Podcasts about milkweeds

There are not very many plant families that have milky sap. Milkweeds certainly come to mind, as well as some members of the aster family such as the dandelion and western salsify. The spurge family also produces milky sap and includes a few species native to North Dakota and some other noteworthy species.

Are monarch butterflies imperiled? Where do monarchs overwinter? Can you grow milkweeds in your garden? Where can you buy milkweeds? Learn the answers to these questions and so much more on this episode of the Arizona Wildlife Federation Podcast! https://www.azwildlife.org/ https://in.nau.edu/greenhouse/projects-and-activities/milkweeds-for-monarchs

Springtime means planning and planting your pollinator gardens. Learn all about the "Native Milkweeds of San Diego County" with Ken Abernathy of Caterpillar Chow. Caterpillar Chow works with nonprofits and other agencies to put milkweed habitat back into the wild as well as our urban sprawl. They want to help make sure the decline of the monarch is halted and permanently prevented by harnessing the power of people who care to help put policies in place that protect our natural ecology.   Contact The Show Podcast Website: Nature All Around Me The Foundation website: Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation or call 760-804-1969 Website: https://www.aguahedionda.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AguaHediondaLagoonFoundation Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aguahediondalagoonfoundation/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aguahedionda/ Producers:  Samantha Richter, Lisa Rodman, Emily Bonds, Kellie Davis, Chris Swann, John Sanders, Samual Davis Music: Frogs by the Water Hole by Chris Swann/Swann Concepts Pub Studio: Imagine Podcasting, Carlsbad California 

Grab your favorite botanical drink to enjoy during this happy hour with author and professor Dr. Anurag Agrawal. Let your heart flutter as we discuss the complex interactions between monarch butterflies and their favorite food, milkweeds! Check out Dr. Anurag Agrawal's book Monarchs and Milkweeds! Check out these cool folk Dr. Anurag Agrawal Song into by coldbrew Cover art by Gabbie Moffat

Most of us may automatically think “monarch” after hearing the word “milkweed,” or vice versa. And that's in fact a critical and intimate relationship, the one between monarch butterflies and native milkweed plants. But the genus Asclepias offers sustenance to a wide diversity of animal species beyond just that one beloved insect. Today's guest is Eric Lee-Mader, author of the recent book “Milkweed Lands: An Epic Story of One Plant: Its Nature and Ecology.” Eric is an ecologist at the invertebrate-focused Xerces Society, where he is the pollinator and agricultural biodiversity co-director. He and his wife also operate Northwest Meadowscapes in Port Townsend, Wash., providing regional native seeds and consultation services for meadowmakers.

Most of us may automatically think “monarch” after hearing the word “milkweed,” or vice versa. And that’s in fact a critical and intimate relationship, the one between monarch butterflies and native milkweed plants.  But the genus Asclepias offers sustenance to... Read More ›

Most of us may automatically think “monarch” after hearing the word “milkweed,” or vice versa. And that’s in fact a critical and intimate relationship, the one between monarch butterflies and native milkweed plants.  But the genus Asclepias offers sustenance to... Read More ›

Dee and Carol discuss milkweeds, perennials in a vegetable garden, a new book on milkweeds, chaos gardening and more.For the full story and all the links, check out our newsletter on Substack and subscribe to get it right in your mailbox.Links: Great Comp Garden and  William Dyson's salvia collection Floret's  video  about saving sweet peas.Dee's instagram reel 'Blackhawks' big bluestem grass'Blue Beauty' tomatoes Flowers:List of milkweeds by stateOklahoma Milkweed guideAllan Armitage's recent article about natives and non-natives. Dee's article on monarchs and milkweed from last year. On the bookshelf: The Milkweed Lands: An Epic Story of One Plant by Eric Lee-Mader Dirt: Chaos Gardening Is Actually the Easiest Way to Grow Your Dream Garden  Also FH article about this trend.Our Affiliates (Linking to them to make a purchase earns us a small commission):Botanical InterestsFarmers DefenseEtsyTerritorial SeedsTrue Leaf Market Eden BrosBook and Amazon links are also affiliate links.Email us anytime at TheGardenangelists@gmail.com  For more info on Carol  visit her website.  Visit her blog May Dreams Gardens. For more info on Dee, visit her website.  Visit her blog Red Dirt Ramblings.Support the showOn Instagram: Carol: Indygardener, Dee: RedDirtRamblings, Our podcast: TheGardenangelists.On Facebook: The Gardenangelists' Garden Club.On YouTube.

