Wild About Illinois Milkweeds
Provided by: Illinois Department of Natural Resources|Published on: June 13, 2025
Grades: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Biology
Authors: Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Region: Illinois
Languages: English
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This website from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources details 24 different species of milkweed in Illinois.
- Pollination is explained in detail by using the specific example of pollination between the monarch butterfly and milkweed plants in Illinois.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This website provides a short video that summarizes the information about milkweed plants in Illinois that is presented in the text on the website.
- The website is easy to navigate and includes multiple avenues for further study.
Prerequisites
- PDFs of the 24 individual species of milkweed can be printed off in color and laminated to use year after year.
- Students will need individual devices to interact with the website.
- Students should understand the delicate nature of ecosystems and the interdependence of species within them.
- Teachers can order free posters that are linked at the bottom of the webpage to hang up in their classrooms to increase engagement with this resource.
Differentiation & Implementation
- This lesson on pollinators can be used with grades 3-5 ahead of time to learn about pollinators prior to interacting with this website.
- The connection between pollinators and climate change can be shown with grades 6-8 using this lesson on how climate change is causing a decline in pollinators.
- The teacher can assign each student one of the 24 species of milkweed to quickly research and report back to the class using the jigsaw technique.
- Printed PDFs of each species of milkweed can be hung around the room and students can conduct a scavenger hunt in which the teacher provides clues. For example, "Find a species of milkweed that is found in our county."
- Students can extend their learning about the interdependence of species by learning more about the monarch through the embedded links on the webpage.
- This resource can be used as an introduction to symbiotic relationships by emphasizing the mutualistic relationship between the monarch and milkweed.
- An extension to this resource can be built on the information presented about pollinator gardens. Students can be assigned to design a solution to the decline of the biodiversity of milkweed by designing their own pollinator garden. They should include information on what species they would include along with explanations on how it would mitigate the decline of milkweed plants.
This resource introduces students to milkweed. The page features a short video and clear text with sources cited and links to detailed descriptions of milkweed species. A great focus is placed on pollinator decline, but this resource fails to link this decline to climate change. Despite this omission, this resource is very educational and is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
