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Milkweed: A Whole Ecosystem on a Plant
A plant with countless links to other species.
© Tom Koerner / USFWS
Milkweed plants are important to Monarch butterflies, which depend on milkweed to raise their caterpillars. But Monarchs aren’t the only ones who benefit from milkweed. Scientists once documented hundreds of insect species they found eating some part of the common milkweed plant – including 132 species of beetles alone. When it’s part of a diverse community of plants, milkweed helps many species find food and shelter, including birds.
BirdNote®
Milkweed: A Whole Ecosystem on a Plant
Written by Conor Gearin
This is BirdNote.
[Brushy field soundscape]
Milkweed plants are important to Monarch butterflies. Adult Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweeds, and their caterpillars feed on the leaves. Milkweed contains a toxin that helps protect the caterpillars from predators.
But Monarchs aren't the only ones who benefit from milkweed. Scientists in Ohio once tried to document every insect species they found eating some part of the common milkweed plant. They identified hundreds of species, including 132 kinds of beetles alone. And many bees, butterflies and other pollinator insects visit the milkweed’s flowers.
Milkweed is almost like a tiny ecosystem of its own, drawing in creatures of all shapes and sizes. When it’s part of a diverse community of plants, it helps many species find food and shelter, including birds.
[Eastern Bluebird song]
The fluffy fibers in a milkweed seed pod are the perfect lining for a songbird’s nest.
[Eastern Bluebird song]
Not to mention, some hummingbirds drink nectar from milkweed flowers!
[Hummingbird buzz]
Planting milkweed helps the declining Monarch butterfly and a whole host of other species, including birds. Learn how to find seeds for milkweed and other native plants on our website, BirdNote dot org. I’m Michael Stein.
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Senior Producer: John Kessler
Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Environmental ML305942 recorded by Wil Hershberger, Eastern Bluebird ML534348 recorded by Wil Hershberger, and Anna’s Hummingbird ML6121 recorded by David G. Allen.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2023 BirdNote July 2023
Narrator: Michael Stein
ID# milkweed-01-2023-07-14 milkweed-01
Reference:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3999873
https://www.thenatureinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/A-Synopsi…
Conor Gearin
Writer
Michael Stein
NarratorRelated Field Notes
This blog is the first in a series about the ways that members of the BirdNote comm