The Common Milkweed Ben Brantley
Flowers The flowers are pinkish-purple The plant flowers from June-August Each flower is actually many flowers on a single stem
Pollination The pollen that bees and butterflies use to pollinate this plant clumps up Wind cannot usually carry the clumps
Seeds and Seed Pods The plant produces seed pods as its fruit The seeds inside are very fluffy and silky that float on the wind The seeds can travel up to 100 feet from the plant
Leaves Leaves are 2-10 inches long Smooth on top and fuzzy on bottom Leaves are opposite
The Monarchs The monarch butterfly cannot complete its life cycle without the milkweed That means there will be lots of monarchs around this plant and the garden
Climate The milkweed likes warm climates It will survive in clay soil and partial sun It will be great for our garden
Sap The milkweed oozes a sap from any cut surface Sap is poisonous, so don’t drink it!
Location Very common in the Chicago-land area Commonly found in old fields and next to roads
Other Insects the milkweed attracts A type of weevil feeds on the milkweed Several moths are attracted to the milkweed
Reference List Google. (2012). Milkweed pictures. http://www. google.com