The wild world of Milkweed plants is populated by aphids who suck the plant's life, beetles who suck the aphids dry, ant lion babies who will eat each other - and sometimes the Monarch butterflies whose caterpillars gotta eat Milkweed or starve.          APHIDS! Native gardening specialist Besa Schweitzer guides this conversational tour through the realm of Milkweeds - and the bugs to bug them! Her Wildflower Garden Planner is a book everyone can use to welcome Nature's Wild Child plants into your place.  Congratulations, Besa, on this summer's recognition of your work from the native plant advocate botanists of Missouri Native Plant Society! Honor well deserved. Earthworms listeners: read Besa's take on this topic in The Healthy Planet July 2023 edition. Thanks to Andy Heaslet, Earthworms engineer and Green colleague in Sierra Club - and to KDHX production ace, Jon Valley    

Monarch butterflies have become an increasingly hot topic in recent decades, and especially in the last couple of years. Conversations about monarchs often revolve around topics like their migrations, the importance of milkweeds, or other flowers we can plant for monarchs. Rarely do the topics of monarch health or monarch diseases come up. Yet these can also be fascinating and important topics to learn about and discuss. In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we are joined by Dr. Sonia Altizer and Kade Donaldson. Sonia is a Professor of Ecology at the University of Georgia and Kade is the Project Manager for Monarch Health which is a community science project based out of the University of Georgia. Most of our conversation revolves around the tiny protozoan, Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, more commonly referred to by its initials: OE. OE is a parasite of monarch butterflies that has been interacting with monarchs for the past several centuries, at least, and likely for almost as long as there have been monarchs. However, over the last couple of decades, something has changed. OE has gone from being relatively rare to infecting very high percentages of some monarch populations. Exactly what has changed is still a topic of ongoing research, but the increased prevalence of OE appears to correlate to changes in human activities. The goal, therefore, is to determine what has changed and find ways to keep OE from spreading any more than it would naturally spread. One of the ways that OE infections are being studied is through Project Monarch Health. Project Monarch Health is a community science project that asks members of the public to help document OE infections throughout the country. Anyone can participate in this project which is based out of the University of Georgia, and we talk about Project Monarch Health quite a bit during our conversation. Other topics that we discussed are some of the common questions they get through Project Monarch Health. Those questions include ways people can help monarch butterflies and inquiries about raising monarchs. We also talked about how monarchs are only one part of the larger ecosystem. Protecting and conserving monarchs can also help lots of other organisms, but we need to be careful not to get so focused on monarchs that we lose sight of the big picture. Links: Project Monarch Health: Email: monarchhealth@gmail.com Website: https://www.monarchparasites.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ProjectMonarchHealth Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectmonarchhealth/?hl=en Other monarch-related Backyard Ecology content: Monarch vs Viceroy - Easy Identification Sitting or Flying: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL5RJokLhp4 Everything You Need to Know about the IUCN Listing of the Monarch Butterfly: https://www.backyardecology.net/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iucn-listing-of-the-monarch-butterfly/ Diversity Matters When Gardening for Monarchs: https://www.backyardecology.net/diversity-matters-when-gardening-for-monarchs/ Plant Multiple Species of Native Milkweeds for Monarch Caterpillars: https://www.backyardecology.net/plant-multiple-species-of-native-milkweeds-for-monarch-caterpillars/ What does the endangered species ruling for the monarch butterfly really mean?: https://www.backyardecology.net/what-does-the-endangered-species-ruling-for-the-monarch-butterfly-really-mean/ Milkweeds in Urban and Suburban Monarch Waystations with Dr. Adam Baker: https://www.backyardecology.net/milkweeds-in-urban-and-suburban-monarch-waystations-with-dr-adam-baker/ Plant Taller Milkweed Species for Monarchs: https://www.backyardecology.net/plant-taller-milkweed-species-for-monarchs/ Backyard Ecology: Website: https://backyardecology.net YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/backyardecology Blog: https://www.backyardecology.net/blog/ Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/backyardecology Subscribe to Backyard Ecology emails: https://www.backyardecology.net/subscribe/ Episode image Male monarch butterfly Photo credit: Sonia Altizer, all rights reserved

Monarch butterflies are threatened by a fatal parasite and a reason for infection may be that conservationists rear these butterflies and plant Milkweeds for them under crowded conditions.

