There’s a non-native plant in New York that could harm the Monarch Butterfly population.
It’s the Swallow-wort, which was originally introduced in the 1800s.
It’s considered invasive, and nothing currently to control its spread. It’s doing major harm to Monarch Butterflies right now.
“The problem with the black and pale Swallow-wort is that it has many, many seeds in it’s pods. And the other problem is, it’s in the milkweed family, so it does trick monarchs basically, into laying eggs on this plant and the caterpillars will die because it’s toxic for them,” said David O’Donnell of Eastern Monarch Butterfly Farm.
The Swallow-wort is located around the region.
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