RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) and milkweeds (Asclepias species)
JF Native Plants Journal
JO NATIVE PLANTS JOURNAL
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 5
OP 16
DO 10.3368/npj.14.1.5
VO 14
IS 1
A1 Luna, Tara
A1 Dumroese, R Kasten
YR 2013
UL http://npj.uwpress.org/content/14/1/5.abstract
AB An international effort is under way to conserve populations of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus L. [Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae]). Monarchs complete an impressive migration each year, flying from winter roosts on the California coast and the central mountains of Mexico to breeding areas throughout North America. Monarchs depend on habitats along their migratory paths that contain milkweed species (Asclepias L. [Apocynaceae])—larvae are obligate feeders on leaves, and adults visit flowers for nectar. More than 130 species of milkweeds grow in North America and are readily propagated using seeds, or in some cases, cuttings. To assist monarchs and other native pollinators, native plant nurseries and their clients can incorporate milkweed species into restoration plantings in suitable habitats within the native range of individual species.