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presented by Craig Hensley, Park Interpreter/Naturalist Guadalupe River State Park Formerly in the family Asclepiadaceae, now a subfamily (Asclepiadoideae) in the family Apocynaceae Approximately 2,900 species of milkweeds Approximately 135 species in North America Named after the Greek god of healing Asklepios Represented in the night sky as Ophiuchus Origin of the name milkweed is of course… By the way, Snow-on-theMountain, while having milky sap, is not a milkweed Cardiac Glycosides = Heart-stopping Native Americans and others have used milkweeds for many kinds of ailments and even as foods including: Snakebite Warts Rheumatism Contraceptive Chewing Gum Pleurisy Potherbs Fritters Syphilis Ringworm Asthma Use of Pods and Silk* Larger pods were used as utensils by some Native Americans Children used them as doll cradles and fairy boats Fibers were once spun for use as candle wicking – said to burn better and smell less Milkweed fluff was used to stuff life jackets during WWII *Information from Elizabeth Silverthorne’s “Legends & Lore of Texas Wildflowers & “Lone Star Wildflowers by Lashara J. Nieland & Willa F. Finley Represented by a total of 62 species statewide The most common and widely recognized genus of milkweed is Asclepias, with 37 recognized species, of which 36 are native to Texas, Tropical Milkweed being the lone non-native* Other genera, representing vining plants include: Matelea – 15 species Funestrum – 4 species Cynanchum – 5 species Periploca – 1 species (introduced -- Silkvine) *While there are those that will disagree, Woodson in in the 1954 Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden wrote that the origin, while “conjectural” , “is Antilles, Mexico and Central America, or even southern South America…” Of those, five species have very limited ranges; Nine species are found only in the Big Bend region of TX; Five species are restricted primarily to the Panhandle In the Hill Country, a total of 21 species may be found Flowering periods are generally expanded, partly due to nature of species and partly due to land management – respond to mowing and burning CA – Calyx = Sepals =5 C – Corolla = Petals = 5 HD – Hood + HN – Horn + A – Anther = Stamens S – Stigma + O – Ovary = Pistil Pollinia Spectacular milkweed of prairie region Bright orange to red flowers borne at end of stems Multi-stemmed plants with narrow leaves covered with coarse hairs Lacks the milky sap common to milkweeds Blooms April-September Beautiful pink flowers borne on 2-5 foot plants Distribution in Texas is limited Wetland plant that likes wet, clay-based soils Wonderful plant to attract butterflies Blooms August-October Wetland plant that likes wet, clay-based soils Flowers pinkish with tall, narrow hoods; very fragrant Blooms June-August Branching, narrow-leaved species with small clusters of reddish purple flowers Flowers few to a cluster with multiple clusters present Petals reflexed Blooms May-September A species with limited distribution in Texas Grows in open woodlands Pink flowers in large clusters borne in leaf axils Blooms May-June Photo by Emily Weiner Diminutive plant of Big Bend region Leaves few, tomentose, roundish Pale pink-purple petals reflexed Blooms AprilAugust Tall milkweed with numerous, large leaves Flowers borne in clusters , somewhat obscured by the leaves Cream-colored flowers with upturned petals and large, globose hoods Blooms May-August Attractive species that would make a wonderful garden plant Upwards of two feet with elliptical leaves Flowers borne at top of branches in umbel-like clusters White petals reflexed and spreading Blooms May-July Milkweed of wetland edges and bottomland woodlands in eastern part of Texas White flower clusters arise above ovate leaves Has become increasingly rare in Texas Blooms April-October Photo from www.illinoiswildflowers.info Beautiful milkweed of pine-oak woodlands and Pineywoods Opposite ovate leaves White flowers with red ring at base of hoods Blooms May-June Uncommon in the Hill Country but widely distributed in US Two feet or less tall with whorled, thread-like leaves Multiple, small flower clusters arising from base of leaves Blooms May-November Slender-leaved plant of southeast Texas to edge of Hill Country Paired, narrow leaves Solitary flower clusters borne at base of paired leaves Blooms April-October Narrow-leaved milkweed of the Panhandle Leaves crowded from base upward Flower clusters near to top of plant; greenish to reddish in color Blooms July-August Photo from www.kswildflower.org Widespread, narrow- Photo from swbiodiversity.org leaved perennial Leaves alternate to opposite and scattered along stem Flower clusters near to top of plant; greenish to reddish in color Blooms May-September Upright species to 3 feet Found scattered in open areas and along woodland edges Multiple flower heads, each borne in axils of upper leaves Green flowers, petals strongly