Keywords
butterflies
indigenous plants
plant selection guides
How to Cite
Abstract
This publication outlines the care and planting considerations of milkweed utilized to attract monarch butterflies in Florida. Its intended audience is the general public, cooperative Extension agents, landscape professionals, nursery growers, and other green industry professionals who are interested in planting milkweed or designing gardens containing milkweed to attract monarch butterflies.
References
Ali, J. G., and A. A. Agrawal. 2014. “Asymmetry of Plant-Mediated Interactions Between Specialist Aphids and Caterpillars on Two Milkweeds.” Functional Ecology 28 (6): 1404–1412. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12271 [SG12.1]
Altizer, S. M., & Oberhauser, K. S. (1999). Effects of the protozoan parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha on the fitness of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 74(1), 76–88. https://doi.org/10.1006/JIPA.1999.4853
Atlas of Florida Plants. https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Default.aspx. Accessed 11/20/2024.
Baker, A. M., & Potter, D. A. (2018). Colonization and usage of eight milkweed (Asclepias) species by monarch butterflies and bees in urban garden settings. Journal of Insect Conservation, 22(3–4), 405–418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-018-0069-5
Baker, A. M., & Potter, D. A. (2019). Configuration and Location of Small Urban Gardens Affect Colonization by Monarch Butterflies. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00474
Baker, A. M., Redmond, C. T., Malcolm, S. B., & Potter, D. A. (2020). Suitability of native milkweed (Asclepias) species versus cultivars for supporting monarch butterflies and bees in urban gardens. PeerJ, 8. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9823
Batalden, R., & Oberhauser, K. (2015). Potential changes in eastern North American monarch migration in response to an introduced milkweed, Asclepias curassavica. Monarchs in a Changing World: Biology and Conservation of an Iconic Butterfly. Comstock Publishing Associates. ISBN-13: 978-0801453151.
Brower, L. P., Taylor, O. R., Williams, E. H., Slayback, D. A., Zubieta, R. R., & Ramírez, M. I. (2012). Decline of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico: Is the migratory phenomenon at risk? Insect Conservation and Diversity, 5(2), 95–100. https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1752-4598.2011.00142.X
De Roode, J. C., Chi, J., Rarick, R. M., & Altizer, S. (2009). Strength in numbers: High parasite burdens increase transmission of a protozoan parasite of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). Oecologia, 161(1), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-009-1361-6
De Roode, J. C., Rarick, R. M., Mongue, A. J., Gerardo, N. M., & Hunter, M. D. (2011). Aphids indirectly increase virulence and transmission potential of a monarch butterfly parasite by reducing defensive chemistry of a shared food plant. Ecology Letters, 14(5), 453–461. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01604.x
Faldyn, M. J., Hunter, M. D., & Elderd, B. D. (2018). Climate change and an invasive, tropical milkweed: an ecological trap for monarch butterflies. Ecology.
Florida Wildflower Foundation. https://www.flawildflowers.org/. Accessed 11/20/2024.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. https://wildflower.org. Accessed 11/20/2024.
Mach, B. M., Glynn, S. E., Daniels, J. C., & Dale, A. G. (2024). Target and non-target effects of insecticide use during ornamental milkweed production. Environmental Entomology, 53(4), 648–658. https://doi.org/10.1093/EE/NVAE056
Mach, B. M., Long, W., Daniels, J. C., & Dale, A. G. (2023). Aphid infestations reduce monarch butterfly colonization, herbivory, and growth on ornamental milkweed. PLOS ONE, 18(7), e0288407. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0288407
Majewska, A. A., & Altizer, S. (2019). Exposure to non-native tropical milkweed promotes reproductive development in migratory monarch butterflies. Insects, 10(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/insects10080253
Malcolm, S. B. (1990). Chemical defence in chewing and sucking insect herbivores: plant-derived cardenolides in the monarch butterfly and oleander aphid. Chemoecology, 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01240581
Martel, J. W., & Malcolm, S. B. (2004). Density-dependent reduction and induction of milkweed cardenolides by a sucking insect herbivore. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 30(3). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOEC.0000018628.48604.79
Meehan, T. D., & Crossley, M. S. (2023). Change in monarch winter abundance over the past decade: A Red List perspective. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 16(5), 566–573. https://doi.org/10.1111/icad.12646
Monarch Joint Venture. (2024). Eastern monarch butterfly population falls to less than one hectare in the 2023–2024 overwintering season. Available from: https://monarchjointventure.org/blog/eastern-monarch-butterfly-population-falls-to-less-than-one-hectare-in-the-2023-2024-overwintering-season#:~:text=The%20eastern%20monarch%20population%20is
Nestle, R. P., Daniels, J. C., & Dale, A. G. (2020). Mixed-species gardens increase monarch oviposition without increasing top-down predation. Insects, 11(9), 648. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11090648
Pocius, V. M., Debinski, D. M., Pleasants, J. M., Bidne, K. G., Hellmich, R. L., & Brower, L. P. (2017). Milkweed matters: Monarch butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) survival and development on nine midwestern milkweed species. Environmental Entomology, 46(5), 1098–1105. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvx137
Satterfield, D. A., Villablanca, F. X., Maerz, J. C., & Altizer, S. (2016). Migratory monarchs wintering in California experience low infection risk compared to monarchs breeding year-round on non-native milkweed. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 56(2), 343–352. https://doi.org/10.1093/ICB/ICW030
Soule, A. J., Decker, L. E., & Hunter, M. D. (2020). Effects of diet and temperature on monarch butterfly wing morphology and flight ability. Journal of Insect Conservation, 24(6), 961–975. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-020-00267-7
Thogmartin, W. E., Wiederhold, R., Oberhauser, K. (2017). Monarch butterfly population decline in North America: identifying the threatening processes. Royal Society Open Science. 4: 170760. Pmid: 28989778. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.170760
Züst, T., Mou, S., & Agrawal, A. A. (2018). What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger: The burdens and benefits of toxin sequestration in a milkweed aphid. Functional Ecology, 32(8), 1972–1981. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13144
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 UF/IFAS