During World War II, children across America took part in an unusual and inspiring effort to support the troops, not with weapons or rations, but with a plant many of us now associate with butterflies: milkweed.

As the war raged overseas, a critical shortage of kapok, a tropical fiber used to fill life jackets, left the U.S. military scrambling for alternatives. Kapok had been imported from Asia, but with supply lines cut off, the military turned to an unlikely hero growing wild across fields and ditches back home: the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).

Milkweed produces fluffy, silky fibers attached to its seeds, often called “floss.” Light as air and naturally buoyant, these fibers were discovered to be an excellent substitute for kapok. But there was a catch: harvesting them wasn’t easy, and machines couldn’t do the job.

So the military turned to America’s children.

 

Photo is courtesy of Milne Special Collections and Archives Department, University of New Hampshire Library

 

In towns and rural communities across the country, kids were enlisted for a patriotic cause. They grabbed burlap sacks, paper bags, or old pillowcases and headed into the fields. Their mission? Collect as many milkweed pods as they could before the fluff burst free in the wind. The goal was staggering: two bags of pods were needed to make just one life jacket.

 

Milkweed pods drying on racks before being processed for use in military life jackets. Credit: WWII Museum Archives

 

Schools and youth groups organized “milkweed drives,” encouraging kids to gather the pods and turn them in at collection points. Posters read, “Two bags save one life!” A powerful reminder that their efforts had real impact. The collected fluff was cleaned, dried, and packed into life vests worn by sailors and pilots across the globe.

 

WWII poster urging schoolchildren to collect milkweed pods. The message: ‘Your milkweed can save a life!’ Credit: Library of Congress

 

While many of those kids may not have known it at the time, they were helping to save lives using a native plant we now value for a different kind of hero: the monarch butterfly.

Today, milkweed is best known as the essential host plant for monarch caterpillars. And just as children once helped protect lives by gathering its pods, we can honor that history by planting milkweed to protect the future of these iconic pollinators.

From war zones to waystations, milkweed has always had a purpose. Its story and the story of the kids who collected it, is a powerful reminder of how even the smallest contributions can make a world of difference.

 

Want to Help Monarchs Today?

You can be part of the next chapter in milkweed’s legacy by planting native species like Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) or Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) in your garden. Every plant makes a difference for pollinators, for biodiversity, and for future generations.