#aslepias

[rjalker]

once again making a variation of this post:

If you are going to plant milkweed to help monarch butterflies, you are not allowed to get mad at other insects who come to the plant and eat the caterpillars. They are also starved for the habitat that milkweed provides, and they are not evil or bad or cruel for continuing their natural role in the ecosystem as predators of small caterpillars.

Planting milkweed helps monarch butterflies. It also helps more species than I can count or even list off the top of my head. Milkweed does not exist for the sole benefit of monarch butterflies.

If you want the monarch caterpillars to not get eaten, then you can buy a butterfly cage or build one and bring any caterpillars you find on the main plant into the cage with some potted milkweed, and keep them in there until they emerge as adults.

Nature is going to keep doing its thing whether people have decided monarchs are the most important species on that plant or not. The species that prey on monarch caterpillars are not being mean, or cruel. They do not know that monarchs are endangered, and neither do the monarchs. The predators of monarch caterpillars are playing the same role they've played for thousands of years - population control.

It's not their fault monarchs are endangered. Habitat loss and climate change are the reason monarchs are endangered.

You are not allowed to blame native species for doing their job on native plants in their native ecosystem.

If you look at a milkweed plant covered in half a dozen or more different species and your response is "Ugh! But I planted this just for the monarchs!" you need to learn and care more about habitat restoration instead of only caring about the pretty butterflies.

If your single milkweed plants has half a dozen different species living on it and this upsets you, then you really need to start thinking about the word ecosystem and start realizing, "oh, if this single plant is enough to attract all these species, then they must be desperate for habitat".

If you're mad that monarch caterpillars are being eaten on milkweed you planted, then here are your options:

Get a butterfly cage or build one. It should remain outdoors. Get several milkweed plants that are in pots that can fit inside the cage. Check the main milkweed plant for caterpillars whenever possible, and if you find them, transfer them into the butterfly cage onto the milkweed in there. Keep them in there until they form chysalises and emerge as adults. If you aren't home very often, you can look up youtube videos of how to gently remove the chrysalis and hang it up outside so the adults can fly away whenever they're ready to.

Plant more milkweed. Plant as many species of milkweed are native to your area that you can get your hands on. Spread milkweed seeds wherever it will be able to grow. Encourage your neighbors and friends to grow milkweed. Save the seeds and give the seeds away for free, and spread them in wild areas where other plants are allowed to grow (Try to avoid areas that get mowed down or tended to)

Figure out a way to cope with the fact that the natural cycle of life doesn't make exceptions for endangered species. It is not wrong or bad or evil or mean or cruel for monarch caterpillars to get eaten by their natural predators. Take pictures of the other species you find on the milkweed, research what they are. If you use iNaturalist, make observations for them. Learn to appreciate all the species native to your environment, not just the pretty butterflies.

Actually, planting more milkweed should be your #1 priority. The point of planting milkweed is to restore habitat. If the only habitat available is the single plant in your garden of otherwise non-native species, then yeah, you need to plant more milkweed.

[inaturalist-propaganda]

[ID: Eight photographs, showing the life cycle of the monarch butterfly.

The first shows a tiny, pale yellow egg on a leaf. The second shows a tiny yellow, black, and white striped caterpillar eating the leaf.

The third shows a larger caterpillar holding onto the stem of a leaf with its hind legs while it hangs upside down to eat the tip, with some pink and white flowers next to it. The caterpillar has two black antenne on either end of its body, with longer ones near its head. The fourth shows a caterpillar hanging upside down on a wooden fence, with its front curled upwards so it looks like the letter J.

The fifth shows a pale green chrysalis with gold and black dots hanging from a plant, and the sixth shows another chrysalis that has turned transparent, showing the orange and black wings that are soon to emerge.

The seventh shows an adult monarch butterfly hanging onto a wall above its spent and empty chrysalis, its wings bright orange and dried. The eighth and final picture shows an adult butterfly clinging to the side of a leaf, bending its abdomen towards the bottom of the leaf to lay an egg. End ID.] 

