Nebraskaland

NEBRASKAland July 2016

NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.

Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/695082

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seems to be on common, showy, swamp and whorled milkweeds. As important as milkweed is to monarch butterflies, caterpillar food is only one of many roles milkweed plays in Nebraska's ecosystems. At the very least, milkweed flowers are among the state's most valuable nectar sources for pollinator insects, including many pollinator species that are declining in population. In addition to their functional contributions, milkweeds' unique pollination strategy, their deployment of toxins as defense mechanisms, and their charming fluffy seeds combine to make milkweeds appealing and worth having around. As you walk through the prairies and woodlands of Nebraska this year, keep your eyes out for milkweeds. You'll see some that are as tall as you and others that don't even reach as high as your ankles. Some will be standing upright and others lying prostrate on the ground. Their leaves can be broad or skinny and their flowers can be pink, red, orange, or greenish white. You can find milkweeds at the top of a dry sand dune, at the edge of a wetland, and just about everywhere in-between. The important thing is to find them somewhere and appreciate them as the valuable, interesting fellow organisms they are. Oh, and did I mention they're important to monarch butterflies? ■ • Bluntleaf milkweed (Asclepias amplixicaulis) – far eastern edge of the state. • Sand milkweed (Asclepias arenaria) – western 2/3 of state (not in southeastern corner). • Antelope-horn milkweed (Asclepias asperula) – just barely makes it into southern Nebraska. • Engelmann's milkweed (Asclepias engelmanniana) – western Panhandle and southwestern Nebraska. • Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) – statewide in wet habitats. • Woolly milkweed (Asclepias lanuginosa) – rare and scattered across most of the state except the Panhandle. • Broadleaf milkweed (Asclepias latifolia) – southwestern Nebraska. • Plains milkweed/Dwarf milkweed (Asclepias pumila) – western 2/3 of state. • Purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) – only in very southeastern corner. • Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) – statewide except southeastern third. • Narrow-leaf milkweed (Asclepias stenophylla) – statewide. • Sullivant's milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) – eastern half of the state. • Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) – not in Panhandle. • Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) – eastern half. • Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) – statewide. • Green milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) – statewide. • Spider milkweed (Asclepias viridis) – southeastern quarter. Chris Helzer is the Eastern Nebraska Program Director for The Nature Conservancy. He has been a contributor to NEBRASKAland since 1994 and his first full-length article was "The Closer View" in June 1995. Monarch butterfly caterpillar on a milkweed leaf. Monarchs depend upon milkweeds as their only larval food source. JULY 2016 • NEBRASKAland 57

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