Smitten with Butterflies
For those of us smitten with butterflies, per chance some
good news on the horizon and just when butterflies are noticeably in decline if
last summer was an accurate indicator.
Monarchs were few and far between this year on my little patch though
some folk reported otherwise.
The good news is that some one in Quebec has discovered
that the downy fibers contained in the Milkweed Pod are very effective in
absorbing oil and could be used in cleaning up small oil spills. Parks Canada is going to keep a supply on hand
in the eventuality of an oil spill (God forbid). The milkweed, long detested by farmers may become
a lucrative venture for farmers to plant.
Milkweed is a host plant and a nectar plant for the Monarch Butterfly. Who knows, perhaps it could be used on large scale spills as well.
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), found growing along
roadsides, and in waste places always seemed a pretty plant to me. I found it hard to take the scythe to
it. Of course I was thrilled when a
neighbour gave me some of his Asclepias tuberosa which is otherwise known as
Butterfly weed. A close cousin to
Milkweed it surely lives up to its common name.
Butterflies just love it.
Milkweed plantations over vast areas of North America can
only help the Monarch butterflies on their long migrations.
For more on the discovery of the attributes of milkweed and
plantation possibilities, follow the link.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/milkweed-touted-as-oil-spill-super-sucker-with-butterfly-benefits-1.2856029
Milkweed attracts all
butterflies including members of the family of the Brushfooted butterflies
No comments:
Post a Comment