Why is milkweed so important?
Milkweed plants (family Asclepiadaceae) are the only food source for monarch butterfly caterpillars. However, milkweed has severely declined in North America due to drastic changes in land use and management. Agricultural practices and housing developments have led to the loss of existing milkweed and the land for it to reseed and grow on. Milkweed losses and other stressors are associated with declines in migratory monarch butterflies over the past 20 years. To compensate for the loss of milkweed, gardeners across North America are helping monarchs by planting milkweeds, and by keeping milkweeds safe from pesticides. Native varieties are especially important and difficult to grow, making them hard to find at local nurseries.
Our work program hopes to change that. Over 10 years of research and trials have allowed us to develop a system for reliable germination and growth that will make native milkweed more accessible and available. Until our program is up and running, native milkweed plants can be purchased at:
6420 FM 359 Richmond, TX. 77406
Kwa nini mimea ya milkweed ni muhimu sana? Mimea ya milkweed (familia ya Asclepiadaceae) ndiyo chanzo pekee cha chakula cha vipepeo wa kipepeo wa mfalme. Hata hivyo, mimea hiyo imepungua sana huko Amerika Kaskazini kwa sababu ya mabadiliko makubwa katika matumizi ya ardhi na usimamizi wake. Mazoea ya kilimo na maendeleo ya makazi yamesababisha kupoteza milkweed iliyopo na ardhi kwa ajili yake kupanda tena na kukua. Kwa sababu ya uharibifu wa mimea ya mimea ya maziwa, idadi ya vipepeo wa kifalme imepungua kwa miaka 20 iliyopita. Ili kukabiliana na hasara ya mimea ya mimea ya maziwa, wakulima wa Amerika Kaskazini wanawasaidia wafalme kwa kupanda mimea ya maziwa na kuhifadhi mimea ya maziwa bila kutumia dawa za kuua wadudu. Aina za asili ni muhimu hasa na ni vigumu kukuza, na hivyo ni vigumu kuzipata katika vibanda vya mahali hapo. Programu yetu ya kazi inatumaini kubadilisha hilo. Zaidi ya miaka 10 ya utafiti na majaribio imetuwezesha kuendeleza mfumo wa kuaminika kwa kuota na ukuaji ambao utafanya milkweed ya asili iwe rahisi zaidi na inapatikana. Kwa hivyo, kwa sababu ya hali ya hewa, mimea ya milkweed inaweza kupandwa kwa urahisi katika maeneo ya chini ya ardhi, kwa mfano, katika eneo la Richmond, Texas. 77406 - Mfano wa