BORDERLANDS RESTORATION NETWORK
  • Who We Are
    • BRN Mission & Vision >
      • Policies
      • Annual Report
      • Strategic Plan
    • Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
    • Meet Our Team
    • BRN Fellows
    • Meet the Network >
      • Borderlands Restoration, L3c
      • Wildlife Corridors
      • Cuenca Los Ojos
    • Meet Our Partners
  • What we do
    • Education & Outreach >
      • Borderlands Earth Care Youth
      • Water is Life
      • Field Studies
      • Women Grow Food
      • Mesquite Workshops
      • Salud Comcaac
    • Native Plant Program >
      • Native Plant Program
      • Borderlands Nursery & Seed
      • Current Projects & Initiatives
      • Regional Seed Strategy
    • Watershed & Habitat Restoration >
      • Quail Habitat Restoration
      • Path Of The Jaguar
    • Borderlands Wildlife Preserve
  • News
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Join Us
    • Job Opportunities
    • Volunteer
    • ENewsletter
  • Blog
  • SHOP

Native Plant Power 2: Milkweed

7/12/2019

 
Written By: Andrea Bond, BRN Intern
​

Hello, Andrea here! Borderland’s BECY program recently did a planting project at Patagonia Flower Farm, planting native plants for both use and appearance. One of the most abundant species they planted was the Arizona Milkweed, definitely a plant worth a blog post! So this weeks blog is about the genus Asclepias--The Milkweeds.
Picture
BECY planting at Patagonia Flower Farm.
While some may call this plant a weed or dangerous, those are both misconceptions. First, the Milkweed is a necessary native plant with a nice appearance, not a weed. Second, it is possible to eat too much milkweed and be harmed by the toxins inside, but it takes a large amount and animals don’t like to eat this bitter plant. Small children should be warned about the potential danger, but the danger is not so large that the milkweed should be outed from your yard or garden. 
Picture
Arizona Milkweed Images from Monarch Watch.
So why is the milkweed so necessary? Monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweeds, meaning the survival of the monarch is directly tied to the survival of this plant! Monarch populations are decreasing alarmingly, so having milkweeds in your yard or garden is one of the best ways to support these beautiful creatures. Milkweeds are also used by many, many other pollinators, and are an important part of supporting all pollinators in our area. 
Picture
Arizona Milkweed Images from Monarch Watch.
Milkweed is not only useful for pollinators, but also humans! Herbalists have used milkweeds for everything from chest pain to fever, warts to indigestion. Saying it has widely varied uses is an understatement! However, while these are traditional uses, milkweeds are strong enough that they are not good for tonics. Leave this one to the professionals. 

The steroids called cardenolides are thought to be the root of many of the milkweed’s uses. Different milkweeds have different levels of these cardenolides, and there are many different milkweeds across the United States. Here in Arizona, there are at least 29 native species, though the one the BECY students planted was the Arizona Milkweed. 

Another special part of the milkweed is that Native Americans traditionally used milkweed for repelling insects, and the fiber inside milkweed stems and seed pods to create products like bowstrings, nets, baskets, and more. The milkweed was also used by the United States during World War II to line life jackets and flight suits, serving an important role in wartime shortage.

Perhaps in the future we will see more uses for milkweed, in pest control, down substitutes, or more! It’s always fun to have plants with stories in your yard or garden and milkweed has many and many great uses.

We will have several different kinds of milkweed available at our Monsoon Plant Sale tomorrow 9 - 3PM. Perfect time to pick a few up for your yard!



Comments are closed.

    SEARCH OUR BLOG

    CATEGORIES
    ​

    All

    ARCHIVES
    ​

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    June 2017

Physical Address:
320-B School Street
​Patagonia, AZ 85624

Mailing Address:
PO Box 121
Patagonia, AZ 85624
General Contact:
E-mail: 
info@borderlandsrestoration.org
Phone Number: (520) 216-4148

​
Borderlands Nursery & Seed

42 San Antonio Road, Patagonia, AZ
www.borderlandsplants.org
​

Borderlands Wildlife Preserve
Patagonia, AZ

www.borderlandswildlifepreserve.org


Hours of Office Operation:
​

Monday-Thursday: 8AM-3PM
Friday: By Appointment
​Saturday-Sunday: Closed
​

DONATE
Copyright 2023-Borderlands Restoration Network
Photo used under Creative Commons from Rennett Stowe
  • Who We Are
    • BRN Mission & Vision >
      • Policies
      • Annual Report
      • Strategic Plan
    • Equity, Inclusion, and Justice
    • Meet Our Team
    • BRN Fellows
    • Meet the Network >
      • Borderlands Restoration, L3c
      • Wildlife Corridors
      • Cuenca Los Ojos
    • Meet Our Partners
  • What we do
    • Education & Outreach >
      • Borderlands Earth Care Youth
      • Water is Life
      • Field Studies
      • Women Grow Food
      • Mesquite Workshops
      • Salud Comcaac
    • Native Plant Program >
      • Native Plant Program
      • Borderlands Nursery & Seed
      • Current Projects & Initiatives
      • Regional Seed Strategy
    • Watershed & Habitat Restoration >
      • Quail Habitat Restoration
      • Path Of The Jaguar
    • Borderlands Wildlife Preserve
  • News
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Join Us
    • Job Opportunities
    • Volunteer
    • ENewsletter
  • Blog
  • SHOP