Annelies Kamran
Caran Markson
Fred Edel, Co-Chair
​Jenn Lucas
Phil Benvin
Quality Parks is a professional organization sponsoring projects to improve both business and environmental conditions by balancing social, economic and environmental concerns. We disseminate information, develop and provide experiential learning opportunities, and support efforts designed to stimulate, encourage, educate, and involve the general public in natural resource stewardship practice​s. ​We are a  federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, since 2000, based in Port Jefferson, on  Long Island, New York
​
Policy Statement
A Tribute To Raymond P. Corwin
A Tribute To Larry Paul
Copyright © 2023, Quality Parks. All rights reserved. 
Keep Informed - Subscribe

Search Our Portals, with Enhanced Google

Picture
Website  by Robbin Block, Blockbeta Marketing​

Suffolk County GIS is down since 9/22.  Tax Map  parcel research services is donated by Property Shark  between 1/24/23-7/24/23.