In article <MOD$990210.23245@rec.gardens.ecosystems>,
wtmorgan@pilot.msu.edu (Bill Morgan) wrote: > > In article <MOD$990202.28848@rec.gardens.ecosystems>, zvan@my-dejanews.com > wrote: > > > by now i have quite a thicket of common milkweeds, about 100 yds from any > > home, in an old untreated orchard near woods. still no monarchs. i am not > > terribly worried, the weeds have been up only two years (i planted cutting > > and seeds) yet i wonder if i could do something to facilitate their coming. > > I assume you live in a Monarch area. You have seen them "around town", right?
I live in SE Michigan. To be perfectly honest, the only place where I saw
monarchs in abundance was on Beaver Island up north. Beaver Island is covered
with milkweeds. I have seen a few in the Pinkney area, which is about half way
between here and Lansing.
> > Here's a couple of quick questions: > > How large is your milkweed patch? The bigger it is, the more likely it is > to be found.
a few square yards, in full sun.
> > Do your plants flower? The more flowers there are, the more attractive the > planting.
some of them do. some of them are young.
> > How open is this orchard area, and are there other open areas nearby? > Milkweed does appreciate sunlight, and monarchs are more a meadow than a > deep woods species. If the orchard trees are unkempt (i.e., have not been > pruned for years), even just some intensive pruning will open things up a > bit--not to mention the fact that it makes for a better fruit crop. >
Yes, it is an old orchard, and I started the weeds where two trees in a row
fell. It is quite open. the rest I am pruning on weekends, one tree at a time.
what I am going to do is, I will provide a few butterfly bushes, and wait some
more.
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