Asclepias rubra, Purple Savanna Milkweed!This species, one of 21 native Asclepias in Florida, is found only in the very western counties of the Panhandle. It has a strange distribution in the Eastern US - disjunct populations in Texas/Louisana, FL panhandle & S. Alabama, another population central Georgia, and then in the Carolina’s & up to New Jersey.I love the color of this species and how its horns arc and touch over the center column. It’s also relatively tall - some individuals reach up to

Asclepias Asperula🌿 #nature #botany #nectar #botanist #viral #reels | Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't

Asclepias nectar- the perfect summer time beverage….if you’re a monarch butterfly! 🦋Many pollinators will feed on the nectar and pollen of Asclepias tuberosa, but monarchs also need this plant as a starter home for their young. Monarch caterpillars can only feed on Asclepias (milkweed) plants. Our horticulturists grow milkweed in many of our gardens to provide this critical source of habitat. 🎥: Michael Miller, Horticulturist #MonarchButterfly #Asclepisa #MonarchWaystation #SmithsonianGardens

Milkweed has evolved for centuries to live with lots of insects. Last week I posted a video of bright orange Oleander aphids all over my swamp milkweed. And one week I only have two stems that have aids on them, and I have evidence of beneficial insects devouring them. I also at the same time, have a big beautiful monarch caterpillar living off the same plant. This is what a great ecosystem looks like. In future seasons this process is gonna happen even faster because now the beneficial insects