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Native Milkweed
Feature

Native Milkweed 

Suzanne Guldimann, August 22, 2025 0 1 min read 127  
It’s been months since the last rains and it will be at least two months more until the next, but wildflowers are still blooming throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. One of the most important at this time of year is narrowleaf milkweed, Asclepias fascicularis. Photos by Suzanne
Guldimann
Milkweed flowers are followed by seeds that form in a pod and are dispersed on the wind once they ripen, sometimes traveling miles from the parent plant. This native plant is a survivor, often growing in the disturbed soil by the side of the road or among non-native invasive species in empty fields. It rewards the gardener who plants it with abundant, sweet-smelling flowers that attract monarchs to the garden.
Narrowleaf milkweed is a critically important food source for the Western monarch butterfly—caterpillars eat the plant material, adult butterflies depend on nectar from the flowers—but it is also an important host plant for for a wide range of pollinators, including Pepsis thisbe, the tarantula hawk, a wasp equipped with a venom so powerful it can subdue a tarantula many sizes larger than itself. Although its reputation is deservedly fierce, tarantula hawks have no interest in stinging humans, reserving their weapon for use exclusively on spiders.
Tags #Asclepias fascicularis #Santa Monica Mountains
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Suzanne Guldimann

TNT Editor Suzanne Guldimann is an author, artist, and musician who lives in Malibu and loves the Santa Monica Mountains. She has worked as a journalist reporting on local news and issues for almost two decades, and is the author of 13 books, including two local histories and a novel. She can be reached at suzanne@topanganewtimes.com

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