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vandaliatraveler · 10 months

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“In planning to be a professional naturalist….. I turned to the teeming small creatures that can be held between the thumb and forefinger, the little things that compose the foundations of our ecosystems, the little things that I like to say, run the world.”

Edward O. Wilson

By observing a milkweed plant very closely for more no more than five minutes, you will begin to understand exactly what Wilson was getting at.

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treetreader · 6 months

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Guys look at how much seed i got off my two common milkweed plants!!! And i got a good amount off my great blue lobelias too!🪻

#plants #gardening #milkweed #common milkweed

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anipgarden · 1 year

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*cracks knuckles* Alright everyone strap in.

Hi, I'm Ani, the appointed Milkweed Queen of several Discord group chats, and I'm gonna talk about some of my favorite types of milkweed because its Earth Day, I'm bored, and I had nothing else ready to post. Everyone ready?

I'm not going to give these a formal ranking, I'm just going to ramble about them.

We all know the important reasons to like milkweed--supporting Monarchs, feeding the pollinators, restoring native species to your local habitat and creating an environment for many creatures to live in, that's all fantastic obviously. With that established, this ranking system will have little to do with that. We're talking aesthetics, babey! And any fun facts I happen to toss in are, well, fun facts. If you learn about a new kind of milkweed from this, or want to chime in with your own favorites, by all means let me know!

Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)! If you've been following my blog for awhile, you likely know I've been on a Grand Quest to find, purchase, and/or grow swamp milkweed for a few years now. Honestly, though, who can blame me! Look at those vibrant pink flowers, contrasting with those bright green leaves! Love at first sight, I'm telling you. I've also heard that it smells like vanilla. Vanilla! It's also, reportedly, one of the few types of milkweed that excels in wet environments, and even though my environment isn't very wet, we stan a queen for that quality.

Whether you prefer to call it Sandhill Milkweed or Pinewoods Milkweed, Asclepias humistrata is a champion of sandy soils and also my heart. I hadn't looked too far into this species until late last year, when I was helping another friend look at different milkweeds, but how could I not look into this beautiful plant! With pink stems and veins as early as the seedling stage, pinkish-white flowers and a low-growing spread habit, I would be honored to grow such a specimen in my garden. Their inch-thick, foot-long tap roots help them to quickly spring back to life after a wildfire, providing important food and habitat for creatures returning to the area. How lovely!

Redring milkweed (Asclepias variegata) is another species I hadn't looked too far into until this year, and honestly at great detriment to myself. I'll be honest! I may have ignored this queen at first because I'm not big on white flowers, but those red rings...! Ooh, I want this so bad. The leaves are also fairly big and a lovely dark green, which just makes the white and red pop out more!

Heartleaf milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia) is honestly so iconic, I wish it was native to my region! If you live on the West coast... grow some for me please. How can you not love this specimen! Dusty green heart-shaped leaves directly attached to pink stems, these stunning deep reddish-purple flower clusters...! I continued following one of the most annoying people I'd ever witnessed on Instagram for two months just because I first saw this species in a tiktok of his.

Purple milkweed (Asclepias purparescens) is honestly just. A queen. What else is there to say? Look how purple she is! So purple I almost can't believe it's even real, and yet they are! Not native to my region, far as I know, which is a bummer. I've heard they're hard to grow, but if you can manage it? Share your secrets with the world, honestly, we need more of this plant in our lives.

Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is honestly just a classic. I love the light pink of the flowers, and those leaves are huge! I've heard they spread like wildfire, but with clusters of blooms like this? How can you even be too mad about that?

Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa). Honestly I'm not going to pretend I was always crazy about this species, but the more I see it pop up on iNaturalist, the more I find myself growing fond of it. These flowers look like crazy fireworks, and honestly, kinda have to stan.

"Oh, Ani, you have so many lovely favorites! Do you have any least favorite--" Tropical milkweed, hands down. I appreciate it's value as more of a 'babys first milkweed' plant but I'm tired of seeing it everywhere, especially knowing it's a bit invasive in my area?

