July 2023

The July Local Plant of the Month is named for the thick, sticky, white liquid that oozes out of broken stems of the plant (milk) and the pretty pink flowers that bloom in clusters at its top (showy). The Showy Milkweed is actually a wildflower and not a "weed" in the way we typically think of weeds (as an unwanted plant, like cheatgrass, which is like junk food for local animals...not nutritious and seems to be everywhere!). 

Showy Milkweed is one of 100 North American milkweeds, and is native to Colorado. It is perhaps best known today as the host plant for the monarch butterfly--a beautiful species that became classified as endangered last year. The monarch is not only beautiful, but undergoes an incredible migration, traveling over 2000-miles across the US and Mexico. Without milkweed, monarch generations cannot survive. That is because milkweed is an "obligate host" for monarch larvae--the caterpillars cannot and will not eat any other plant. Because milkweed is so important to this special pollinator, many people are planting it or allowing it to grow. Milkweed conservation is not only good for the monarch--it's also good for other pollinators, including our July Local Animal of the Month, that drinks nectar from flowers as an adult, and munches the leaves in its larva stage. 

Showy Milkweed is drought tolerant, grows in many types of soil, and is known to attract predatory insects (like wasps) that provide pest control for gardens and farms. The "floss" that comes along with seeds in the fall provide a material that is 6 times warmer than wool and might make a great alternative to plastics for cleaning up oil spills because it absorbs oil while it repels water. The Pueblo people and others have used Showy Milkweed as fiber, including stems, which can make clothing or cords for nets.

People have also used Showy Milkweed for medicine, treating cuts and scrapes, backaches, coughs and colds, as well as rattlesnake bites (Milkweed can be very toxic, so should never be tried by someone without proper knowledge). Showy Milkweeds are an amazing plant for monarchs, people, and more!

Have you ever wondered if that thing hovering near the flowers is a bird or a bug? You're not alone! With its 3-inch wingspan and 3 inch body, it is easy to mistake our July Local Animal of the Month for a hummingbird. But it's actually a moth! There are more than 1400 different species of sphinx moths, including 24 that are native to Colorado. The White-Lined Sphinx Moth is the most common. 

Sphinx moths beat their wings very fast--41 up and down cycles per second! This insect can also fly as fast as a hummingbird, at 25-35 miles per hour. Like hummingbirds, sphinx moths beat their wings so fast that they produce sound, like a hum. But unlike hummingbirds, sphinx moths only drink flower nectar from their proboscis--the long, flexible tube that moths (and butterflies and bees) use to sip nectar. Hummingbirds do not have a proboscis. Instead, hummingbirds lick nectar with their rough tongues. Sphinx moths are herbivores, only drinking nectar; but hummingbirds are omnivores that drink nectar and eat bugs. Also, sphinx moths have an "exoskeleton," which means a harder shell outside their body to support them, instead of bones inside their body (endoskeleton) like a hummingbird.

Sphinx moths are actually named after the posture they take during their "hornworm" phase. The larva (which have one noticeable horn on its body) often sit like the great sphinx of Egypt--with its front body rising up, and its back body lying flat. Sphinx moths have quite a journey to get from tiny eggs to fast flying pollinator. Check out this video explaining moth and butterfly metamorphosis. 

Sphinx moths are important pollinators for many reasons. First, they like many different types of flowers. Second, sphinx moths have a long proboscis, so deep or tubular flowers whose nectar cannot be accessed by a bee could be pollinated by a sphinx moth. Moths visit flowers mostly at night, providing a "second shift" to visit flowers that bees or other daytime pollinators might miss. Finally, because they can fly longer distances than bees, sphinx moths can help spread pollen further. So as we celebrate pollinators, let's hear it for the sphinx moth!