Description

Grade A Milkweed Floss / Milkweed Fluff (asclepias syriaca) grown on family farms in Vermont and Quebec, Canada

2 oz of floss equals one FULLY stuffed gallon ziploc bag. It comes ready for use in pillows, comforters, crafts, or any number of uses.

Our rating of “Grade A” means this Milkweed Fluff / Floss has been processed to remove 99% of seeds, and natural debris. The floss has been extracted using no chemicals or enzymes.

Properties of Milkweed Floss:

• Milkweed floss is six times warmer than wool.
• Milkweed floss is extremely buoyant and an excellent material for flotation needs. It has the capacity to float objects 30 times its own weight and is six times more buoyant than cork. During World War II, milkweed floss was used to fill military life jackets.
• It is a “cruelty-free” alternative to goose down and has the same light-weight, soft, qualities for use as a batting fiber in comforters, pillows, and jackets. The floss that carry the seeds in the wind are very similar in structure to goose down. Numerous fibers radiate from a central core. Goose down tends to be denser by volume, but Milkweed plumes are composed of longer filaments and springs back after being crushed with much of the same resilience (or “loft”) as goose down.

Milkweed has been disappearing from the landscape over the past decade – with Monarch butterfly populations declining as a result. There are many factors behind the decline of the Monarch butterfly, but the loss of Milkweed – its primary food source and only place where it will lay eggs – is a leading factor.

While many tremendously valuable efforts are in place to sustain and improve the Monarch butterfly population, we’re doing what we can to spread and facilitate the use of Milkweed Floss / Milkweed Fluff. The rationale is straight forward: by increasing the value and utilization of the plant, it is hoped more people (individuals, communities, farmers) will realize the numerous benefits that can come from growing more Milkweed.