MILKWEED PODS AND SEEDS AT WALNEY VISITOR CENTER

 In the front garden bed in front of the old house, now the visitor center, there are several Milkweed plants. There is an initiative to plant Milkweed throughout North America, to help save the Monarch Butterfly. This simple looking plant could be key to saving our much-treasured Monarch. 

The Milkweed is vital to the survival of Monarch butterflies. They lay their eggs on milkweed and the caterpillars feed on the leaves, making it the only food source for them. There are over 100 species of Milkweed in North America and while the plant is toxic, some insects can tolerate its sap and benefit from its defenses. 

I was happy to see the milkweed floss that had escaped from the pods. I haven't seen it in this stage in I can't remember when. They were a beautiful sight to see, especially with the sunlight on them. 

Milkweed has a history of helping humans also, from weaving to medicine, and its fluffy seeds provided fiber for life preservers. Another interesting website on medicinal benefits can be found here. 

Milkweed seeds are attached to the silky hairs, forming fluffy parachutes that allow them to be carried by the wind for dispersal. 

The large pods are called follicles. These are stuffed with tiny seeds, each bearing a bunch of silken, fluffy hairs called the coma. When the follicles ripen, they split open and the seeds are carried off in the wind by their plumes of fluffy hairs. 

The pappus, the fluffy hairs making up the coma, are hypoallergenic and super soft. They can be used for making allergy-free pillow stuffing and blankets. 

They were also used in life preservers during World War II when the makers were no longer able to get the material from the Kpok Tree.

That's all for today's post. It has been interesting for me to find out more about this plant.

Thanks for visiting and 

I hope your week has gone well.