I am a Monarch butterfly, and I have something important to share. You see, my journey through life isn’t as smooth as you might think, and there's one plant in particular causing me and my fellow Monarchs a lot of trouble: Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica). It’s not from around here, but it keeps showing up in places like Florida where we migrate and breed.

Unlike our native milkweed plants, which die back in the winter and give us a break to move along our migration path, this Tropical milkweed sticks around all year. You might think having food year-round is great, but it’s confusing for us! Instead of moving on like we’re supposed to, we end up staying put, stuck where the milkweed is. This messes up our natural instincts and makes it harder for us to migrate properly.

But that’s not the worst part. Tropical milkweed is like a hidden trap. It carries a parasite called Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE). When we come into contact with it, we get sick. Our wings get deformed, and we can’t fly the way we should. Some of us don’t even make it. Normally, we’d be able to manage this parasite in the wild, but with Tropical milkweed around all the time, we’re constantly exposed, and it’s spreading fast among us.

I’m angry because this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. We have our own native milkweed plants that help keep us healthy and let us follow our ancient migration routes. But this Tropical milkweed is disrupting everything! It’s time for a change. We need humans to step up and stop selling Tropical milkweed in Florida so that we Monarchs can get back to our natural way of life.

There’s a better way to help us – by planting native milkweed varieties like those grown at Asclepias Acres. These plants are our real allies. They die back in winter, giving us the signals we need to migrate, and they don’t spread harmful parasites. With your help, we can get rid of this Tropical milkweed and fly free again.

So here’s the deal: If you ban the sale of Tropical milkweed, we Monarchs can go back to being the happy, healthy butterflies we’re meant to be. Instead of struggling with deformed wings, we’ll soar high and continue our incredible migration, just like we’ve done for generations.

Please sign this petition to help us out. Let’s get rid of Tropical milkweed in Florida and make our world a better place for Monarchs!