The first “real” episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast went live on December 3, 2020. (Technically that was episode 2, but I don't count the introduction episode as a “real” episode because all I was doing was telling you that I was going to start the Backyard Ecology podcast.) This is episode 40, and we are fast approaching 25,000 total downloads. I am excited by how both the Backyard Ecology blog and the Backyard Ecology podcast have grown over the last year, and I am thankful to all my listeners and readers. In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, I thought it would be fun to review the top 10 most downloaded episodes in 2021. Maybe you'll find one that you missed, or be reminded of one that you wanted to listen to but then forgot about. Hopefully, you'll also be reminded of some of the episodes that you really enjoyed. Also, let me know in the comments what your favorite episode was this year. Was it one of these? Or was it another one that didn't make the top 10 list? I know there were a lot of good episodes that didn't quite make the top 10 list. Top 10 most downloaded Backyard Ecology podcast episodes this year 10) NRCS Programs for Pollinators and Wildlife - https://www.backyardecology.net/nrcs-programs-for-pollinators-and-wildlife/ 9) Deer Ticks and Lyme Disease - https://www.backyardecology.net/deer-ticks-and-lyme-disease-why-is-lyme-disease-more-common-in-the-north/ 8) Winter Hummingbirds in the Eastern U.S. - https://www.backyardecology.net/winter-hummingbirds-in-the-eastern-u-s/ 7) Bats and Bat Houses - https://www.backyardecology.net/bats-and-bat-houses/ 6) Acorns, Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians and More: Responses to Forest Disturbances - https://www.backyardecology.net/acorns-birds-reptiles-amphibians-and-more-responses-to-forest-disturbances/ 5) Mysterious Bird Deaths of 2021 - https://www.backyardecology.net/mysterious-bird-deaths-of-2021-digging-deeper-into-the-bird-mortality-event/ 4) Growing Native Plants in Small Yards - https://www.backyardecology.net/growing-native-plants-in-small-yards/ 3) Growing Native Plants: Insights and Stories from 3 Native Plant Nurseries - https://www.backyardecology.net/growing-native-plants-insights-and-stories-from-3-native-plant-nurseries/ 2) A Conversation with the Co-Hosts of the Native Plants, Healthy Planet Podcast - https://www.backyardecology.net/a-conversation-with-the-co-hosts-of-the-native-plants-healthy-planet-podcast/ 1) Factors that Make Pollinator Gardens More Attractive to Pollinators - https://www.backyardecology.net/factors-that-make-pollinator-gardens-more-attractive-to-pollinators/ Bonus episode: Some people prefer listening to podcasts on YouTube, but YouTube views don't count as downloads. So, for a bonus, I wanted to share the most viewed episode on YouTube. That episode is: Milkweeds in Urban and Suburban Monarch Waystations with Dr. Adam Baker -https://www.backyardecology.net/milkweeds-in-urban-and-suburban-monarch-waystations-with-dr-adam-baker/.

In this episode we rant about Asclepias prostrata, the rare and elusive prostrate milkweed of South Texas Thornscrub, as well as obscure subfamilies of the Legume Family, Cops & Dildos, and Old Peyotes. What exactly does the New Legume Phylogeny Working Group DO at their annual Pea Dungeon meet-up? Also, "why you gotta do dat"? 

