Took my mom down to Balboa Park to show her two giant Calotropis Gigantea (Crown plants) just outside of the Botanical Building. Learned about this plant from one of the Director of Entomology during Insect Mania Day at the Natural History Museum. It attracts Monarch Butterflies and Ladybugs at least as well as our milkweeds but not so much the bees, wasps or aphids. Also, it’s a much stronger plant so the larvae can pupate right on the plant instead of crawling away to look for something stiffer. Now to try and find local nurseries that actually sell them.
( p l a n t p i c s )
