More gardening

I have discovered a new plant thanks to my SIL. Thanks Renee!  It is milkweed.
Milkweed is a host plant to Monarch Butterflies.  The caterpillar stage of the monarch butterfly feeds on milkweed plants.
There are over 100 types of milkweed.  I planted the only one I could find.  The Tropical Milkweed. 
It is a frost tender perennial - A few milkweeds fall into this category. You can still grow them anywhere in the United States. However, if you live in a zone that falls between 1 and 9, the plants will die in the winter and you will have to replant from seed in the spring. In zones 10 - 11, these milkweed species will grow year round.   What zone are we?  According to the USDA we are zone 7b so we will have to replant.  I was hoping for a hardy perennial milkweed, but the nursrey I went to did not have that kind.  I'll keep checking around.  We already saw our first monarch today while we were playing outside.  Can they really already know we have this plant? I hope so!!!
In addition to being a host plant for the monarch the milkweed has benefits for other creatures.
Milkweed flowers produce nectar that all butterfly species benefit from.
Honey bee's take nectar from milkweed flowers. There is a decline of honey bee populations in the US, planting milkweed in your garden can help to provide feeding stations as they fly between crop fields and orchards.   The boys will be excited about this because they have seen a special about the decline in honey bees.
Also hummingbirds often use the floss from milkweed seed pods to line their nests.
So you can see why I was anxious and excited to plant it.  It just SCREAMS,  "Learn from me!!!"  Gardening School right in our own backyard.  All of which God miraculously designed!!!
Enjoy the pictures.....for now I am off to do more gardening.