Milkweed for Monarchs

As you enjoy the roadside site of our beautiful blue bonnets, Indian paintbrush and other Texas wildflowers keep a look out for a less showy but very important native plant. Antelope horn milkweed (Asclepias Asperula) once grew abundantly in fields across Texas. This valuable perennial has decreased in abundance due to loss of habitat in our rapidly growing Texas hill country.

So what’s so important about Asclepias Asperula? The beautiful monarch butterfly lays its eggs exclusively on milkweed plants, because that is the only plant the caterpillar hatchlings can eat, and antelope horn is one of the most common milkweeds in our area. The milkweed plant is potentially poisonous to humans and animals, and it causes the caterpillars and butterflies to be poisonous as well.

Predators know to leave the monarch caterpillar and butterfly alone. This is one of the amazing adaptations of this beautiful butterfly species. As you might expect, the decline in milkweed plants has contributed to a dramatic decline in the monarch butterfly population. The sad fact is that, since the 1980s, the monarch population decline has been found to be between 80 and 90 percent.

As a perennial, the antelope horn milkweed remains dormant until Spring arrives. The narrow leaves then appear on long stalks and the unusual blooms begin to form. The greenish-white cluster blooms develop into seed pods that look like a horn, hence its common name. If you learn to recognize this vital plant you might just find it on your property or in your yard. I live in Woodcreek, and over the years have discovered six antelope horns and a few other milkweed species in my yard. I’m beginning to see them on the roadsides around Wimberley. See if you can become an Asclepias Asperula spotter and protector!