When it comes to gardening for monarchs, the most common thing you hear is “plant milkweeds.” Milkweeds are important, because they are the only thing that monarch caterpillars can eat. But they aren't the whole story. In fact, having other types of flowering plants available can actually make your gardens more attractive to monarchs according to recent research from the University of Florida. In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we talk with Rebecca Nestle. Rebecca recently completed her Master's degree at the University of Florida where she explored several different topics related to gardening for monarchs. Part of Rebecca's research looked at how many eggs monarchs laid on focal milkweed plants in gardens composed only of milkweeds compared to gardens with several species that bloomed throughout the growing season. She also dove into another topic that relates to concerns we both often hear about monarch predators. In this part of her study, she compared the number of “natural enemies” (parasitoids and predators of monarchs) in mixed-species gardens compared to milkweed-only gardens. She then compared how well monarch caterpillars survived in each of those situations. Her results for all three of these studies were both surprising and exciting. Another part of Rebecca's research that we discussed related to the effects of high nitrogen levels on swamp milkweeds (Asclepias incarnata). She again, conducted a study that compared monoculture stands of swamp milkweed and swamp milkweeds intermixed with other species. She then looked at the impacts of these treatments on monarch caterpillars. Once again, the results were a little surprising, and potentially a little comforting for people gardening for monarchs in urban environments, near golf courses, or in other heavily fertilized locations. Links Articles about Rebecca's Research Study: For monarch butterflies, plant variety is the spice of life – http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/news/2020/10/15/study-for-monarch-butterflies-plant-variety-is-the-spice-of-life/ Mixed-Species Gardens Increase Monarch Oviposition without Increasing Top-Down Predation – https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/11/9/648/htm Rebecca's Thesis Investigating the Effects of Plant Diversity and Nutrients on Drivers of Monarch Fitness and Abundance – https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UFE0056937/00001 Backyard Ecology's website - https://backyardecology.net My email: shannon@backyardecology.net Episode image: Monarch butterfly nectaring on a New England aster Photo credit: USFWS Northeast Region, public domain

I have been noticing the milkweed pods in the road ditches and elsewhere this fall. The mature pods with those wind dispersed seeds seem to catch our attention this time of year.

My guests in this episode are Dr. Carrie Olson-Manning and Sydney Kreutzmann. Dr. Olson-Manning is an Assistant Professor at Augustana University, has a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Genetics from Duke University, and leads the Olson-Manning Lab which focuses on understanding how biochemical pathways evolve.Sydney Kreutzmann is a Research Technician in Dr. Olson-Manning's lab, working on a number of research and outreach efforts.In today's episode, we focus on milkweed, and in particular, the Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, of the eastern United States, and the Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, of the arid west. Dr. Olson-Manning's lab is studying how these two species hybridize in the transition zone in the Great Plains, where humid eastern climates give way to arid western climates. They discuss some of their initial findings, but as is often the case, each discovery opens up many new questions.But to do milkweeds justice, we also get deep into many broader aspects of milkweed, discussing their diversity, speciation, and ranges. No discussion of milkweed is complete without coverage of milkweed toxicity, and the unique animals that rely on it despite this toxicity. And of course, this means some Monarch butterfly talk. But did you know that there are at least 10 other species that rely on milkweed as part of their lifecycle?And one other amazing fact - milkweed produce dopamine. Yes, the same dopamine that you and I rely on. You'll have to listen to hear how it is put to use.Be sure to check out Dr. Olson-Manning's lab, milkweedflower.org for more details on the common and showy milkweed hybridization research, and their instagram. You can also follow the Olson-Manning lab on iNaturalist, and join their iNaturalist project that tracks observations of the Showy and Common milkweeds and their hybrids.Full Show Notes HereLinks and ReferencesPast Episodes MentionedPollinator Posse and the Western MonarchCharley Eiseman and LeafminersBooks and ResourcesMonarchs and Milkweed by Anurag Agrawal, also available as an audiobook!Monarch Joint Venture - a resource mentioned by Dr. Olson-ManningWhat Milkweed To Plant - PDF showing which species to plan by region of the USAPeople, Organizations, and Other ThingsDr. Steven Matzner - collaborator iNaturalist - anyone can use this wonderful resource to learn about the plants, animals, fungi, and other things living in their area.Mead's Milkweed - a milkweed species that is threatenedTropical Milkweed - is NOT recommended by Xerces Society. We discuss this briefly in the episode.Note: links to books are affiliate links

In this episode we talk about milkweed plants that dupe kleptoparasitic flies into pollinating them, greenhouses and conservatories as bastions of ex-situ conservation, floral mimicry and bat pollination among members of the coffee family, and why customer service is a psychological experiment in human torture. 

