Why Milkweed Is The Most Important Plant In Every Michigan Flowerbed

Spring is in the air. The birds are returning from their winter migration and are singing their songs, the trees are no longer bare, and your annoying neighbor has started mowing the lawn at 8 am for no real reason. Okay, two of those are good, at least.

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Watching the plants come back to life is my favorite part of spring, and seeing insects like bumblebees and butterflies sitting on flowers makes me a very happy camper. However, these insects have seen their populations decline in recent years, with many not surviving the long winter migrations. However, there is one simple thing you can do to help give Monarch butterflies a hand every year.

I spoke to Rebecca Ling, a paralegal who worked with biologists to help establish rain gardens in urban areas like Grand Rapids, about little things people can do to help out the environment. Her answer was very simple.

Plant milkweed in your garden.

The Importance of Milkweed

According to Ling, Monarch butterflies fly south to Mexico for the winter from Canada and return here (a journey you can track using this map). It is a long trip that spans generations of butterflies (the butterfly that leaves Canada isn't the same one that flies back).

READ MORE: These Birds Are Returning to Michigan for Spring |

Having Milkweed in your garden helps give the butterflies a little "pit stop" to help them get an easy meal while on their travels. Milkweed has deep roots, and helps absord water into the ground. It is a very simple plant to grow and is one that birds do not consume, making it safe for the butterflies to complete their metamorphosis cycle.

What Milkweed To Plant and When

There are multiple types of milkweed you can plant, depending on what type of ground you're planting in. The World Wildlife Fund lists these milkweed species as best for the Midwest:

• Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
  • Good for well-drained soil
• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
  • Good for damp, marshy areas
• Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
  • Well-drained soil
• Whorl Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)
  • Good for prairies and open areas
• Poke Milkweed (Asclepias exaltata)
  • Good for woodland areas

The best time to plant Milkweed is in the fall, in October or November. If this sounds confusing because winter is right around the corner, that's exactly why this is the best time. It gets the plant used to winter germination.

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You can still plant this in Spring, however, it is advised that you first put it in soil or moist paper towels and place it in the fridge to simulate the effects of winter. This is known as artificial stratification.

Butterflies are a signifier for how the environment as a whole is doing. If the monarchs lose their one host plant (milkweed), it affects every part of the ecosystem. This is the easiest step to help maintain