Prairie Milkweed (Asclepias sullivanti)

Prairie milkweed looks similar to common milkweed, but is less aggressive, and has smaller fragrant flowers.  It grows to about 3 feet tall, attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, and has smooth, thick leaves.  In my research plot this summer, I had 24 total monarch (15 eggs and 9 larvae) on my prairie milkweed, just behind whorled, which had 25.

After only having milkweed in my garden for one year, the prairie species would be one of my recommendations for flower gardens.  However, It will be interesting to see how aggressive and hardy it is for me in the next few years.

Here is a monarch egg (about the size of a pinhead) on a prairie milkweed on July 19th, a month after planting.  A great majority of eggs are laid on the underside of leaves, like the one below.  Eggs hatch in 3-5 days.

On July 27th, a first instar larva is enjoying its meal of milkweed.  Monarchs go through 5 instars, molting between each, when its skin becomes too tight.  It will spend 2-3 days in each instar, for a total of 10-14 days as larva.

In my regular garden I had to make fences out of hard wire mesh to protect the milkweed that weren't inside my rabbit proof fence.  As you can see in the photo below, two larvae have moved off the plant to molt, a common occurrence.  Larvae will frequently take a day or two off from eating when they are molting.