This week's episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast is the conclusion of our conversation with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada. In this episode, we continue to just geek out about lightning bugs. Once again, this is a very informal conversation that includes stories and more educational content. If you haven't listened to the previous episode, then I encourage you to go back and listen to Episode 15, which is part 1 of this conversation. We ended the previous episode talking about the larvae of the Pyractomena or Spring Tree Top Flasher fireflies and how they are so special because they pupate on the sides of trees where we can see them. And they do this in the late winter / very early spring, basically the late Feb. or early March timeframe in Kentucky and Tennessee. We jump right back into that conversation with Lynn describing some of Pyractomena's mating behaviors and why they might choose to come out so early. Much of the story of lightning bugs and fireflies revolves around the theme of just paying attention, making observations, sharing what you see, and asking questions. People doing those things have led to the discovery of new species like the synchronized fireflies of the Smokies and the Low Country Ghost. Other people have been able to help better document the range of a given species like the Pink Flashers. Those activities have also led to recognizing previously overlooked behaviors like the fireflies nectaring on milkweeds. There's so much out there to learn and discover if we're willing to open our eyes and pay attention. Lightning bugs, like many other insects, also face some threats. The main threats to lightning bugs are light pollution, pesticides in the soil, soil compaction, and habitat loss. Lynn talks about these threats and realistic ways that we can make our yards more firefly friendly. She takes a very balanced approach that basically boils down to being aware of how your actions might affect lightning bugs or other organisms and then making the best choices for you and your situation. I, for one, appreciate that balance. Lynn also shares some tips for observing lightning bugs. Again, if you missed the first part of this conversation, then I encourage you to go back to episode 15 and listen to it. In that episode, Lynn shared the story of how she went from just watching the lightning bugs to becoming “The Lightning Bug Lady.” We also talked about some of the different species found in the eastern U.S., how to identify firefly species, and the general life history of fireflies. I hope you enjoy both these episodes. Links: Lynn's book and papers Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada * Lowcountry Ghosts 2020 , Phausis sp. firefly Milkweed Fireflies: The Occurrence and Behaviors of 5 Adult North American Fireflies, Lucidota atra, Photinus pyralis, Photinus cookii, Pyropyga minuta and Photuris sp. on milkweed Asclepias syriaca Other scientific papers by Lynn Backyard Ecology's website Lightning bugs and Fireflies – A conversation with Lynn Faust, Part 1 Milkweeds in Urban and Suburban Monarch Waystations with Dr. Adam Baker Land Snails and Their Amazing Diversity Sign up for free Backyard Ecology emails My email: shannon@backyardecology.net Episode image: Firefly on butterfly milkweed Photo credit: baloonimals, cc-0

