Woollypod Milkweed

My name is ZuEr and I am a first-year at UC San Diego. In my zine I explored the lifecycle of Woollypod Milkweed (Asclepias eriocarpa). In spring the seeds sprout and the plant grows upright with fuzzy gray green leaves that help it hold moisture. By summer it produces clusters of white flowers with pink or purple which attract bees, butterflies and monarchs that use milkweed as a host plant. Even during the hottest months the plant stays alive although it may look dry and rough on the surface. After pollination the flowers develop into large woolly pods that split open and release silky seeds which float away on the wind to continue the cycle.