There is milk weed in the fields and milkweed down by the ditch that was a creek and milkweed in the kitchens garden even milkweed growing with the asparagus. But until 2017 many regions of Illinois had outlawed this plant. The poor monarch butterflies just had to miss out and consequently have run into deep trouble. The monarch butterfly is now on the candidate endangered species list.
While Milkweed is a weed to many farmers and gardeners; Milkweed is a protected plant on this property. Even before they lifted the ban because the birds, bees and butterflies are a part of the environment I am sworn to protect. And monarch butterflies need this plant. (I have already seen some early monarch butterflies on the farmy).
The monarch butterfly lays her eggs on the milkweed leaves and the caterpillar feeds on milkweed leaves so they are critical to the migration of the monarch butterfly. (You know they fly in a relay right? It is not just one butterfly flying all that way). It is imperative that the monarch can find this plant and plenty of it. Yet it was illegal to grow milkweed in parts of Illinois until 2017. What the hell? The depreciation of the monarchs food led to that law being changed.
🦋 – YES – monarchs can change laws!
There are three popular varieties of milkweed: Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), and butterfly weed (A. tuberosa). There is another milkweed that is not a native and holds its flowers so long that the monarch hangs around too late to migrate, this is called a tropical milkweed. So make sure you don’t plant that one. Plant the natives.
We have the common milkweed (of course) and swamp milkweed (because this used to be a swamp).
You can get free milkweed seed for your butterfly and bee lawn at Live Monarch dot com.This site sells milkweed at low cost or no cost. The milkweed plant likes a lot of sun. And is highly scented – you will love it.
Weeds are only plants in the wrong place.
CMBWG
The milkweed is still illegal to grow in some regions – (conventional farmers hate untidy weeds) but thankfully this is changing and in Illinois State Law trumps the regional bans. Here is an interesting article.
And speaking of weeds there is Boo hiding in the weeds.
Pawpaw trees are not weeds either
The pawpaw trees are popping up all over the place. Much to my delight. There are even more than I last reported. And the mature trees are flowering like crazy. It might be a good pawpaw year!
NO Mow May
Is almost over. More weeds!
The No Mow May lawns are now designated NO MOW forever. This very shady piece of lawn is now officially wilding. I have mown a pathway beside it so we can navigate through without bothering the bees. And there are still a bunch of bees in there. I am carefully going in and removing any really nasty weeds. Because you know weeds are only plants in the wrong place. Like Burdock. Burdock is a bi-annual and throws out those nasty velcro seeds in its second year. The cows will eat it but it is NOT a protected weed here. Very invasive. And those burrs are the bane of my life. Off with its head. Actually it also had a very deep tap root which is great for drainage but I still hate them.
More Nanny Boo hiding. Waiting for the mower to go past so he can bite the tires. You know I can see you right? BooBoo? I CAN see you!!!
Cows Break Out the Calves
The big cows leaned on a gate to get to the little cows and broke the gate. So now they are all together. I did not want this to happen before this weeks beast went to the locker but ah well, there you are.
To avoid bloat in the little calves, who have not been in the long grass before, I let them graze for an hour yesterday afternoon then locked them all back up on the concrete. This morning I gave them all a big feed of grass hay and after they have filled their first belly with dry hay – I will let them out at noon for a few more hours grazing. I will do this for a few days. The last thing I need is a baby with bloat!
And yes! Tima is still with them, she is part of the herd too. She probably talked them into leaning on the gate. Leading from behind as usual! Can you just see her – steaming up shouting orders to the big cows?
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Celi
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The Kitchen's Garden 
30 responses to “Can a Monarch Change the Law?”
That is crazy!! I have never heard of it being outlawed. Why?? Here our native milkweeds are showy milkweed and narrow leaf milk wood. The monarch’s got off to a slow start on the western migration route due to heavy storms in California but they are on their way now. You can track them here. https://journeynorth.org/monarchs
Thank you! This is a great link.
WOW! Thank you for the link!