Observation for the egg, by christine123

Observation for the hatchling, by willkuhn

Observation for the large caterpillar, by rosenfeldcs

Observation for the J-hanging caterpillar, by nataliaglenn

Observation for the chrysalis, by georectified

Observation for the soon-to emerge chrysalis, by eeveegee

Observation for the adult, by jodith

Observation for the adult laying an egg, by brushdk

-----

Monarch butterflies begin their life cycle as an egg laid on a milkweed plant, the only type of plant their larval stage is capable of eating. The milkweed not only provides the caterpillars with the nutrients and energy they need to form a chrysalis and become an adult, they use the toxins in the plant (almost always harmless to humans unless you’re allergic) to make themselves taste horrible, so that birds only have to make the mistake of trying to eat one of them, and will learn to never repeat that mistake.

Monarch butterflies are endangered, with their numbers lower than ever before, due to both climate change, and habitat loss due to milkweed being treated like a weed and destroyed, so that they not only have nowhere to lay their eggs, the caterpillars are in danger of being killed by herbicides and pesticides before they can reach adulthood.

You can help monarch butterflies by learning about what kinds of milkweed are native to your area.

On iNaturalist alone, there are 166 different species of milkweed recorded, all around the globe! Click here for a map of the species, and click here for a list of the species. 

You can also type in the name of your location to narrow down the search, and find out about the species that grow native to your area, by typing in the ‘location’ bar!

Even a single plant can make a difference! Just make sure never to use pesticides on or near it, and make sure everyone knows what the caterpillars look like so they don’t kill them by mistake!

Monarchs aren’t the only species that relies on milkweed for its life cycle, so don’t be surprised when you find different native species flocking to your plants over the course of the seasons! Even if they aren’t all as showy and iconic as monarchs, they are just as important to the ecosystem, and you should be just as proud of yourself for offering them a safe haven where they can grow to adulthood!

You can help scientists track the populations of monarchs and other species by taking pictures of them when you see them, and uploading them to iNaturalist! As a bonus, you’ll get to learn more about the species around you, and you’ll be shocked at how many different species can be found just by looking to see what comes to visit the flowers in your garden!

Join iNaturalist today, and help keep track of endangered species, and learn more about your local ecosystem at the same time!

[clairehoneybee]

Common Milkweed

One of the most beautiful flowers, both in flower and seed pod, as well as great importance to wildlife, has been relegated to the roadside for years and virtually ignored. Asclepias syriaca, or common milkweed, is struggling and harder to find because wild areas are disappearing and roadsides are  regularly mown. “Familiarity breeds contempt” is a common saying and one that I would apply to this plant. Only when something becomes scarce do we appreciate it, and I can see that happening with milkweed. But there is a sea change coming down the pike and people are being urged to plant this “weed”.

Colony of Milkweed

Acknowledged as a primary source for survival of many insects, notably the Monarch,  people are waking up to its integral role in supporting other wildlife. See my post Monarch Waystation on the many reasons to plant milkweed for Monarch survival.

Milkweed Facts

Milkweed is the only plant on which monarch butterflies will lay their eggs, and it is the only food source for monarch caterpillars

It grows in colonies that expand in size every year; each individual in a colony is one side shoot of a large plant and are genetically identical or a clone; one large branching underground rhizome connects the entire colony

Monarch caterpillar munching on a milkweed

Surprisingly, the flowers are extremely fragrant and you can smell a colony long before you see it

Although one shoot may have between 300 to 500 flowers that make up the umbels, only a few of these develop into pods

Milkweed pods are positioned vertically

  Vegetative and flower growth is rapid, but the pod development is very slow and held on the plant for many weeks

The pods are held vertically to the plant and hold many seeds; germination of these seeds is very sparse; milkweed more likely expands by underground rhizomes than from seed

The nectar is very high in sugar content, 3% sucrose, and the supply is constantly being renewed over the life of the flower; the flowers produce much more concentrated nectar than the many insects that feed on it could ever remove

Milkweed teems with insect life, providing food and micro habitat to hundreds of insect varieties

At least 10 species of insects feed exclusively on milkweeds, notably the Monarch butterfly caterpillar

The adult Monarch lays its eggs on the leaves of common milkweed, the larvae live on its leaves and milky sap, and the adult Monarchs drink from the flower nectar, although adults will drink from other flowers

The latex milky sap from the milkweed is extremely toxic to other wildlife and is concentrated in the tissues of the Monarch which protects it against predators

Milky sap exudes down the stem

The adult Monarch migrates south. East of the Mississippi, they fly as far as 4,800 meters to over winter in Mexico, often to the same tree location

This relationship between the milkweed plant and the monarch butterfly makes the pairing a symbiosis, where they become one entity instead of two separate organisms. Most importantly, without the presence of the milkweed plant, monarchs would go extinct.

