Discussions

Hi everyone,  
 
I have started an online petition to help raise the attention of our government to remove the Milkweed plant from our Provincial Noxious Weeds List. Ontario recently removed it in 2014 from their list, and since it is the only food source of Monarch Butterfly Larvae, we should be doing the same!  
 
Help push it through:  
 
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/remove-milkweed-from-noxious-weeds-list-in-MB/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=button

I think it is important to save this beautiful butterfly. I don't think I have seen any for years.

I seen a clump of them growing right here in town the other day. I think it was on park avenue (?) and was mentioning to my daughter about how unfortunate this is for the butterfly. So very sad.

I signed!

We are slowly building a momentum, and I hope someday soon we get enough on-board to get some attention from the government.

Out what effect this plant has on livestock before you get carried away...there's a reason it's on the list.

I for one hope it is never taken off it is poisonous to livestock and once it starts to get established it is very hard to get rid of and will take over pastures if left unchecked. I get tired of reading all the crap that people do to try to save the world without fully understanding the consequences. I for one will continue to destroy every plant i see on my land whether it is on or off the noxious weed act.

Its a terrible weed.  
 
Not native to this part of the world and can do a lot of damage.

Just to fill everyone in on this plant I have added a few highlights to some information I have come across:  
 
1. It is only food source for Monarch Butterfly Larvae  
 
2. Is poisonous if ingested in large quantities and is generally distasteful to animals and will only be eaten if there is no other vegetation available.  
 
3. Is a native plant to Canada, United States, and Mexico. http://www.plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=ASSY  
 
4. Was added to the Noxious Weeds act in 1990's as it is a semi-aggressive spreader, and did nit have a method of control at the time. (We now have chemicals that can remove this plant from crops)  
 
5. Low number of recorded incidents of livestock loss in 1949, a herd of 12 sheep ingested the plants as it was during a bad drought and was the only available food source at the time.  
 
6. Is currently in research as an alternative crop with the floss from the pods being used as a hypoallergenic filler for blankets and coats.  
 
7. Indigenous people used the floss to line the baskets they carried their children in.  
 
8. Ontario government removed this plant from their noxious weeds list in 2014, with support from the Canadian Environmental Law Association.  
 
I can post links to the above points if anyone wants to look it up themselves, also by taking this plant off the noxious weeds list doesn't mean everyone everywhere is going to plant it.  
It's more of an update to an outdated list that takes in current trends we are seeing in the world, i.e the devastation of monarch butterfly populations.  
In summary, what we know now is more than what we knew back in 1990, and the pros outweigh the cons now.

It one of those weeds that can be controlled with improved grazing management? Like leafy spurge? My cows eat it no problem now that I've improved my grazing management. Supposedly it's some horrible weed that cows won't touch.

I wouldn''t recommend having it grow freely in pasture land, it is poisonous to livestock if they eat it. They won''t freely eat it though unless it is the only food source available as it is distasteful to them.  
The 2 best forms of control so far are spot spraying the Milkweed or to cut it down twice, once before flowering and a second time later on, that way it will reduce the root growth of the plant which it can spread from if left unchecked.  
 
If the milkweed is removed from the list, not much will change accept that people will be allowed.to plant it in their gardens, in communities and in parks.  
If you don''t have it right now in your pasture, then this change in the list will not magically generate milkweed plants on crop land or pastures. The plants will have to come from seeds which drift the same distance as cottonwood fluff, just later in the season.  
 
I am all about balance, yes it is poisonous, but so are some rhubarb plants. Yes it is agressive, but so is cottonwood/boxelder trees/ Manchurian elms, rag weed, wolf willow and lots of other plants. So I am all for continued control of it as it is now, but open the doors for people to grow it where it won't affect farmland or pastures.  
The two things this plant has over all of the other plants is that it is the sole food source for Monarch butterflies and has a significant place in our historical culture for everyone!  
 
Did you know the floss from the pods was used to insulate life jackets and pilot jackets in World War 2?  
 
Edited by Dan_F, 2016-06-29 11:09:11