Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Monday - July 23, 2012

From: Brea, CA
Region: California
Topic: Pests, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Getting rid of Aphids on Asclepias plants in Brea, CA.
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

I grow asclepsias or MILKWEED for the benefit of Monarchs. At times I have aphids consuming the leaves. How can I destroy the aphids without harming the Monarch eggs? Thank you very much.

ANSWER:

We get numerous inquiries about aphids on various kinds of plants, and I wonder if there is something useful people could do with all of those aphids. Mr. Smarty Plants is thinking that one possibility is to feed them to Lady Bugs.

This answer to a previous question explores that possibility along with others for controlling these pests.

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