how does the milkweed benefit from the monarch

There is a symbiotic relationship between the native milkweed plants and the monarch. The monarch butterflies enjoy the nectar from the flowers and help pollinate the plants. The successful pollination allows the milkweed to thrive and thus provide more nurseries for the crucial 'fourth generation' of monarchs

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Full Answer

Should I plant milkweed to save the monarchs?

Here are some resources to help you find the best milkweed for your area:

• Twelve Native Milkweeds for Monarchs (blog)
• Fact Sheet about Milkweed
• Milkweed Native to Eastern U.S.
• Milkweed Native to the Great Plains
• Milkweed Native to Southeastern U.S.

What can I feed monarch caterpillars besides milkweed?

Most enthusiasts have found most success with butternut squash as a substitute for milkweed leaves. Some of the other vegetables that have successfully been fed to Monarch caterpillars in the last instar (last few days) are cucumber, zucchini, and pumpkin.

Do monarch caterpillars eat anything besides milkweed?

Answer (1 of 7): Adding on to what others have said, there are a few other foods that monarch caterpillars can eat, besides milkweed. These include cucumber, pumpkin, and butternut squash. However, there has not been any research done to see how the resulting butterflies fare in life.

Can Mackinac milkweed help the monarchs?

Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves of milkweed, the only host plant for this iconic butterfly species. As such, milkweed is critical for the survival of monarchs. Without it, they cannot complete their life cycle and their populations decline.

What is the relationship between monarchs and milkweed?

Milkweed provides the monarch butterflies and their larvae with a unique form of protection. The milkweed plant is poisonous, and the larvae ingest a large amount of the toxic substances found in the plant.

Are there any benefits to milkweed?

Although potentially poisonous, the plant has been used for medicinal purposes as well. Many indigenous tribes applied milkweed sap for wart removal and chewed its roots to treat dysentery. It was also used in salves and infusions to treat swelling, rashes, coughs, fevers and asthma.

Why do monarchs love milkweed?

Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on the leaves of milkweed, the only host plant for this iconic butterfly species. As such, milkweed is critical for the survival of monarchs. Without it, they cannot complete their life cycle and their populations decline.

What benefit are monarch butterflies?

As pollinators, the monarch butterfly migration across the continent provides an invaluable service, essential for many ecosystems to thrive. It is thanks to pollinators, such as butterflies, bees, and other insects, that we have many of the flowers and dietary staples that we enjoy, like squash and blueberries.

What medicine is made from milkweed?

Cherokee, Delaware, and Mohegan peoples used pleurisy root, also called butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), made into a cough remedy. Today herbalists still use it for pleurisy, an inflammation in the lining around the lungs.

Do monarchs pollinate milkweed?

Although monarch butterflies do pollinate milkweeds as they draw nectar, pollination isn't their primary relationship. Monarchs mostly need milkweed as a host plant for its caterpillars. Milkweed seems to need the voracious monarchs not at all. Other insects do most of the pollination.

What if monarch caterpillars run out of milkweed?

Most enthusiasts have found most success with butternut squash as a substitute for milkweed leaves. Some of the other vegetables that have successfully been fed to Monarch caterpillars in the last instar (last few days) are cucumber, zucchini, and pumpkin.

Why do monarch caterpillars leave the milkweed?

Additionally, caterpillars will leave to escape the heat; sometimes they seek out shade on the ground during the hottest parts of the day. Late stage (5th instar) caterpillars will also often leave the milkweed plant to find a sheltered place to pupate, and will travel as far as 10 meters away!

Why do monarch butterflies only lay eggs on milkweed leaves?

That's because, each spring in North America, as monarch butterflies venture north from their wintering grounds, they lay their eggs exclusively on milkweeds, which are the only plants that their caterpillars can eat.

Are monarch caterpillars beneficial?

Caterpillars are plant consumers, like aphids and stinkbugs. And a big thing keeping plant consumers from destroying all plant life on earth is predators. For this reason, predatory insects are considered beneficial insects. Ladybugs eat aphids, but, yes, also monarch caterpillars.