reflexed Stems appear in zig-zag pattern Low-growing perennial to two feet tall , spreading Found along roadsides , open areas, disturbed ground Flowers from March through December Favorite of a host of butterflies and bees Propagation: Cold, moist stratification at 40 degrees for three months; can be sown directly in fall Found in open, often dry locations, one of most common milkweeds At first glance similar in appearance to Antelope Horn Leaves wavy-margined and sometimes notched at tip Typically only one flower head per plant Flower petals upright Widespread in eastern half of TX Wide-ranging, more common in west Texas Somewhat inconspicuous milkweed of dry, even sandy soils Grows to 1.5 feet tall with ovate, pubescent leaves Flower clusters borne in leaf axils Green petals reflexed Noticeably stalked horns Blooms from March to October Tropical Milkweed – Curse or What? Milkweed Vines One of several vining species of milkweeds Chordate-shaped leaves Flowers from April through October Petals are reticulated and stamens are capped with silver top Pods have sharp points on outer surface Uncommon endemic to the Edwards Plateau Pointed, heart-shaped leaves Flowers lack the silver top Petals are reticulate only at the tips, more or less parallelveined toward base Flowers in April and May Matelea edwardsensis Plateau Milkvine Matelea biflora Purple Milkweed Vine Scattered in grassland areas, but often unnoticed as it is typically prostrate Opposite heart-shaped leaves Flowers purple, few to a cluster Pods with spikes Flowers in April to June Herbaceous vining species Arrow-shaped, narrow with wavy/tooth-like margins Flowers in small purple clusters Flowers from April to June Perennial climbing or trailing vine Prefers sandy soils; scattered throughout state Clusters of flowers have purple-tinged upturned petals Blooms from May to September Herbaceous vining species Pointed, heart-shaped leaves Flowers small and green Flowers in June Herbaceous vining species Pointed, narrowly oval leaves Flowers small and white in few-flowered clusters Flowers from May to August Monarch Queen Large Milkweed Bug Immature Small Milkweed Bug Variegated Fritillary Question Mark Gray Hairstreak Olive (Juniper) Hairstreak Tawny-edged Skipper Dun Skipper Southern Cloudywing Yellow-bellied Bee Assassin Bug Crab Spider Ladybird Beetle Historic Issues: Cutting of oyamel fir forests in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve North American loss of habitat due to agriculture and development Severe weather events at overwintering sites Current Issues (including those above): GMO crops and widespread application of Round-up throughout midwest Decrease of Conservation Reserve Program lands Neonictinoid use by growers of commercial garden plants Climate Change On-going Efforts: Project Milkweed – sponsored by The Xerces Society (in cooperation with Monarch Joint Venture & USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service grant) Attempting to promote the planting of regionally appropriate native milkweeds through education, awareness and guidelines Monarch Watch – is currently working with growers to fine tune the germination and growing of a variety of milkweed plants – zizotes, green milkweed and antelope horns for Texas Monarch Waystations – over 10,000 of these now Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (Univ. of MN) – 800 sites nationwide – GRSP is one of three state parks with active sites https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/texas_nature_trackers/monarch/ Keep in mind that as surely as monarchs need milkweeds for egg-laying and rearing their young in the spring as they migrate into the state, monarchs need fall-blooming wildflowers like cowpen daisy, blazing star, Maximilian’s sunflower and frostweed as they move south to their wintering grounds. Observers of milkweed can contribute to the knowledge of these important plants not only as host plants to monarchs, but also to their values to other pollinators. Master Naturalist chapters statewide can contribute to a better understanding of which milkweeds are used by monarchs as larval food sources on a local and regional basis, as well as reporting milkweed observations through iNaturalist. Monarch Joint Venture Oberhauser, K.S., Nail K. R., & Altizer, S. 2015 Monarchs in a Changing World. Oberhauser, K.S. & Solensky, M.J. 2004. The Monarch Butterfly: Biology and Conservation Singhurst, J., Hutchins, B. and Holmes, W.C. 2015. Identification of Milkweeds (Asclepias, Family Apocynaceae) in Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department PWD RP W7000-1803 (06/15). Woodson, R.E. 1954. The North American species of Asclepias (L.). Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 41(1): 1-171. USDA, NRCS. 2015. The PLANTS Database, July 2015). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 274014901 USA. “To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent thinking.” -Aldo Leopold