Mondays with Martha #114 - 3 Milkweeds for Monarchs

With the addition of monarch to the IUCN Red List, I thought it would be helpful to discuss an easy way we can help this once-common species in our landscapes--by providing site-appropriate native milkweed plants to serve as larval host and adult nectar resources! This week I compare and contrast the three most common milkweed species in Michigan (common, swamp, and butterfly milkweed) and discuss their different site preferences. I encourage everyone to learn to identify milkweeds, conserve them on your properties if you already have them, and plant additional native milkweed species to support our struggling monarch populations!

Here are some other helpful links for milkweed identification:
https://www.monarchparasites.org/milkweed-identification
https://www.monarchjointventure.org/resources/faq/identifying-milkweed
https://www.saveourmonarchs.org/blog/how-to-identify-milkweed-plants-quickly-and-confidently