How do monarch butterflies help pollinate flowers?

Monarch butterflies are pollinators! As monarchs forage for nectar, they can unintentionally move pollen within and between flowers. This movement of pollen helps flowering plants make seeds, which can eventually disperse and grow into more plants.

What happens if monarchs go extinct?

Monarchs share their habitat with many other species of insects and birds. The birds would lose a food source, and their decline is the proverbial “canary in the coal mine” for other pollinators. If other pollinators decline like monarchs, it could have impacts on the food that humans rely on.

What Are Wildflower Prairies?

Wildflower prairies are large groups of wild plants native to your specific area. These prairies are part of a larger conservation effort in restoring native prairie ecosystems.

Why Milkweed is So Important

Milkweed has many benefits as you will read below. It offers everything from food for monarch butterflies to some pretty amazing visuals.

How Monarch Butterflies Benefit Your Farm or Garden

We’ve shown you how beneficial milkweed is for monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Monarch butterflies will also benefit your farm or garden.

Plant Butterfly Milkweed Today

Purchasing the right kind of milkweed for your location can be difficult. There are so many different kinds, how do you know which one to choose?

How many milkweeds do monarch butterflies lay eggs in?

According to an ARS and Iowa State University study of nine milkweed species native to Iowa, female monarch butterflies laid eggs in all nine milkweeds, but the swamp and common milkweed averaged the highest number of eggs. (Peggy Greb, D4226-1)

Which milkweed has the lowest survival rate?

syriaca) averaged the highest number of eggs. Monarch caterpillars hatching from eggs laid on tall green milkweed (A. hirtella) and prairie milkweed (A. sullivantii) had the lowest survival rates. The height and number of blooms on the milkweed plants across all nine species weren’t ...

What do monarch caterpillars eat?

Share. A monarch caterpillar feeds on common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca. Milkweed plants, primarily from the genus Asclepias, are the only food source of monarch caterpillars. (Peggy Greb, D4225-1) Not all milkweeds are created equal when it comes to species of the native flowering plants that monarch butterflies prefer most.

Why are monarchs declining?

Over the past 2 decades, however, monarch numbers east of the Rockies have fallen by 80 to 90 percent. The decline is partly attributed to shrinking milkweed habitat, especially in the Midwest.

What butterfly eats a New England aster?

Below are highlights of the team’s findings, led by ISU scientist Victoria Pocius, and reported in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution: A monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, feeds on a New England aster, Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, flower.

When do monarch chrysalis come to Mexico?

They arrive at their summer breeding grounds—the Midwest—in late spring and increase their population size over two to three generations before returning to Mexico. A monarch chrysalis hangs from the leaf of common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca.

When do monarchs come to the Midwest?

They arrive in their summer breeding grounds – the Midwest - in late spring and in two or three generations dramatically increase their populations before returning to Mexico. (Richard Hellmich, D4236-1) Female monarchs will lay eggs on all nine milkweed species, but they prefer some over others.

How do monarch larvae chew?

Small larvae use a 'trenching' behavior, in which they chew a small circle through the surface of the leaf, making a circular area to which latex does not flow. Larger larvae cut through the mid-vein of a leaf, cutting off latex flow to the entire leaf.

What is monarch larvae?

Monarch larvae are specialist herbivores of plants in the family Asclepiadaceae (milkweeds), and have been recorded feeding on 27 different North American species in this family (Malcolm and Brower 1989). The larvae sequester toxic steroids, known as cardenolides, from milkweed (Brower 1969; Brower & Glazier 1975; Malcolm 1991, 1995), ...

How many monarchs survived the second instar stage?

Zalucki & Brower (1992) conducted an experiment in which they followed almost 700 monarchs from the egg stage to the second instar stage. They found very low survival (from 3 to 11%), and determined that about 30% of larvae were killed when they became mired in milkweed latex.

What is the name of the steroid that is used to protect the larvae from predators?