Asclepias incarnata

Common Milkweed in December

Other Varieties of Milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa, orange-flowered Milkweed below is probably my all time favorite for drawing insects and pollinators to the garden early in the season, around June for me in the mid-Atlantic. A long-lasting cut flower, I scatter it through my borders to brighten up early summer plantings. It comes in an all yellow version called “Hellow Yellow”.

Yellow butterfly Weed “Hello Yellow”

Another milkweed which is a conversation piece oddity is Asclepias physocarpa (changed to Gymnopcarpus Physocarpus, a mouthfull!), or Hairy Balls. Forming puffy seed balls two to three inches in diameter, the orbs are covered with hairs and are quite bizarre looking. Perfect for flower arranging, the cut branches are quite expensive to buy from a florist, but easy to grow. A favored host of the Monarch butterfly, I always try to grow this plant for the odd looking pods. The caterpillars seem to prefer this variety over all others.

The pods of Hairy Balls or Balloon Plant are a conversation piece

Monarch caterpillars cover the Balloon Plant Milkweed

Tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, is commonly seen growing in Florida and has bright red-orange and yellow flowers and is also a great nectar source. The leaves are narrower and the plant produces many more seed pods than the common milkweed.

Tropical Milkweed

Tropical Milkweed

Sign at nursery for Swamp Milkweed

Swamp Milkweed has a narrower leaf than common

Swamp Milkweed growing by pond

Tropical milkweed

Monarch on Joe Pye Weed

Monarch Waystation Sign available at http://shop.monarchwatch.org/store/p/1181-Monarch-Waystation-Sign.aspx

Monarch butterfly on Zinnia

Verbena

Monarch

The brightly colored Monarch is toxic to predators because of a chemical that it ingests from eating milkweed

Curled proboscis

Monarch basking

The pods of Hairy Balls are a conversation piece

Tropical Milkweed is brightly colored

Milky sap exudes down the stem

Milkweed pods are positioned vertically

Monarch caterpillar munching on a milkweed

Colony of Milkweed

Common Milkweed

Swamp Milkweed growing by pond

Tropical Milkweed

Tropical Milkweed

Tropical Milkweed has pretty yellow and orange flowers

Sign at nursery for Swamp Milkweed

  Got Milk…….. Weed? One of the most beautiful flowers, both in flower and seed pod, as well as great importance to wildlife, has been relegated to the roadside for years and virtually ignored.

[rjalker]

apparently it’s really easy to clone butterfly weed (aslepias tuberosa) in water so I’m gonna do that but I STILL want to learn how to clone common milkweed. Last year I tried cuttings in water but they rotted, same with soil. So. What’s the fucking secret.

[clairehoneybee]

Common Milkweed

One of the most beautiful flowers, both in flower and seed pod, as well as great importance to wildlife, has been relegated to the roadside for years and virtually ignored. Asclepias syriaca, or common milkweed, is struggling and harder to find because wild areas are disappearing and roadsides are  regularly mown. “Familiarity breeds contempt” is a common saying and one that I would apply to this plant. Only when something becomes scarce do we appreciate it, and I can see that happening with milkweed. But there is a sea change coming down the pike and people are being urged to plant this “weed”.

Colony of Milkweed

Showy Milkweed

Acknowledged as a primary source for survival of many insects, notably the Monarch,  people are waking up to its integral role in supporting other wildlife. See my post Monarch Waystation on the many reasons to plant milkweed for Monarch survival.

Showy Milkweed

My favorite Milkweed and the one that I consider the best suited for a perennial border is “Showy Milkweed”, or Aslepias speciosa.  This species is closely related to the Common milkweed,  A. syriaca, with which it sometimes hybridizes. Ultimately reaching about 2-3 feet high, the foliage is velvety and grey green and very “garden worthy”. Here is great information about this plant from the USDA: Showy Milkweed.

