The problem is, it’s not pretty. Okay, it’s actually kind of ugly. This is the milkweed plant, gone by now that it’s October. There are over 140 varieties of milkweed, but this particular variety is called, simply, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Common, indeed. I am purposely showing you this plant now that it has gone by and is not in flower.
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| Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) gone by in the fall. |
Oh, it’s pretty enough, sort of,
when it’s in flower. Each flower looks
like a large globe made up of tiny stars on tinier stems. It reminds me of fireworks. The common milkweed flowers are colored
anywhere from a light tan to a pale lavender, but usually light tan and very
unimpressive. Then the flowers go by and
the plants produce these rather ugly pod-like containers full of seed. Eventually, they drop their leaves as well and
the pods just sit there rather unceremoniously on the stalks. Then they burst open and the seeds are
freed. The seeds have long, flossy hairs
and almost look like giant dandelion seeds.
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| The ugly pod-like containers of milkweed seed. |
But this plant, at least this
variety that grows wild in the northeastern United
States and southern Canada, is very unremarkable and
rather ugly. Because of this, many
people spray herbicides to get rid of it.
Who wants such an ugly plant? Well,
there are many bugs and beetles and weevils that simply adore it. But there is one, in particular, that cannot
live without it. This would be the
larvae of the monarch butterfly.
Milkweed is the only plant that the larvae of the monarch butterfly
consume. The ONLY plant. Studies show that when milkweed is depleted
in areas, the monarch butterfly population suffers.
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| The milkweed pod has burst open and the seeds will fly on the wind. |
That is why, even though this is
not the most attractive plant and is even less attractive when it goes by in
the fall, it is important to allow milkweed to grow when it does. Also, if you can plant your own milkweed
(some varieties are prettier than common milkweed), please do so. The monarchs will love you for it.
There is one other thing I would
like to mention. There has been a lot of
fear-mongering in the news about monarch butterflies becoming extinct due to
loss of milkweed because of pesticides and destruction of habitat. While it is important for us to ensure that
milkweed is not destroyed by pesticides and lack of habitat--in other words, we
need to remain aware and vigilant--I am happy to say that in September of this
year a huge mysterious cloud was seen via radar by the National Weather
Service. It turned out to be a gigantic
swarm of migrating monarch butterflies heading to Mexico, where they spend the
winter.
