Milkweed and the Monarch

We have been continuing our study of the Milkweed plant. This week we learned about it's very special relationship with the Monarch butterfly. From June through August, the adult Monarch sips the nectar from the flowers of the milkweed plant and the female deposits her eggs on its leaves. The egg becomes a caterpillar which feasts on the leaves of the milkweed plant. There are very few insects which can safely feed on the Milkweed plant as it is toxic to most species. This makes the caterpillar a nasty morsel for predators and so it is mostly left alone. Other insects that can eat Milkweed are the Milkweed Bug and the Milkweed beetle. Once the caterpillar has eaten enough it hangs upside down from a leaf of the Milkweed plant, forms itself into a J-shape and forms it's own chrysalis. After twelve days, a Monarch butterfly emerges and because it ate the milkweed plant as a larva, it is still slightly toxic and predators learn to leave it alone. The Monarch then migrates over 2, 000 miles to Mexico where it spends the winter. In the spring it returns north to the Milkweed plant. Amazing!

From a previous post:

Milkweed is a common perennial which is native to North America It is given its name because of the milky white sap that oozes from the stem and leaves when they are cut or crushed. It has large tear drop shaped seed pods which turn brown as they mature and then split open releasing the seeds which are attached to a tuft of silky hair. This hair helps the seed to be scattered by the wind. The floss, or hair, of the milkweed is five times more bouyant than cork and six times lighter and warmer than wool and is used for stuffing pillows, mattresses and life jackets.

Other cool facts about Milkweed:

It's sap (or "milk") was used by pioneers to cure warts.

It's seed tufts were used by Native Americans to insulate moccasins!

We found a great book called Monarch and Milkweed by Helen Frost.

Check this out too!