Common milkweed confirmed growing near Ottawa's Lac des Chats
iNaturalist: naomilanglois
Native Plants
Milkweed is the only plant monarch caterpillars can eat, so knowing where it grows naturally points gardeners toward regional seed sources for pollinator gardens and restoration plantings.
A naturalist photographed common milkweed near Lac des Chats in Ottawa, and the iNaturalist community confirmed the identification as research-grade. Monarch butterflies depend entirely on milkweed: their caterpillars eat only its leaves, so wherever milkweed thrives, monarchs can breed. Sightings like this build the map of where milkweed populations persist, giving gardeners and habitat restorers a baseline to work from.
Key Findings
Research-grade community verification confirmed common milkweed presence at Lac des Chats, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is the sole larval host plant for monarch butterflies, making every confirmed population ecologically significant
Citizen-science observation contributes an occurrence record to distribution data for a declining native plant species in eastern Canada
chevron_right Technical Summary
A naturalist documented common milkweed growing near Lac des Chats in Ottawa, Ontario, and the iNaturalist community verified the identification as research-grade. Common milkweed is a key native plant in eastern North America, serving as the sole larval host for monarch butterflies.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) observed in Lac des Chats, Ottawa, ON, CA
Research-grade observation of common milkweed in Lac des Chats, Ottawa, ON, CA.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Asclepias syriaca, commonly called common milkweed, butterfly flower, silkweed, silky swallow-wort, and Virginia silkweed, is a species of flowering plant. It is native to southern Canada and much of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, excluding the drier parts of the prairies. It is i...