Find out how to keep deer from eating milkweed without deterring the monarch butterflies you are trying to attract.
Do Deer Eat Milkweed Plants?
Updated Aug. 07, 2024
On This Page
Stop Deer From Eating Milkweed Plants
“I’ve been trying to grow milkweed for monarch caterpillars, but the deer have been eating the plants. I’ve read that the milkweed scent is what attracts female monarchs to lay their eggs on it. Would spraying a deer repellent mask the natural scent and defeat the whole purpose?” asks reader Vicki Velsor of Speonk, New York.
Birds & Blooms’ official gardening and birding experts, Melinda Myers and Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman, weighed in on this question.
Kenn and Kimberly say, “Although milkweeds are not usually the preferred food for browsing animals, deer will eat milkweed plants on occasion. So will rabbits, and groundhogs sometimes devour them too.
Here’s how to protect your milkweed plants from backyard wildlife.
Apply Deer Repellents
Melinda says, “It seems there is more to be learned about how monarchs locate milkweeds when flying nearby the plants or from a distance. Applying a granular deer repellent on the soil around the plant may allow the milkweed smell, which is thought to be one way the monarchs track milkweed, to stand out.”
Kenn and Kimberly say, “If you have to resort to spraying the plants with deer repellent, it shouldn’t keep the monarchs away. The sense of smell in butterflies and other insects seems to operate differently from that of mammals,. The female monarchs should be able to detect the milkweeds despite having other strong odors nearby.”
Cover and Protect the Plants
Melinda says, “The other option would be to protect the plants, especially the young ones, with a purchased or homemade cagelike cover. As the plants mature and other food sources become available to the deer later in the season, this may become less of a problem.”
Kenn and Kimberly agree. “If you have just a few milkweed plants, you might protect them by building chicken wire exclosures around them (including over the top),” they say.
Next, check out the most deer-resistant bulbs for spring blooms.
About the Experts
Melinda Myers is the official gardening expert for Birds & Blooms. She is a TV/radio host, author and columnist who has written more than 20 gardening books. Melinda earned a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman are the official bird experts for Birds & Blooms. They are the creators of the Kaufman Field Guide series and they lead birding trips all over the world.
Originally Published: August 07, 2024