Anyways, these are some of my favorite milkweed species! What are some of yours?

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speakingofnature · 6 months

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Common Milkweed

As October falls ripe November waits patiently for its turn at the helm.

#Common Milkweed #nature

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los-plantalones · 14 days

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Milkweed shoots.

#plants #nature #milkweed #native plants #asclepias #common milkweed #asclepias syriaca

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horsesarecreatures · 9 months

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Freshly hatched Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillar.

#milkweed tussock moth #caterpillar #common milkweed #native plants #native insects #garden

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zoology-time · 10 months

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Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca

#common milkweed #milkweed #plant #flower #pink #ID #saltmarsh bird survey job

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wildflowers-of-southern-ontario · 1 year

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Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca Apocynaceae

Photographs taken on October 22, 2022, at Marmora and Lake, Ontario, Canada.

#wildflowers of southern ontario #Common Milkweed #milkweed #Asclepias syriaca #seed pod #Apocynaceae #Asclepias #Marmora and Lake #Ontario #Canada #Marmora

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lifewithchronicpain · 9 months

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I saw a thing on TV saying the endangered monarch butterfly needs milkweed, and that they're planting them around reservoirs and other public land in my state. They also said if homeowners can plant the Common Milkweed to expand their feeding grounds that it will help.

So I told my mom and she's on board. It's too late this year, unless we want to spend a lot on a potted plant, but I've put milkweed seeds in my Amazon wishlist to be purchased when appropriate. Going to plant them in the backyard so if we get butterflies I can actually see them.

We don't have a much of a front porch to lounge on, which does suck because my mom has a very nice garden and I wouldn't mind being out front sometimes, but alas, tiny porch. And if mom likes the way they look maybe she'll put some in front too.

Anyway, if you want to help Monarch Butterflies and have some ground to plant on, or can put some potted plants on a balcony, it will make a difference.

#monarch butterfly #butterflies #milkweed #common milkweed #gardening

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sorrellsphoto · 10 months

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Wee insects in the garden

Sitting in the garden, I am searching for the small creatures. There is something special about taking images that are just for me.

All images were handheld, using a Nikon D850 with one of my favorite lenses, 105mm macro. Using an older lens with an older camera by today’s standards, forces me to make more purposeful images. Keep the shutter speed below 1/800, ISO low, focus and hit the shutter. The satisfying click along with buzzing sounds surrounding me, I love this time of year.

#garden #Nikon D850 #Nikkor 105mm Macro #White Asters #Common Milkweed #Bumblebee #Yellow Faced Bee #Red Milkweed Beetle #Honey Bee #Sweat Bee

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bonniebrae · 2 years

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Common milkweed! I am so pleased with the amount of milkweed I've got growing now, it's spread in the wildflower area very nicely. This last week I've seen two different monarchs flitting around laying eggs! There's so many other kinds of insects on them too, bees and butterflies and wasps and caterpillars munching on leaves.

[photo id: a common milkweed flower.]

#milkweed #common milkweed #flowers #nature #plants

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vandaliatraveler · 10 months

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Early summer at Summit Lake, a quick detour off the Highland Scenic Highway in the Monongahela National Forest.

From top: an unidentified fungi growing in a mossy nook; an impressive young Berkeley's polypore (Bondarzewia berkeleyei), which is not a true polypore but a member of the Russulales order; another massive Berkeley's polypore with my hand for perspective - these beauties can grow up to three feet wide and produce additional shelf-like caps from a single stem, giving them a tiered appearance as they mature; the tall and stately foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), whose profusion of tubular white flowers draws hordes of long-tongued bees and hummingbirds from late spring to early summer; common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), whose large, dangling umbels of pink to purplish flowers are Mother Nature's ultimate pollinator buffets; swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), also known as rose milkweed, a wetlands-loving beauty with narrow, lanceolate leaves; black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), an irresistible summer aster with a prominent, dark brown button at the center of its flower head; and the sensual arc of a fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium), whose flowers have elongated, dangling stamens and a four-cleft, curling stamen.