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Down the Garden Path: The milkweed ecosystem · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Down the garden path the milkweed ecosystem. Written by Carly Tuminello, University
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  of Illinois Extension. This article is being read by an automated voice,
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  brought to you by Everlet. Milkweeds are a vital Host plants to
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  many species, most notably the monarch butterfly, but what exactly is a
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  Host plants and why do the matter? Let's dive in and find
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  out more. Host plant are specific plants or plant families that insects
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  have coevolved with and rely on for food and shelter. Host plants,
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  are vital for the reproduction of these insects as at least one
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  life stage solely relies on the host plants, for survival. For example,
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  even though milkweed, produces thick, toxic sap, monarch butterflies exclusively lay their
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  eggs only on milkweed plants, and the caterpillars specialize in eating milkweed
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  leaves during their development. Adult butterflies can feed on nectar from various
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  flowering plants, but their caterpillars can only consume milkweed, which in turn
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  gives the caterpillars and butterflies their color and main defense of being
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  mildly toxic and having a terrible taste to predators. In addition to
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  monarch though, several other insects rely on species of milkweed, for their
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  survival as well. Red milkweed beetles Tetraps tetraphalmus are a species of
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  longhorn beetle that are commonly found on common milkweed. Red milkweed beetles
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  only eat Milkweed and do not harm any garden plants. They are
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  also harmless to monarch eggs, caterpillars, and butterflies. Large milkweed bugs, Oncopeltus
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  fasciatus, feed on the seeds and leaves of Milkweed and help disperse
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  the milkweed seeds by opening the pods. They migrate south to the
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  Gulf states for the winter and migrate back north in the spring.
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  Swamp milkweed leaf beetle Libidimera Clivocalis may look like an oversized ladybug
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  at first glance, but these rounded beetles are a type of leaf
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  beetle. They rely on both swamp milkweed and Common
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  milkweed, Milkweed Tussick Moth Caterpillars UK Edis Eagle rely solely on milkweed
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  just like monarchs. They have a distinctive and protective hairy appearance that
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  causes a rash if handled. All of these insects help make up
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  a healthy and biodiverse milkweed ecosystem. They each serve a purpose, they
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  coexist, and they are beneficial to the environment. In our region there
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  are a few species of milkweed that grow well and are recommended
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  for our area. Common Milkweed,
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  Asclepias syriaca has pink to purple flowers that bloom in a 2-3-inch
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  rounded cluster called an umble. They need full sun with well-drained soil.
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  They bloom from June to August. This plant grows All
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  and can be an aggressive spreader, so care should be taken when
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  selecting sites to plant this. Swamp milkweed, Asclepius incarnata, has rosy, purple
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  flowers clustered at the top of tall stems. As the name implies,
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  these prefer medium to moist soil. They bloom from June to October.
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  Horald milkweed Asclepius verticillata is very dainty compared to the other two
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  milkweed species described so far. It has a single stem with wharled,
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  narrow leaves and small white flowers in flattened clusters at the top
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  of the stem. They bloom from May to September in dry or
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  sandy soils. All milkweed is toxic and should be kept away from
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  pets and children. It is also always recommended to wear gloves when
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  working around milkweed and to avoid contact with the sap. Despite this,
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  they are vital to pollinators and serve as important host plants, so
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  they are key native species. If you would like to learn more,
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  visit us online at go.illinois.edu slash extension dk or check us out
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  on Facebook at facebook.com slash extension dkk. Carly Tuminello is a University
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  of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist serving DuPage, Cain and Kendall counties.