The Lady Slipper newsletter, and now blog, of the Kentucky Native Plant Society has been published since the Society’s founding in 1986. We occasionally feature an article from a past issue. In this article from 2011, KNPS Board Member David Taylor, discusses one of Kentucky’s most widespread milkweed, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). This article ran in Vol. 26, No. 3. If you would like to see these and other past issues, visit the Lady Slipper Archives, where all issues from Vol. 1, February 1986 to Vol. 39, 2024, can be found.
Kentucky’s Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.)
By David Taylor, US Forest Service
Whole plant with flowers
Common milkweed is a perennial forb that spreads by means of rhizomes and seed. It is one of about 115 species that occur in the Americas. Most species are tropical or arid land species. Plants may occur as a few individuals, but once established, form small to large colonies. Individual plants range from 1 to 2 m (~ 3 to 6 ft) tall. Leaves are elliptic to ovate to oblong and somewhat thick. Mature leaves are 15-20 cm (6-8 in) long and 5 to 9 cm (~ 2 to 3.6 in) wide, with a prominent midvein. The underside of the leaf is frequently finely pubescent. The stem is stout, usually simple, and green to black (see below) in color. When broken, the leaves, as well as stem and fruit, exude milky latex. Flowers are purplish to rosy pink to mostly white or even greenish and about 2 cm (0.75 in) long and 1 cm (0.4 in) wide. They occur in semi-spherical umbels (umbrella-like clusters) in the upper leaf axils. Flowers are somewhat complex in their structure, with structures not found in the average flower (see Cut Flower Exports of Africa – Asclepias). The flowers are strongly and sweetly scented. The fruits (pods), known as follicles, are formed from the union of multiple flowers. They are green, covered in soft spiky projections and are finely pubescent. When the seeds are mature, the follicle splits exposing the seeds. Each seed is equipped with a coma, a soft group of hairs. As the newly exposed seeds dry, the hairs of the coma expand allowing the seed to catch a ride on the wind. When broken, the leaves, as well as stem and fruit, exude milky latex.
The Lady Slipper newsletter, and now blog, of the Kentucky Native Plant Society has been published since the Society’s founding in 1986. We occasionally feature an article from a past issue. In this article from 2004, Alan Weakley, looks at the taxonomic changes in the 1990s that moved American asters out of the Eurasian genus Aster into several American genera . This article ran in Vol. 19, No. 3. If you would like to see these and other past issues, visit the Lady Slipper Archives, where all issues from Vol. 1, February 1986 to Vol. 39, 2024, can be found.
The Curious Case of the Disappearing Asters . . .
by Alan Weakley
Reprinted with permission of the author from the North Carolina Botanical Garden Newsletter 32(2). March-April 2004.
Would an aster by any other name look as showy?
One dark and stormy night in 1994 I was awakened from a deep sleep by a loud thump. Creeping carefully down the stairs, I discovered to my astonishment that a large bouquet of Aster on the dining table had disappeared! In its place was a cornucopia of composites, including Symphyotrichum, lonactis, Eurybia, Sericocarpus, Doellingeria, Ampelaster, and Oclemena! Once again, a plant taxonomist had struck in dark of night, taken a simple two- syllable genus with the same English common name, and replaced it with a handful of four- and five-syllable Latin tongue-twisters. Whatever can we do about such things?
The classification of living things is based on the principle that each taxonomic unit (for instance the Composite or Aster Family, the genus Aster, or a species) groups together things that are most closely related to one another, and that the group should not also contain things which are disparate, unrelated, or more closely related to another group.
The concept of the genus Aster has had a long history of controversy and confusion. Asa Gray, the most influential nineteenth-century North American botanist, struggled with Aster at all levels, from its circumscription (what to include in it), to the taxonomy of the component species. Late in his life, he wrote:
“I am half dead with Aster. I got on very fairly until I got to the thick of the genus, around what I call the Dumosi and Salicifolia. Here I work and work, but make no headway at all. I can’t tell what are species and [sic] how to define any of them …. I was never so boggled …If you hear of my breaking down utterly, and being sent to an asylum, you may lay it to Aster, which is a slow and fatal poison.”
Devin Rodgers, Botantist at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
On Saturday, September 6, 2025, Devin Rodgers, KNPS member and Botanist for the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, led a hike of seven KNPS members at Crooked Creek State Nature Preserve, in Lewis County, KY. Though many of the asters (Symphyotrichum spp.) were not yet blooming, the hike’s focus on the sunflower family, Asteraceae, successfully highlighted flowering plants of many genera such as snakeroot (Ageratina), Mistflower (Conoclinium), thoroughworts (Eupatorium), Joe-pye-weed (Eutrochium), Blazingstars (Liatris), rosinweeds (Silphium), Goldenrod (Solidago), and Ironweed (Vernonia).
Expanses of prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) are found at Crooked Creek.
