Milkweed Makes Good Scents: 2025 Rare Plant of the Year
Milkweed has been announced as the Wisconsin DNR's Rare Plant Monitoring Program's 2025 Plant of the Year, with DNR staff encouraging homeowners to plan milkweed in order to help monarch butterflies.
"Milkweed is an important plant for monarch butterflies and a beautiful addition to any home garden. When combined with a few native plants that bloom throughout the spring and summer, your garden can support an even wider variety of pollinators," said Jay Watson, DNR insect ecologist.
Of the 13 native milkweed in Wisconsin, five are listed as endangered, threatened or special concern. Showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) is the state's only nonnative milkweed.
“Monarch butterflies face several major threats, including habitat loss, pesticides and climate change,” Watson said.“Planting milkweed can help create habitat for monarchs, other butterflies and bumble bees.”
Monarchs breed in Wisconsin throughout the spring and summer, and they need milkweed to survive. It’s the only plant that monarchs lay their eggs on, and it’s the only food that monarch caterpillars eat. Once a monarch reaches adulthood, they may still use milkweed for nectar, but a variety of native plants that bloom from spring to fall are also important.
In late fall, monarchs migrate south to Mexico, where they overwinter in tight clusters. Each year, scientists estimate monarch populations by how much space they occupy, measured in hectares, while overwintering. While 2024-2025 numbers found 1.79 hectares up from .99 hectares the prior season, both are part of a decades-long decline in their population.
The Rare Plant Monitoring Program is a group of trained volunteers who work with the DNR to locate, record and update the presence of rare plants throughout the state. The plant of the year becomes a focus for volunteers who can request rare milkweed surveys and contribute to a statewide status update on these species.
Locally, milkweed and other native plants can be purchased at Hanson's Garden Village in Rhinelander. Hanson's is a wholesale and retail grower of native and non-native plants and prides itself on having an entire division devoted to Northwoods native perennials. For those who may not have the greenest of thumbs, Hanson's offers consulting and design services with an emphasis on lake shore restorations and erosion control.
The garden village is located at 2660 Highway G in Rhinelander. For information, call 715-365-2929, email info@hansonsgardenvillage.com or visit hansonsgardenvillage.com.
