Sophie Buck
Monarch on White Snakeroot
Monarch (Danaus plexippus) on white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima). I have been waiting all summer for the white snakeroot that the monarchs love and finally they arrived!
White snakeroot is a poisonous perrenial herb containing the toxin tremetol. When cattle eat the plant, the milk and meat of the cow are contaminated. If humans consume the meat they could get milk sickness, which killed thousands of European American settlers in the early 1800's. However, a poultice made from the root of this plant may be used on snakebites, where white snakeroot gets its name.
Monarch on White Snakeroot
Monarch (Danaus plexippus) on white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima). I have been waiting all summer for the white snakeroot that the monarchs love and finally they arrived!
White snakeroot is a poisonous perrenial herb containing the toxin tremetol. When cattle eat the plant, the milk and meat of the cow are contaminated. If humans consume the meat they could get milk sickness, which killed thousands of European American settlers in the early 1800's. However, a poultice made from the root of this plant may be used on snakebites, where white snakeroot gets its name.