For many of us in the eastern U.S., warm spring and summer nights are characterized by the methodical flashing of fireflies and lightning bugs. Fireflies and lightning bugs are exactly the same thing. I grew up calling them “lightning bugs,” but somewhere along the line picked up the term “firefly.” Now I use both terms interchangeably. It doesn't matter what you call them, these flashing insects have the ability to bring out the child in all of us. In this episode of the Backyard Ecology podcast, we talk with Lynn Faust. Lynn is the author of Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada. She is also sometimes called “The Lightning Bug Lady,” and with good reason as you'll quickly learn when you listen to this episode. Our conversation is very informal and includes lots of stories mixed in with more educational discussions. This episode is a little different than previous episodes because it is the first in a two-part series. Lynn is so knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and has so many great stories that I couldn't fit everything into one episode. So, we'll start our conversation in this episode, and then conclude our conversation in the next episode. Often, we tend to think of lightning bugs as all being the same, but they aren't. In the eastern U.S., we are very rich in lightning bug species and we're still identifying new species. One of the things that I love about lightning bugs is that we can enjoy them on so many different levels. We can sit on our porches or in our lawn chairs and just appreciate their beauty. We can run around in our bare feet and catch them. We can learn the different flash patterns and begin identifying the species that we are seeing. Or anything in between. In this episode, Lynn shares the story of how she went from just watching the lightning bugs to becoming “The Lightning Bug Lady.” We also talk about some of the different species found in the eastern U.S., how to identify firefly species, and the general life history of fireflies. In the next episode, we'll continue our life history discussion. We'll also talk about some exciting recent discoveries, threats to fireflies, ways we can make our yards more lightning bug friendly, and tips for observing fireflies. I hope you enjoy both these episodes. Links: Lynn's book and papers Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs: Identification and Natural History of the Fireflies of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada * Lowcountry Ghosts 2020 , Phausis sp. firefly Milkweed Fireflies: The Occurrence and Behaviors of 5 Adult North American Fireflies, Lucidota atra, Photinus pyralis, Photinus cookii, Pyropyga minuta and Photuris sp. on milkweed Asclepias syriaca Other scientific papers by Lynn Backyard Ecology's website Lightning bugs and Fireflies – A conversation with Lynn Faust, Part 2 Milkweeds in Urban and Suburban Monarch Waystations with Dr. Adam Baker Land Snails and Their Amazing Diversity Sign up for free Backyard Ecology emails My email: shannon@backyardecology.net Episode image: Firefly (Photinus pyralis) Photo credit: Katja Schulz, cc-by 2.0

On this  episode of 'A Garden Runs Through It', the UC Master Gardener's of Colusa County, Gerry Hernandez, and Lora Haller, visitors services specialist at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Willows discuss Monarch Butterflies and the importance of the Milk Weed plant. Do you have a question for the Master Gardeners, email glhernandez@ucanr.edu; be sure to include PODCAST in the subject line to have your question considered to be answered on the show.For information about Milkweeds, click here.For information about Western Monarch Butterflies, click here.For information about the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge Complex, click here.For more information about the UC Master Gardener's of Colusa County, click here. Sign up for the UC Master Gardener's of of Colusa County Newsletter, click here."Like" the UC Master Gardener's of Colusa County on Facebook.Want to give to the UC Master Gardner's of Colusa County? Donate at: https://ucanr.edu/sites/donate/?fund_id=1283 - be sure to mention you heard the podcast.DISCLAIMER: The University of California does not endorse or is associated with any of these products or organizations.  The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California.  THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA MAKE NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE CONTENTS HEREOF AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  You should not rely upon the material or information presented here as a basis for making any business, legal, medical or any other decisions.

Hi Everyone! Today we are talking with Dr. Adam Baker who recently completed his PhD studying monarch butterflies and their use of monarch waystations in urban and suburban areas. His research has led to some important and easily applied strategies that any of us can use in our gardens. First, Adam looked at existing monarch waystations. He wanted to determine if monarchs used monarch waystations and if there were any key characteristics that might make one monarch waystation more successful than another. He found two very important characteristics that increased monarch butterfly use of the gardens for egg laying. First, more eggs were laid on milkweeds that were isolated from other plants – in other words, not touching other plants. Second, monarch waystations with clear lines of sight in the north-south directions were used much more than waystations where those lines of sight are blocked. Next, Adam looked at ways to design monarch waystations or pollinator gardens that would make them more attractive to egg laying monarchs. His research found that planting milkweed around the perimeter of the garden resulted in more monarch caterpillars and eggs than gardens where the milkweed was planted as a clump in the middle or mixed up with other plants throughout the monarch waystation. Additionally, he compared monarch egg laying behavior and bee usage of different species of milkweed and even compared some of the milkweed cultivars with their wild type counterparts. His research showed that tall, broad leaf species were more attractive to egg laying butterflies, than species with shorter or narrower leaves. The species of bees that used the different types of milkweed also varied. Yet another, component of Adam's research looked at European paper wasp predation of monarch caterpillars. He found that butterfly houses or butterfly hibernation boxes – those long, skinny houses with slits in the front or side that are often placed in or near pollinator gardens or monarch waystations – are commonly used by European paper wasps. There's no evidence that butterfly houses or hibernation boxes are actually used by butterflies. Thus, placing one in your monarch waystation or pollinator garden might be providing additional habitat for caterpillar predators while not doing anything to help monarchs or other butterflies. I love how Adam's research provides us with applicable, hands-on activities we can do to support egg laying monarchs in our gardens. I also like that part of his research looked at bee usage of milkweeds because obviously milkweeds are used by more than just monarchs. Adam's research is another example of how much we still have to learn about gardening for pollinators and wildlife, even for something as iconic and popular as the monarch butterfly. To me, it's exciting to see more of this type of research being done, especially when it results in real-world applications that we can so easily use in our own yards and communities. Links: Adam's papers and resources Backyard Ecology's website My email: shannon@backyardecology.net

