Milkweed is a american native plant but as a rancher with cattle if you live anywhere near a ranch or even somebody that has livestock as pets PLEASE do not plant it.
Milkweed is a american native plant but as a rancher with cattle if you live anywhere near a ranch or even somebody that has livestock as pets PLEASE do not plant it.
It's poisonous to pretty much everything other than the Monarch butterfly catapiller. But, it's an extremely important plant for our eco-system. If you don't have grazing livestock please plant milkweed. It's beautiful and important!
Edit- I feel like my answer needed more detail..cattle will rarely eat milkweed by choice, it's sap is caustic. Deer and rabbits can eat it and a few other insects. It would take A LOT of milkweed to be fatal to a cow or a horse, they'd basically have to be in a situation where milkweed was their only food source. Narrow leaved varieties of milkweed are usually more toxic than the broader leafed, so if you're concerned, do some homework and pick a native species that poses less threat.
It's poisonous to pretty much everything other than the Monarch butterfly catapiller. But, it's an extremely important plant for our eco-system. If you don't have grazing livestock please plant milkweed. It's beautiful and important!
Edit- I feel like my answer needed more detail..cattle will rarely eat milkweed by choice, it's sap is caustic. Deer and rabbits can eat it and a few other insects. It would take A LOT of milkweed to be fatal to a cow or a horse, they'd basically have to be in a situation where milkweed was their only food source. Narrow leaved varieties of milkweed are usually more toxic than the broader leafed, so if you're concerned, do some homework and pick a native species that poses less threat.
Indeed a lot to be fatal for full grown animals but not near as much to cause cows to miscarry or really hurt young ones. I don't care how much feed they have in a trough a cow will stick their head through a fence and eat everything they can reach. The grass is always greener on the other side. Milkweed seeds use the wind to spread so even if you plant it in your little planter this year it can be wherever the wind blows next year.
I'm not against planting it, just be mindful of your surroundings if ya do. If you wouldn't want somebody planting something even mildly toxic for your pets don't plant something toxic to theirs.
Indeed a lot to be fatal for full grown animals but not near as much to cause cows to miscarry or really hurt young ones. I don't care how much feed they have in a trough a cow will stick their head through a fence and eat everything they can reach. The grass is always greener on the other side. Milkweed seeds use the wind to spread so even if you plant it in your little planter this year it can be wherever the wind blows next year.
I'm not against planting it, just be mindful of your surroundings if ya do. If you wouldn't want somebody planting something even mildly toxic for your pets don't plant something toxic to theirs.
Thanks, I normally plant milkweed and leave the wild stuff alone since Monarch populations have gone down, and plant other plants for bees and butterflies... but didn't realize it was harmful to cattle. I live in farm country but no cattle directly next to me, just horses. I'll have to try to keep it away from fences just in case. I usually just plant it in the ditches that don't get mowed. But I appreciate it, always good to learn something new.
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What does it do to cattle?
Edit- I feel like my answer needed more detail..cattle will rarely eat milkweed by choice, it's sap is caustic. Deer and rabbits can eat it and a few other insects. It would take A LOT of milkweed to be fatal to a cow or a horse, they'd basically have to be in a situation where milkweed was their only food source. Narrow leaved varieties of milkweed are usually more toxic than the broader leafed, so if you're concerned, do some homework and pick a native species that poses less threat.
Edit- I feel like my answer needed more detail..cattle will rarely eat milkweed by choice, it's sap is caustic. Deer and rabbits can eat it and a few other insects. It would take A LOT of milkweed to be fatal to a cow or a horse, they'd basically have to be in a situation where milkweed was their only food source. Narrow leaved varieties of milkweed are usually more toxic than the broader leafed, so if you're concerned, do some homework and pick a native species that poses less threat.
Indeed a lot to be fatal for full grown animals but not near as much to cause cows to miscarry or really hurt young ones. I don't care how much feed they have in a trough a cow will stick their head through a fence and eat everything they can reach. The grass is always greener on the other side. Milkweed seeds use the wind to spread so even if you plant it in your little planter this year it can be wherever the wind blows next year.
I'm not against planting it, just be mindful of your surroundings if ya do. If you wouldn't want somebody planting something even mildly toxic for your pets don't plant something toxic to theirs.
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I'm not against planting it, just be mindful of your surroundings if ya do. If you wouldn't want somebody planting something even mildly toxic for your pets don't plant something toxic to theirs.
Thanks, I normally plant milkweed and leave the wild stuff alone since Monarch populations have gone down, and plant other plants for bees and butterflies... but didn't realize it was harmful to cattle. I live in farm country but no cattle directly next to me, just horses. I'll have to try to keep it away from fences just in case. I usually just plant it in the ditches that don't get mowed. But I appreciate it, always good to learn something new.
Blackeyed Susans it is!
Lots of milkweed in the area already.