When your milkweed blooms, I’d sure like to see a photo of it. I just Googled it but there are so many different colours and shapes!
I wish I could send you the scent too. I have cultivated a patch outside my bedroom window so i can smell them in the night. Just divine! And yes I will be sure to take some flower shots.
Lovely.
I admire your plant knowledge. I don’t know milkweed or much about anything that grows without help on my expanse of turf. I do know the velvet seeds, though, and have picked my share, along with the sandspurs, off my clothes.
Those burrs are just awful – you can never get them out of the clothing and I just don’t have enough clothes to deal with them when they are in seed. And – yes – I saw where your mind went – they also stick to your skin!
About the milkweed. For a flower gardener looking for a native to add to their flower beds the swamp milkweed has a beautiful flower. Google swamp milkweed and feast you eyes on a closeup. Yes, they will multiply but if pulled out as soon as the newbies that plant themselves somewhere that you don’t want them they can be confined to one lovely patch of tall rose pink flowers. Or easier still cut back the flower head as soon as it has gone by.
Yes! They are just beautiful in flower beds. And the scent is indeed divine. Have you got some in your garden Victoria?
Oh, yes I do. Fall before last I planted one in a flower bed on the side of the house. The following spring a surprise seedling showed up in my herb garden. Haven’t the faintest where it came from. So later I transplanted it over into the bed where the one I had bought was planted. And then surprise again this spring another seedling has appeared right where the original surprise happened. So I will move that one over with the others once the flower has faded and I will have a start of a nice little batch. Surprise plants are just wonderful you wonder now how did that happen to land right here from wherever it came. Free too, which makes it extra nice!
I have always loved milkweed throughout its seasons & try to always have it handy for the monarch. The scent Is divine. Boo in the weeds in the weeds is right out of an Henri Rousseau painting with critters peeking through exotic jungles. He is a great portrait subject, bless his good doggie heart.
How are the Monarchs ever to reproduce without the milkweeds??? I hope folks keep letting them grow.
So do I! We just keep spreading the word!
Back in Sept ‘18 you put a beautiful photo of a monarch butterfly on your post. I loved it so much that even now l sometimes use it as a screen saver. I never cease to be amazed at the stupidity and short sightedness of so many legislative bodies! Naughty bossy Tima!
Plenty of work to do here in Aotearoa to save our butterflies and moths.
Yes! There is always work to do. We used to grow swan plants by the dozen but there is a nasty wasp there if I remember rightly.
Not sure why, but I have had a heck of a time growing milkweed from seed. I guess I need to either grow from seed in small pots and then replant them in the garden. Or buy the plants to plant in the garden.
In Australia it the plants are slightly different… the Monarch larvae host plants [also considered weeds by some] are Araujia sericifera (cruel plant), Asclepias curassavica (red-head cotton- bush), Gomphocarpus fruticosus (swan plant), G. cancellatus (broad-leaved cotton-bush) and Orbea variegata (carrion flower).
In our region there is swan plant/narrow-leaf cotton bush most commonly.
Barbara Kingsolver’s novel Flight Behaviour gives an insight to the plight of Monarch butterflies.
From the sound of it, I’d love milkweed, but as it’s non-indigenous and has already achieved pest status in some states, I’ll have to do without it. As Dale has pointed out, there are alternatives here the monarchs can feed on. Australia already has far too many imported species that enthusiastically elbow out the native ones.
I never pull milkweed from my gardens. It does smell heavenly!
I thought Boo was hiding to catch a mink …waiiting you bite the tyres is hilarious!
I’m sure Tima has convinced the cows that she’s the alpha male by now 😉
I think Tima is actually training the calves. She has almost no hair left from them licking her!
ROFL – I knew it!
a better definition: Weeds are plants in the wrong place – and they are damned determined to stay there.
Oregon had some of the same silly rules about what we could plant. I couldn’t even find milkweed to plant in my yard. Stupid laws.
Mulberry trees are the same. They are designated weeds here and the conservation dpt does not like them / so I grow as many as I can!