RIP Tropical Milkweeds: Putting Your Garden To Bed This Autumn Monarchs are in northern Mexico. Right on schedule for Day of the Dead. Not all tropical milkweed are created equal. Why native milkweed won't thrive in a subdivision (paid link) Try Audible and Get Two Free Audiobooks Bringing Nature Home, Updated and Expanded: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants Arizona milkweed finally has a pollinator on the flowers. Western honey bee is moving from goldenrod to late blooming Arizona milkweed. To be fair to the plant. It blooms and fruits all summer long until there is a frost. 

It's been another record-setting week in the Northland ... September came in only 1° cooler than normal this year, but we saw less than an inch of rain, compared with the four inches or so we usually get. That means, so far this year, September and June are going down as some of the driest on record. Milkweeds, on the other hand, need dry conditions to form pods that then split open so they can disperse their seeds. And another record was broken yesterday at Hawk Ridge. They made this announcement on their social media: Records are there to be broken, and today another fell. In 1996, 799 Turkey Vultures were counted representing the largest 1 day total at HRBO. Today the counters counted 854 for a new one day total. You can learn more about this year's fall migration counts and species here:

You may recall that last week’s Natural North Dakota topic was about milkweed’s interesting pollination mechanisms. I am still thinking about the common milkweed, but this time about fruit and seed production.

Many years ago I took a garbage bag and set out to collect some flowers of the common milkweed for my botany labs. I found a good patch of the milkweeds and proceeded to cut off the flower heads, letting them drop in the bag. When I had collected enough flower heads I tied up the bag and put it in the prep room freezer for safe keeping.

Dr. Orley, “Chip” Taylor started Monarch Watch about 30 years ago. So far, he and his group have managed to tag over two million monarchs so they can study the migration habits of this beautiful butterfly. His research has also determined where monarchs spend their time all year, the flyways they follow going from Canada to Mexico and back, when they start, when they arrive and how many weeks it takes them to travel this incredible distance. Chip and his team have determined how to produce milkweed plugs by the thousands to provide food sources for monarchs and make these available to buy. Chip talks about how habitat loss and climate change is a double whammy these butterflies face, and may not be able to overcome. Improving life for the monarch will improve life for all pollinators. This is a fascinating discussion for this Pollinator Week! Listen today! Links and websites mentioned in this episode: Monarch Watch Organization: https://monarchwatch.org Milkweed Market: https://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market/ Monarch Habitat Restoration: https://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/milkweed/free-milkweeds-for-restoration-projects/ Free Milkweed for Schools and Nonprofits: https://biosurvey.ku.edu/application-free-milkweed-nonprofits-and-schools/ More Information about Milkweeds: https://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/milkweed/milkweed-profiles/ The Pollinators Movie: The Pollinators Movie ______________ Pollinator Week episodes are brought to you by BetterBee. BetterBee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. How do they do this? Because many of their employees are also beekeepers, so they know the needs, challenges and answers to your beekeeping questions. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, BetterBee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com This episode is brought to you by Global Patties! Global Patties is a family business that manufactures protein supplement patties for honey bees. Feeding your hives protein supplement patties will help ensure that they produce strong and health colonies by increasing brood production and overall honey flow. Global offers a variety of standard patties, as well as custom patties to meet your specific needs. Visit them today at http://globalpatties.com and let them know you appreciate them sponsoring this episode!  We want to also thank 2 Million Blossoms as a sponsor of the podcast. 2 Million Blossoms is a new quarterly magazine destined for your coffee table. Each page of the magazine is dedicated to the stories and photos of all pollinators and written by leading researchers, photographers and our very own, Kim Flottum. _______________ We hope you enjoy this podcast and welcome your questions and comments: questions@beekeepingtodaypodcast.com Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of The Beekeeping Today Podcast. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com Thank you for listening!  Podcast music: Young Presidents, "Be Strong"

Rants on Climate Deniers, Obsolete Racist Grandfathers, El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Foxtail Pines, the Hong Kong Airport and many more. 2.5 hours worth of profane pontifications on evolutionary biology, the human condition and bad air days. 

