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Jake and the Migration of the Monarch teaches the importance of milkweed to monarch survival.
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"Even a weed can be beautiful and essential: In spring the monarchs begin their journey north to find a mate and lay their eggs before they die.
Without milkweed monarch butterflies cannot survive. Monarchs lay their eggs only on milkweed leaves, and baby caterpillars only eat milkweed. The milky white liquid in its leaves protects monarch by making them poisonous to predators. Often milkweed is cut down or killed because it is a weed.
Instead we can plant more milkweed and help others understand its importance.”
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There
are many varieties of milkweed. Look at some of the
resources about wildflowers to see pictures of some of the different
varieties you can expect to find where you live.
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Exotic
Milkweed
at Roper Mt. Science Center
by Charles
O'Connor |
Exotic
Milkweed
at Roper Mt. Science Center
by Charles
O'Connor |
Common Milkweed
at Roper Mt. Science Center
by Charles
O'Connor |
Notice in these photographs that each flower has five back curved petals and a five part crown which grows upward. Large upright pods of seeds are attached to what some call “hairy
parachutes". The leaves on the milkweed are opposite, oblong and have soft hairs underneath. They grow up to 6 feet tall. They flower from June-August. The common milkweed also grows in old fields in eastern and Midwestern US.
Go to www.livemonarch.com
to receive some FREE milkweed seeds.
To see more information on milkweed, we found this wonderful catalog
of milkweed websites:
www.milkweedfarm.com/catalog.asp