The rare grassland type present at the preserve, the Bluegrass Cat Prairie, is a unique assemblage of plants unlike any other calcareous grassland in Kentucky, though there are a few similarities to scattered grasslands over dolomite in the outer Bluegrass extending south and west towards Louisville. These prairies contained some of the most interesting and spectacular blooms with a sea of prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida), and three different blazingstars (Liatris cylindracea, Liatris aspera, Liatris spicata), of which two were blooming. Additional uncommon species flowering in the prairies included Southern obedient-plant (Physostegia virginiana ssp. praemorsa), Gattinger’s agalinis (Agalinis gattingeri), and Earleaf Foxglove (Agalinis auriculata).
Date of trip: June 8, 2024 Start time: 10AM EDT Location: Pine Creek Barrens Nature Preserve, Bullitt County, KY Difficulty of hike: Moderate, approximately 2 miles and 2 hours.
Join KNPS member, Alan Abbott, at Pine Creek Barren for a hike. Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) will likely be near full bloom in this beautiful grassland. We’ll probably see other prairie plants like orange milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and Senega snakeroot (Polygala senega).
Echinacea pallidaAsclepias tuberosa
We’ll start at 10 a.m. and hike about two miles. Prepare for some walking off trail by wearing appropriate footwear. You’ll want to practice tick prevention and bring water to prepare for heat and humidity.
This grassland near Shepherdsville is about 20-30 minutes from Louisville. Meet in the parking lot by 10 a.m. We’ll be done around noon.
Registration is Required
Please fill out the form below to register for this field trip. This trip will be limited to 15 participants.
“Coming together to discuss current botanical projects, conservation, and collaboration in Kentucky and beyond”
On Friday, February 2, 2024, the Kentucky Native Plant Society and the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves held our fourth annual, virtual, Botanical Symposium. Close to 200 folks were able to attend online to hear and see several presentations about our native plants and plant communities. We know that there are many who would have liked to participate, but were not able to do so. Below are videos of all of the presentations.
Native plants are great for the environment because they’re not only lower-maintenance, but they also provide shelter and food to local animals and insects. But unfortunately, not all insects are beneficial. That’s why gardeners need to learn to manage insect pests effectively.
Nevertheless, don’t rush to the nearest store to buy a pesticide. Pesticides are strong chemicals that only deal with the problem short term. They’re expensive, and what’s more, may harm people, animals, and the environment.
Instead, consider integrated pest management; a broad-based, eco-friendly approach for controlling pests long-term. Here are integrated strategies for protecting your native plants from unwanted intruders.
Editors’ Note: This article is republished with permission from the Old Oldham Era. Jakub won third place in the statewide 2023 Jim Claypool Art and Conservation Writing Contest. Jakub is a junior in high school in Oldham county.
In my home country, we didn’t see much wildlife. The occasional deer or pheasant wandering across the field adjacent to our house was enough to spark excitement in my family. In Europe, 18% of vertebrates and 24% of invertebrates are threatened with extinction, while dozens of other species have already disappeared. This massive decline was caused by hundreds of years of unsustainable land exploitation. The European Union has done its best to reverse this loss, but the damage has already been done. This was the reality that my parents and I were used to…until we moved to Kentucky. Suddenly I found myself in a place where deer are a garden nuisance, where bears surprise unsuspecting hikers, where hummingbirds dash between suburban woodlots, and where nature seems to have retained much of its wild vigor. In Kentucky, there is hope for the fantastic array of wildlife and the ecosystems they inhabit to be preserved for future generations. Although it’s too late for some, like green-blossom pearly mussels and Bachman’s warblers, it’s crucial that people take action to ensure that other species don’t go down the same path.
One of the most important ways that wildlife can be preserved is through habitat conservation. Organisms cannot survive without the place and conditions that have shaped their evolution, because their adaptations only work for those conditions. Habitat conservation is preserving certain types of habitat in order to preserve the species that depend on it. Today, many habitats in Kentucky have been degraded by pollution, mining, clearcutting, agriculture, urban sprawl, alterations to natural water flow, and invasive species. The destruction of habitat has had a widespread and noticeable impact on Kentucky. Runoff from mining operations and dam construction caused native mussels to decline rapidly. Destruction of prairies and milkweed plants crashed populations of the monarch butterfly. Invasive feral pigs outcompete turkeys and small mammals for food. This is why it’s important to conserve the remaining pieces of healthy habitat by protecting them from these threats. State and federal action has been taken to conserve habitat by setting aside areas to be protected (ex: Jefferson Memorial Forest), but in a state where 95% of the land is privately owned, the importance of landowners in habitat management cannot be understated.
Habitat conservation is essential, but it’s not enough to indefinitely support Kentucky’s wildlife. Currently, only 7% of the state is protected land. And while half of Kentucky’s land area is forested, most of these forests are small, disjunct woodlots consisting mostly of edge habitat. Edge habitat is prone to invasion by exotic species, and doesn’t provide the stable conditions required by many organisms. Furthermore, some habitats have been almost completely destroyed, such as prairies and wetlands. There simply isn’t enough of these habitats left to support the unique organisms that depend on them. That is why there needs to be habitat restoration. There are multiple ways to go about this. One of these is forming wildlife corridors. Wildlife corridors are strips of habitat that are created to join natural areas with each other. This is important because many patches of habitat in Kentucky are too small to provide enough resources for some species, and their disjointedness makes it difficult for migratory animals to travel. Linking together these bits of habitat effectively creates a web of nature that allows species to successfully forage and migrate.