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the world of milkweeds. The genus Asclepias has been made famous due to the plight of the monarch butterfly, whose larvae feed on nothing else. Though we tend to focus our attention on only a handful of milkweeds, these plants are incredibly diverse and have a lot to teach us about ecology, evolution, and biogeography. Joining us to talk about this incredible group is the Milkweed Guy himself, Dr. Mark Fishbein. Dr. Fishbein and his colleagues are working hard on piecing together the history of Asclepias in North America. If you thought milkweeds were incredible plants before, this conversation will certainly amplify your appreciation for these incredible plants. This episode was produced in part by Kate, Steven, Brittney, McMansion Hell, Joey, Catherine, Brandon, Hall, Vegreville Creek and Wetlands Fund, Kevin, Oliver, John, Johansson, Christina, Jared, Hannah, Katy Pye, Brandon, Gwen, Carly, Stephen, Botanical Tours, Moonwort Studios, Lisa, Liba, Lucas, Mohsin Kazmi Takes Pictures, doeg, Clifton, Stephanie, Rachelle, Benjamin, Eli, Rachael, Anthony, Plant By Design, Philip, Brent, Ron, Tim, Homestead Brooklyn, Brodie, Kevin, Sophia, Brian, Mark, Rens, Bendix, Irene, Holly, Caitlin, Manuel, Jennifer, Sara, and Margie.

This episode is all about the butterfly.  Special guest:  Ann Shebesta, the Monarch Queen of Mishicot.Top ten topic:  Milkweeds for monarchs.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Zimmer takes calls about February nature, has fun with Punxsutawney Phil, and talks about local events happening soon.  His top ten list topic: milkweeds for monarchs.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From One Illinois, this is "In the Milkweeds", your audio ballot card for Illinois Elections. This season, we will discuss issues and themes, leading up to the Illinois Midterm Election.

Magic can't solve everything. Maybe the Milkweeds can help us with some natural remedies. Also, Chunt is now in a power position. Credits: Arnie: Arnie Niekamp Chunt: Adal Rifai Usidore: Matt Young Fig and Maple Milkweed: Nick Mestad and Emma Pope Glen Weldon: Glen Weldon Mysterious Man: Tim Sniffen Craig: Ryan DiGiorgi Producers: Arnie Niekamp, Evan Jacover, Ryan DiGiorgi Editor: Ryan DiGiorgi Theme Music: Andy Poland Magic Tavern Logo: Allard Laban Audio Assistance: Jason Knox Production Assistance: Garrett Schultz

The genus Asclepias is in the Milkweed family Aclepiadaceae and there are about 30 species of Asclepias found in Arizona…

Architect-turned-farmer Mary Ostafi's dream of Growing Food Where People Live is bearing fruit - and chard, eggplant, tomatos and flowers - atop a storage-unit building in downtown St. Louis.    Mary's leadership has also harvested major $$ support, from crowd-funds to a Metropolitan Sewer District Project Clear grant. With veg in the "ground" and a biz-plan in hand, this city's first rooftop farm is growing connections between loft-living eaters, social service job programs, water conservation needs, and much more. Food Roof features include raised beds, aeroponics, a drainage board that can contain 17,000 gallons of rainwater (which won't run off to overload storm sewers), bee hives and a Milkweeds for Monarchs pollinator garden. Living lunch from a flat-roof ecosystem!This week's Earthworms podcast is a taste of what's evolving as the Urban Harvest Food Roof Farm - featured this week in the New York Times!   Music: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 - J.S. Bach (he liked turnips)  

What are some great milkweeds for Monarch butterflies?  Find out in this podcast.

An entertaining look at the insect world.