Wild Flower Week 3

 Nov. 27, 2023

Hello! The wildflower for this week is Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.)

The Common Milkweed is a prairie and pasture wildflower which thrives in dry soils as well as wet soils. It can be found on the sides of roads and many different areas. The seed pods release cotton-like seeds which can float very far and allows for the widespread growth of the plant. Typically found in the eastern US and some of southern Canada, the common milkweed is one of many different milkweed plants. The leaves are large and oval in alternating sequences. The flowers are large ball-like pink structures, before forming into tear-shaped pods in the fall, when seeds drop. 




A major importance factor for the milkweed plant is it is a host plant for Monarch Butterflys. Meaning, Monarchs will only lay eggs on the milkweed family, making milkweeds essential to the continual survival of the beautiful Monarch butterfly. 

Milkweed make an excellent garden and backyard plant. They grow about 5 feet tall and offer food to up to 450 types of insects! Including milkweed in your backyard will create a great relationship with nature and her creatures. 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/asclepias_syriaca.shtml

https://sowtrueseed.com/products/common-milkweed

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wildflower of the Week 5

Image
 Introducing this weeks wildflower:  GOLDEN ALEXANDER Golden Alexander Zizia aurea Grows 2-3 feet tall Region: Eastern North America (widespread) Flowers May-June Golden Alexander grows in medium moist soil, meaning it can live when the ground is wet or dry during different times of the season. It prefers partial to full sun, but can handle some shade. The third year is when the flower typically takes off, with smaller growth on its second year. Golden Alexanders are in the Apiaceae family which is the carrott family.  The leaves are in groups of three, typically 3 inches long with teethed edges and a pointy tip. They serve as a host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly. Golden Alexanders live a short life compared to other wildflowers, around 5 years. However, the plants typically seed easily in a garden or a field and keep the population going.  Thanks for reading! https://www.canr.msu.edu/nativeplants/plant_facts/golden_alexanders https://www.minnesotawildflo...
Read more

Wildflower Week 4

Image
 Hello! The wildflower for this week makes quite the color show in the summer, meet the... ROYAL CATCHFLY: Royal Catchfly Silene regia Grows 4-6 feet tall Ranges in the Central Midwest Flowers Late June-August Leaves branch off opposite and the plant is typically covered in small white hairs. There are no extruding branches until the top, where the buds extend into flowers with 5 petals. Red is a very rare color, especially for prairie wildflowers. Red is attractive to butterflies, which are the primary pollinators, especially larger butterflies, including the Black Swallowtail. Another major pollinator is the ruby-throated hummingbird, making the royal catchfly one of the few prairie flowers which is pollinated by hummingbirds.  Prefers dry, full sun soil, and can perform well in rocky, loam earth. The seeds are small black dots which remain in the flower bud until the wind disperses them, leaving the seeds nearby. In most states where the catchfly occurs naturally, it is dee...
Read more