Another method of habitat restoration is the restoration of natural processes. For example, fire was an essential component of Kentucky’s landscape, and maintained large tracts of prairie throughout the state. However, fire suppression by European settlers caused most of these prairies to develop into closed-canopy woodland, thereby eliminating the open grassland habitat necessary for wildlife like the elk and greater prairie chicken. Returning fire to the landscape would help restore these habitats. In Eastern Kentucky, Native Americans used fire for thousands of years to maintain grasslands and savannas, in order to support elk. When settlers arrived, they not only stopped this fire regime and let the grasslands turn to forest, but extensively hunted the elk. Unsurprisingly, elk were soon extirpated from the state. Yet, for the last twenty years, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife has been prescribe-burning land reclaimed from mining operations to support elk reintroduction. Originally, 1,500 elk were brought in from western states. Now, 10,000 elk roam the mountains of Kentucky, proving the importance of fire in habitat restoration. The discussion on habitat restoration would not be complete without mentioning native plants. Being autotrophs, native plants are the foundation of all local ecosystems, and restoring habitat often starts with restoring them. For many insects, their habitats are the native plants themselves. Take the case of the endangered monarch butterfly. Their whole life cycle revolves around a single genus of plants: the milkweeds. When milkweeds declined because of human activity, so did monarchs. When conservation agencies encouraged people to plant milkweeds, monarch population increased. This rather simple way of restoring habitat via native plants is extensively discussed by entomologist Douglas Tallamy in his book, Bringing Nature Home, and is an important strategy for supporting wildlife in suburban areas.
Although Kentucky has changed drastically since the arrival of settlers, much of the indigenous fauna has persisted to this day. However, threats to the state’s rich animal diversity have not only increased, but become more numerous with time. Wildlife conservation—through the protection and restoration of habitat, and restoration of native vegetation—is the only logical path forward. Ignorance of this matter would spell disaster not just for the animals themselves, but for Kentucky’s environment as a whole. Similarly, we cannot treat habitat management as purely the responsibility of conservation agencies, as Kentucky is almost entirely private property. It’s imperative that everyone takes steps to support wildlife conservation, whether it’s by incorporating native plants into their landscapes or advocating for the protection of wild areas. It’s our responsibility, as stewards of this state, to ensure a biodiverse and sustainable future for the next generations by preserving land and keeping it wild
Works Cited Abernathy, Greg. “A Natural Commonwealth – KNLT.” Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, 9 February 2016, https://knlt.org/a-natural-commonwealth/. Accessed 26 November 2023. “Art and Writing Contest – Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet.” Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet, https://eec.ky.gov/Natural-Resources/Conservation/Pages/Art-and-Writing-Contest.aspx. Accessed 26 November 2023. Davis, Josh. “One fifth of all species in Europe threatened with extinction.” Natural History Museum, 9 November 2023, https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/november/one-fifth-of-all-species-in-europethreatened-with-extinction.html. Accessed 26 November 2023. “Europe – Wildlife, Fauna, Ecosystems.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/place/Europe/Animal-life. Accessed 26 November 2023. “Habitat | Biodiversity, Ecosystems & Conservation.” Britannica, 9 October 2023, https://www.britannica.com/science/habitat-biology. Accessed 26 November 2023. “Improve Your Land for Wildlife – Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife.” Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, https://fw.ky.gov/Wildlife/Pages/Improve-Your-Land-for-Wildlife.aspx. Accessed 26 November 2023. Lavaty, Greg. “Greater Prairie-Chicken.” American Bird Conservancy, https://abcbirds.org/bird/greater-prairie-chicken/. Accessed 27 November 2023. Tallamy, Douglas W. Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Updated and Expanded. Timber Press, 2009. “U.S. Wildlife officials declare two Ky. native species, seven Tenn. species extinct.” WKMS, 17 October 2023, https://www.wkms.org/environment/2023-10-17/u-s-wildlife-officials-declare-two-ky-native-species-seven-tenn-species-extinct. Accessed 26 November 2023. “Wild Pig Home – Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife.” Kentucky Fish and Wildlife https://fw.ky.gov/InvasiveSpecies/Pages/Wild-Pig-Home.aspx. Accessed 26 November 2023.
Greetings, I’m Jakub Głuszek, a junior at North Oldham High School. Originally from Poland, my family and I moved to Kentucky as expats in 2015. I’ve always had a fascination with nature, which now fuels my ambition to delve deeper into ecology and botany in college. I volunteer at Ironweed Native Plant Nursery in Waddy, where I find inspiration from individuals who have turned their passion into a profession. I enjoy exploring wild areas, growing native plants, and traveling.