Showy Milkweed

A nice blooming clump of Showy Milkweed

Milkweed Facts

Milkweed is the only plant on which monarch butterflies will lay their eggs, and it is the only food source for monarch caterpillars

It grows in colonies that expand in size every year; each individual in a colony is one side shoot of a large plant and are genetically identical or a clone; one large branching underground rhizome connects the entire colony

Monarch caterpillar munching on a milkweed

Surprisingly, the flowers are extremely fragrant and you can smell a colony long before you see it

Although one shoot may have between 300 to 500 flowers that make up the umbels, only a few of these develop into pods

Milkweed pods are positioned vertically

  Vegetative and flower growth is rapid, but the pod development is very slow and held on the plant for many weeks

The pods are held vertically to the plant and hold many seeds; germination of these seeds is very sparse; milkweed more likely expands by underground rhizomes than from seed

The nectar is very high in sugar content, 3% sucrose, and the supply is constantly being renewed over the life of the flower; the flowers produce much more concentrated nectar than the many insects that feed on it could ever remove

Milkweed teems with insect life, providing food and micro habitat to hundreds of insect varieties

At least 10 species of insects feed exclusively on milkweeds, notably the Monarch butterfly caterpillar

The adult Monarch lays its eggs on the leaves of common milkweed, the larvae live on its leaves and milky sap, and the adult Monarchs drink from the flower nectar, although adults will drink from other flowers

The latex milky sap from the milkweed is extremely toxic to other wildlife and is concentrated in the tissues of the Monarch which protects it against predators

Milky sap exudes down the stem

The adult Monarch migrates south. East of the Mississippi, they fly as far as 4,800 meters to over winter in Mexico, often to the same tree location

This relationship between the milkweed plant and the monarch butterfly makes the pairing a symbiosis, where they become one entity instead of two separate organisms. Most importantly, without the presence of the milkweed plant, monarchs would go extinct.

Asclepias incarnata

Common Milkweed in December

Other Varieties of Milkweed

Asclepias tuberosa, orange-flowered Milkweed below is probably my all time favorite for drawing insects and pollinators to the garden early in the season, around June for me in the mid-Atlantic. A long-lasting cut flower, I scatter it through my borders to brighten up early summer plantings. It comes in an all yellow version called “Hellow Yellow”.

Yellow butterfly Weed “Hello Yellow”

Ano

Tropical milkweed

Monarch on Joe Pye Weed

Monarch Waystation Sign available at http://shop.monarchwatch.org/store/p/1181-Monarch-Waystation-Sign.aspx

Monarch butterfly on Zinnia

Verbena

Monarch

The brightly colored Monarch is toxic to predators because of a chemical that it ingests from eating milkweed

Curled proboscis

Monarch basking

The pods of Hairy Balls are a conversation piece

Tropical Milkweed is brightly colored

Milky sap exudes down the stem

Milkweed pods are positioned vertically

Monarch caterpillar munching on a milkweed

Colony of Milkweed

Common Milkweed

Swamp Milkweed growing by pond

Tropical Milkweed

Tropical Milkweed

Tropical Milkweed has pretty yellow and orange flowers

Sign at nursery for Swamp Milkweed

ther milkweed which is a conversation piece oddity is Asclepias physocarpa (changed to Gymnopcarpus Physocarpus, a mouthfull!), or Hairy Balls. Forming puffy seed balls two to three inches in diameter, the orbs are covered with hairs and are quite bizarre looking. Perfect for flower arranging, the cut branches are quite expensive to buy from a florist, but easy to grow. A favored host of the Monarch butterfly, I always try to grow this plant for the odd looking pods. The caterpillars seem to prefer this variety over all others.

The pods of Hairy Balls or Balloon Plant are a conversation piece

Monarch caterpillars cover the Balloon Plant Milkweed

Tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica, is commonly seen growing in Florida and has bright red-orange and yellow flowers and is also a great nectar source. The leaves are narrower and the plant produces many more seed pods than the common milkweed.

Tropical Milkweed

Tropical Milkweed

Sign at nursery for Swamp Milkweed

Swamp Milkweed has a narrower leaf than common

Swamp Milkweed growing by pond

  Milkweed Chronicles One of the most beautiful flowers, both in flower and seed pod, as well as great importance to wildlife, has been relegated to the roadside for years and virtually ignored.