May 23, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source proofread by Sarah Fuller, Texas A&M University With the summer season ramping up, experts with Texas A&M AgriLife said now is the ideal time to create an oasis for monarch butterflies that will funnel through Texas during their annual fall migration to Mexico. Although monarchs are generally known for their specialized relationship with milkweed plants , they rely on a wide variety of nectar-producing plants during fall migration, said Wizzie Brown, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology, Travis County.

"They usually start heading south through Texas around September into November," Brown said. "At that time, our goal is to provide them with enough nectar resources and energy to make it to their overwintering grounds." Texas is home to roughly 30 native milkweed varieties, and while these plants do provide nectar, their primary role is as a host plant for monarch eggs and caterpillar development during the spring.

However, tropical milkweed, a popular non-native variety commonly sold in garden centers, blooms longer into fall than native milkweed varieties. Because of this, Mike Arnold, Ph.D.

, professor and director of The Gardens at Texas A&M University, sugg.