The inner pod and the seeds were certainly reminiscent of the other milkweed plants I’ve seen. And I learned that there’s an additional connection: The balloon plant attracts monarch ...

6. Balloon plant (Asclepias or Gomphocarpus physocarpus): This is a tropical, non-native annual milkweed grown as a garden curiosity, though monarchs feed on it. It is grown for its size — six ...

DONNA SAID SHE NOTICED OUT OF ALL OF THE MILKWEED PLANTS ONE ATTRACTED MORE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES THAN THE REST THE NON-NATIVE GOMPOCARPUS FISOCARPUS ALSO KNOWN AS BALLOON MILKWEED, BUT IT’S ALSO ...

“The amount of milkweed is decreasing ... hatched caterpillars are born famished, and as they balloon in size, can strip entire plants bare of leaves in a matter of days.Credit ...

Butterfly fans, take a breath. I know it’s officially spring and we’re all pounding on nursery doors, anxious to plant some California native milkweed to help the endangered Western monarch ...