10 Milkweed Facts and History

1. 1. Milkweed are hardy perennials that survive below freezing temperatures, going dormant in winter and returning each spring.
2. 2. The flowers produce a nectar that all butterfly species benefit from.
3. 3. Monarch butterflies deposit their eggs on the plant; once the caterpillar emerges, they eat the leaves. 
4. 4. Honey bees take nectar from the flower.  So planting milkweed in your garden can help provide feeding stations as they fly between crop fields and orchards.
5. Hummingbirds use the floss from the seed pods to line their nests. 
6. Native Americans taught early settlers how to properly cook milkweed so it could be safely eaten. (please don't try this at home)
7. Used as a natural remedy, the milky white sap was applied topically to remove warts and the roots were chewed to cure dysentery.
8. Roots and leaves were infused and taken to suppress coughs, treat typhus fever and asthma. 
9. The seeds contain an oil with natural sunscreen properties.                                   
10. During WWII, milkweed floss was used to stuff life jackets for sailors after the Japaneses cut off  the supply of kapok. A single pound can keep a 150 pound man afloat for hours. 

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Our Wisconsin weather may not show it, but it is spring. I've been working on a few projects. Here's one to kick off the season, despite our weather. ♥
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Rain Drops

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J-O-Y - Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. TITLE: JOY 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 SIZE: 8x10 print.


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Welcome to my new blog and thank you friend, Helle LaPlant, for my new logo - it looks great and you were so patient with me through the process ;). I recently changed the my name from Now I See to Dream Wood Photography to reflect more nature and portrait photography I'll be including in my Etsy shop (now closed and soon to reopen). Oh the possibilities, I'm so excited to explore. I'll be posting again soon, now that I have a new office/studio space/guest room/hope-my-(now)California-daughter-comes-to-use-it-soon room to use. It so nice to have a part-time space ;) Love you and thanks for reading. Like me on FaceBook :) Pin It