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Milkweed and Monarch Butterflies
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- Written by Super User
- Category: Wetland Plants
Below are two photos I took Saturday of Monarch caterpillars eating Milkweed leaves, their sole source of food. Monarch butterflies have declined precipitiously over the last twenty years, a direct result of declines in Milkweed, open space, and the degradation of their winter nesting grounds in Mexico.
In the Northeast, Milkweed is not considered a wetland plant by the USDA for wetland classification purposes, but is elsewhere in the United States it's status differs, as there are over 100 species of Milkweed in the United States. The swamp Milkweed found in the west thrives only in moist soils, and the photos I took were roadside, in a very dry environment. Due to the toxins found in Milkweed, which are also present in the caterpillar, birds and other predators steer clear from what would otherwise be a juicy snack.
Some helpful pages here:
Native Milkweeds - The Xerces Society
USDA Milkweed plant Profile
Wetlands Institute - Monarch butterfly
NRCS Monarch Butterfly Habitat Development Project
Monarch Butterfly Conference Report
A particularly well researched monograph on Milkweed from a Botanists perspective
New Website
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- Written by Super User
- Category: Other
Just a quick update, the long overdue website update has been completed to the most recent version of Joomla! Some Menu items and dropdowns still need to be updated, but the site now offers more features and is much more mobile friendly.
Wetland Plant Guides
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- Written by charlie
- Category: Wetland Plants
Below are a few visual resources for learning about Wetland Plants,I always found that photos are easier to learn from than black and white drawings that are found in many books. They can also be referred to more easily while out in the field, assuming you have internet connectivity. The flashcards are a novel idea, and you can use it to gauge your progress about your knowledge of wetland plants. Each of the 133 flashcard lists bothe Common names, scientific names, and additional info the particular species, as well as an audio component. The only drawback is the flashcards were created 4 years ago, and not edited recently.
Specific to the Michigan and to the Midwest, many of the plant species found in the over 2,000 photos are also found elsewhere in the United States, and can still serve as a guide for other areas.
Wetland Plant Flash Cards
Photos and Characteristics of Wetland Plant Species and Wetland Ecological Communities of Michigan and the Upper Midwest
Wetlands in the News
29 March 2024
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Wetlands are disappearing quickly across the United States
A new report released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reveals wetlands — 95% of which are freshwater — covered less than 6% of the lower 48 states as of 2019. That is half the area they covered...
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Gorgeous 4K Footage of a Winter Starling Murmuration Swooping Over the Yorkshire Wetlands
Robert E Fuller captured gorgeous 4K footage of a winter starling murmuration swooping over the Ripon City Wetlands in Yorkshire, England.
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As feds stand down, states choose between wetlands protections or rollbacks
For 200 miles, the Wabash River forms the border between Illinois and Indiana as it meanders south to the Ohio River. On the Illinois side, lawmakers are scrambling to pass a bill that would protect...
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Beaver Creek homeowners mount challenge to developer seeking to build homes on a parcel long thought to be undevelopable wetlands
A long-forgotten parcel at Beaver Creek is being eyed by a developer who seeks to build on land that nearby homeowners have previously understood to be undevelopable wetlands. The 13.8-acre parcel,...
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New U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Report Finds Continued Decline of Wetlands - More Than Half of Wetlands in the Lower 48 States Are Gone
New U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Report Finds Continued Decline of Wetlands - More Than Half of Wetlands in the Lower 48 States Are Gone...