Tag: milkweed

Native Plant Nursery Spring Festival

Media Alert: Ever-popular UF/IFAS Native Plant Sale returns to campus this weekend

by Megan Winslow
May 12, 2026

What: The UF/IFAS Native Plant Sale. When: June 21 and 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: The UF/IFAS Native Plant Nursery, just west of the greenhouses located at 2333 Mowry Road, Gainesville. About: Shop hundreds of native plant species ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Events, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Blueberry, Campus, Conservation, Event, Extension, Florida Wildflower Foundation, Gage LaPierre, Grass, Green Antelopehorn Milkweed, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Intern, Legume, Megan Winslow, Milkweed, Native Plant Horticulture Foundation, Native Plant Nursery, Native Plant Sale, Natural Area Teaching Laboratory, Nursery, Office Of The Dean For Research, Plants, Purchase, Restoration, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Shop, Shopping, Shrub, Sunflower, Tree, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Wildflower, Wildlife

Aphids make tropical milkweed less inviting to monarch butterflies, study finds

by Samantha Murray
May 12, 2026

When oleander aphids infested tropical milkweed, monarch butterflies laid fewer eggs on the plant, and the caterpillars developing on those plants were slower to mature. The researchers will next investigate pest management options that ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Tags: Adam Dale, Aphids, Bernie Mach, Entomology And Nematology, Jaret Daniels, Milkweed, Monarch Butterfly, News

UF research verifies consumers want wildlife-friendly plants

by Brad Buck
May 12, 2026

Consumers want to buy plants that enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship with fauna in their landscapes, preliminary University of Florida research shows. To help meet consumer demand, UF/IFAS researchers want to assure consumers that those ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources
Tags: Agricultural Education And Communication, Bernie Mach, Caroline Nickerson, Consumers, Entomology And Nematology, Growers, Jaret Daniels, Laura Warner, Milkweed, Monarch Butterfly, Nurseries, Pollinator Friendly Plants, UF-certified, Urban Landscape Summit, Wildlife-friendly Plants

Gardening with Florida Native Plants

by Tia Saracino
April 16, 2026

Watch our Gardening with Native Plants webinar with Tia Silvasy, UF/IFAS Extension and Anita Camacho, Little Red Wagon Native Nursery What is a native plant?Let's start with a few definitions. A native plant is one that has been documented ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Central Florida, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Home Landscapes, Landscape, Landscaping, Milkweed, Monarch, Native, Native Plants, Plants, Tsilvasy

Tropical Milkweed and OE

by Tia Saracino
April 14, 2026

Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is commonly found in garden centers and is easy to grow. However, recent research has suggested that gardeners should avoid tropical milkweed and plant native species instead. As of June 2025, tropical ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Butterflies, Butterfly Garden, Florida, Florida Native Plants, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Milkweed, Monarch, Native Plants, OE, Pollinators, Tropical Milkweed, Tsilvasy, Video

How to easily grow Florida native milkweed in sandy landscapes

by Anne Yasalonis
October 10, 2025

To support monarch butterflies, the University of Florida and other conservation groups recommend Florida native milkweed species as host and nectar plants. Currently, there are three native milkweed species that are most commonly found ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, , Wildlife
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Butterflies, Butterfly, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Flowers, Gardening, Master Gardener Volunteer, Milkweed, Monarch, Native Plants, Polk County, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Pollinators, Sandy Soil, UF-IFAS, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast
closeup of monarch butterfly on leaves

Monarchs and Milkweed: An Important Update

by polkmg
October 2, 2025

Ahhhh, monarch butterflies…  Their life cycle and fascinating migration patterns, as well as their striking beauty make them intriguing and beloved to gardeners and scientists alike.  The following blog post covers some of the latest ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes,
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Butterflies, Milkweed, Monarch, Native Milkweed, Native Plants, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Tropical Milkweed
Tropical milkweed

From garden favorites to ecological threats: Why we need to rethink what we plant

by Sara MacDonald
August 1, 2025

Not all pretty plants belong in Florida’s landscape. Two commonly ornamental plants, tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and zebra inchplant (Tradescantia zebrina), have recently raised red flags with scientists and conservationists ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Butterfly, FISC, Florida Friendly Landscape, Invasive Species, Milkweed, Native Plants, OE, Pollinators

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