Among the most popular materials in our collection are the textiles and fibers. They have a visual and tactile allure -- we can't resist playing with them. Some of our fibers are unusual; however, we do have some that are quite common to the point that you could find them growing in your backyard or by the road. Below right is a photo of milkweed tops for spinning into yarn from Wild Colours in Birmingham, UK. The fibers come from the floss attached to the seeds in the pods of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).
The floss has a hollow interior and a waxy coating, which makes it ideal for wind-born dispersal of the seeds. Each seed has its own fluffy parachute to carry it away on the breeze. This makes the floss useful as a naturally lightweight, lofty, and water repellent material.
Some past and present uses of milkweed floss are:
During WWII it was used as a replacement for kapok in life vests
As an alternative for down insulation in clothing
Acoustic insulation
Spun into yarn to make clothing.
Mopping up oil spills: Protec-Style, a Canadian company has developed tubes filled with milkweed floss as a substitute for polypropylene, the synthetic material most widely used to deal with oil spills.
Now, getting back to the butterflies, specifically monarch butterflies whose larvae feed solely upon Asclepias species; the number of migratory monarchs over-wintering in Mexico has reportedly declined over 80% in the past 20 years. The chief factor in the decrease is the loss of habitat -- milkweed used to grow vigorously on farms in between rows of corn and soybeans on farms in the "cornbelt' until the advent of GMO food crops, which are modified to withstand applications of herbicides, such as glyphosate (Roundup). While small stands of milkweed, butterfly weed, and other Asclepias species may serve as a link to larger habitats in conserved areas, it takes a corridor system of habitats to sustain the migratory routes of the adult butterflies.
If the trend towards using milkweed as an insulation and absorbent natural material continues, then the profit to be made by cultivating acres of it could be beneficial to the monarchs.
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