If you’re an avid gardener, you may have butterfly weed in your garden or yard. Butterfly weed (also known as Asclepias tuberosa) are beautiful flowering plants that add a touch of elegance to any garden and attract butterflies. But do deer eat butterfly weed?
Deer do not usually eat butterfly weed. Butterfly weed is deer-resistant because of it’s strong scent and bitter taste. But a hungry deer will eat almost anything, which may include butterfly weed plants.
Considering that a single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day, you can see how deer eating butterfly weed can really do some serious damage to your garden!
In this article, we’ll discuss how to stop deer from eating your butterfly weed, and keep them healthy and beautiful all season long.
Why Do Deer Eat Butterfly Weed?
As we covered, deer usually stay away from butterfly weed thanks to their strong scent and bitter taste.
Deer are most likely to eat butterfly weed during spring because they’re hungry after a long winter, or if it’s late in fall and other food sources have been depleted.
Your butterfly weed plants are less susceptible to deer damage later in summer when many other food sources they prefer are available.
Deer can do some serious damage to a large amount of butterfly weed in a single sitting if they’re hungry enough!
This was confirmed in a 1999 study on deer plant eating habits by Cornell University.
And don’t think that your newer butterfly weeds are safer either: deer actually prefer new growth because they’re more tender.
Is Butterfly Weed Deer Resistant?
Butterfly weed is regarded as deer resistant thanks to it’s taste and scent, both of which deer do not like.
They were rated as “seldom severely damaged” in a study on deer resistant plants by Rutgers University.
The bitter taste of the flowers and leaves usually keep deer away.
Deer have a keen sense of smell, and the strong scent of butterfly weed also repels them.
As we mentioned earlier, just because butterfly weed are deer resistant doesn’t mean they are completely safe from being eaten by deer.
You should always take additional steps to deter deer from your butterfly weed and other plants and flowers.
Read on to learn more.
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Butterfly Weed?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting butterfly weed from hungry deer: their habits, your scent, repellent options, and when you plant them.
Deer will eat nearly anything if they’re hungry enough, so your main goal is making your garden as least inviting to deer as possible.
Check out our guide on how to keep deer from eating plants where we cover 25 quick and easy tips for keeping hungry deer out of your garden.
Will My Butterfly Weed Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
Fortunately, butterfly weed can bounce back from browsing by deer if given some care, attention, and time.
Butterfly weed are considered perennials in warm climates, meaning they’ll come back each season.
So unless a deer ate your butterfly weed plants all the way down to the ground and damaged the roots, they should grow back.
Do Deer Eat Butterfly Weed? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat butterfly weed?
Not usually, but they will if they’re hungry enough.
Deer will usually stay away from butterfly weed, but may eat them during spring when they’re hungry after a long winter or in late fall when other food sources have been depleted.
Have any observations to add to the discussion? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Check our our other helpful wildlife guides while you’re here:
- Do deer eat Gerbera daisies?
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- Do deer eat geraniums?
- Do deer eat African daisies?
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- Do deer eat four o’clock flowers?
- Do deer eat anemone?
- Do deer eat liatris?
- Do deer eat bougainvillea?
- Do deer eat candytuft?
- Do deer eat poinsettias?
- Do deer eat primroses?