The larvae sequester toxic steroids, known as cardenolides, from milkweed (Brower 1969; Brower & Glazier 1975; Malcolm 1991, 1995), and they use these cardenolides as a defense against predators. The bad taste and toxicity of both the larvae and adults are advertised by conspicuous, warning coloration. When a bird or other predator tastes ...

Which monarchs have the highest cardenolide concentration?

Monarchs that were fed A. viridis from Florida had the highest cardenolide concentrations, even though the plants themselves had intermediate levels. It appears that monarchs fed high cardenolide plants do not concentrate the toxins as effectively as do monarchs from intermediate and low cardenolide plants (Malcolm and Brower 1989).

Is milkweed poisonous to monarchs?

The cardenolides obtained from milkweed make monarchs toxic to many vertebrate predators (e.g. Brower et al. 1974, Rothschild et al. 1975). For example, captive bluejays fed monarchs containing cardenolides throw up after eating the monarchs, and the probability of their throwing up increases with increasing cardenolide concentration in ...

Do monarchs eat milkweed?

Thus, it should not be surprising that monarchs do suffer some ill effects from feeding on milkweed. Experimental evidence has shown that the larvae are negatively affected by the milky latex characteristic of milkweeds, which can gum up the mandibles of small larvae so that they can no longer eat.

What is the best host plant for monarch butterflies?

They typically bloom rosy pink flowers, and are the preferred host plant for the monarch butterfly. To find out more about the various species of milkweed and which are best for your area, check out this factsheet courtesy of Monarch Joint Venture. IMPORTANT NOTE: The species of milkweed we offer is Asclepias syriaca .

How long does it take for milkweed seeds to germinate?

For best results and to speed up the germination process, place the seeds in wet paper towels in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 30 days prior to planting.

Is milkweed poisonous to humans?

Milkweed plants are food for caterpillars but poisonous to humans. Do not get milkweed sap on your skin or in your eyes. Milkweed is also toxic if eaten, so keep plants away from young children and pets. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

Can milkweed grow in the sun?

It’s easy to grow your own Milkweed! There are many varieties of milkweed. There are some which thrive in full sun, in humid conditions and even in very dry conditions. As a perennial, they will come back every year, despite harsh winter conditions.

Can monarch butterflies eat milkweed?

Milkweed for Butterflies#N#Monarch caterpillars ONLY eat milkweed. In fact, the monarch butterfly is also known as the “milkweed butterfly.”#N#The milkweed plant provides all the nourishment the monarch needs to transform the Monarch caterpillar into the adult butterfly.#N#But these plants are rapidly disappearing, due to the loss of habitat stemming from land development and the widespread spraying of weed killer on the fields where they live.#N#It’s easy to grow your own Milkweed!#N#There are many varieties of milkweed. There are some which thrive in full sun, in humid conditions and even in very dry conditions. As a perennial, they will come back every year, despite harsh winter conditions. They typically bloom rosy pink flowers, and are the preferred host plant for the monarch butterfly. To find out more about the various species of milkweed and which are best for your area, check out this factsheet courtesy of Monarch Joint Venture.#N#IMPORTANT NOTE: The species of milkweed we offer is Asclepias syriaca . Planting this variety of seed in a dry sandy location, particularly in the southwest United States, will not produce a successful planting.

What is the purpose of milkweed for monarch butterflies?

Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed plants. When eggs hatch, the caterpillars feed and pupate on the host plants. Milkweed is poisonous and passes on toxicity to monarch caterpillars and butterflies when the larva feeds on the plant. Thus milkweed protects the monarchs in addition to supplying them.

What do monarch butterflies teach us?

Besides being beautiful and relaxing to observe, and playing an essential role in the food chain, monarch butterflies teach us useful lessons. The migratory journey from Canada to Mexico, which is completed on time teach us not to procrastinate and to finish what we start. However, some ignore the benefits and are unconcerned about preserving the monarch butterfly.

Where do monarchs breed?

From spring to fall, monarchs breed throughout Canada and the U.S., producing several generations every year. Monarchs migrate between the northern and Mexico breeding grounds, and it takes several generations to complete the cycle. Several factors impact on the life of monarchs, but the most significant is milkweed and humans.