The little purple flowers are called eupatorium. They're in the flower bed with butterfly weed, which the monarchs are attracted to. You read that butterfly weed is a monarch butterfly favorite, but they also LOVE eupatorium. They flutter around it more than my butterfly weed. I know butterfly weed is a host plant for their larvae and I even noticed their caterpillars on the eupatorium. But, you don't hear about eupatorium for monarchs.
Eupatorium is a hardy perennial that really spreads out and I love the way it grows in and out of the rest of my flowers.
Eupatorium is a hardy perennial that really spreads out and I love the way it grows in and out of the rest of my flowers.
And, you can see the yellow black eyed susan flowers and vine. I do love vines! All summer and early fall, I'm constantly pulling it away from all of the places it likes to grow and hang on to. By September, I just let it grow wherever it wants to because it's so beautifuL when it starts blooming in September and blooms until it freezes. This glider is going to be full of the yellow flowers and vines and, I will be loving it! I will, gladly, sit somewhere else.
I googled eupatorium and: (Perennial for part-shade and butterfly magnet:
Gregg’s Mistflower (Eupatorium greggii, Conoclinium greggii,)
You've created a lovely space for the butterflies!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend,
Ruby - Starry Universe
Thank you! Except for the very hottest days of summer, I do love working in my yard.
ReplyDeleteI love your attitude! Seeing wonderful things grow is such a great pleasure.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, I do enjoy nature in my yard.
DeleteLovely! Thank you for linking up!
ReplyDeleteI don't know these plants they don't grow in the tropics, but in my case too even if i don't like the plant as long as the butterflies love it, i let them be!
ReplyDeleteI googled eupatorium and (Perennial for part-shade and butterfly magnet:
DeleteGregg’s Mistflower (Eupatorium greggii, Conoclinium greggii,)
I've never heard of eupatorium. The monarchs were loving the verbena bonariensis at our home. Last wknd we were in MO and there was a huge butterfly bush that had lots of monarch activity (we saw other butterflies enjoying it as well). Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI think eupatorium is also "mist flower". But, when I see it at the nursery, it's called eupatorium. I bet all of those butterflies were beautiful to see!!
DeleteBeautiful vines. Mine are gorgeous now but the rain is plucking the leaves. Don't Monarchs slike milkweed? I read that. xo Jenny
ReplyDeleteI read that, too. I grow orange and yellow butterfly weed in my garden for the monarchs. It is a "host" plant for their larvae. They will eat and strip every leaf and that's ok with me. I always think that they're on a mission and need to survive to make it to Mexico and back.
DeleteMist flower is lovely, although a little aggressive here. Butterflies are like icing on the cake. Your butterfly area is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Yes, it is invasive, but I plan for that every year and really love the way it looks. It's easy to push it aside or bunch it and hold it back with a little trellis or those small metal fencing pieces. That's what I do.
DeleteI also plant for butterflys... I will have to try more of the Eupatorium. I waited to see some caterpillars on the Milkweed but that didn't happen this year despite having quite a few Monarchs migrate through.
ReplyDeleteI looked at your beautiful photos. I'm guessing it's colder there than it is here. Interesting about the no caterpillars and milkweed.
DeleteEupatorium is a large family of plants. I grow E. rugosum and purpureum, both of which the butterflies like for nectar. I'll have to look up E. greggii in my books. I also have several types of milkweed in my butterfly garden but I don't think they've ever been used for a host plant. Could be that we have so much common milkweed growing along roadsides and in fields.
ReplyDeleteI'm saying "butterfly weed" (Asclepias tuberosa). And, the monarchs do lay eggs on it and is a host plant for their larvae. Now, because some were saying they had never heard of eupatorium, I chose the one on google that looked exactly like mine and was called "mist flower" eupatorium greggii. The flowers and foliage look like mine. It's a wonderful perennial.
Delete