The Southwest's Rarest Milkweed

In this episode, we arrive at perhaps one of the most intriguing and vivid habitats we have visited yet - coral-pink sand dunes comprised of weathered, 150 million year old Navajo Sandstone to document a flora that includes one of the rarest milkweeds on Planet Earth - Asclepias welshii.
Homo sapiens may be driving the world to our own specialized version of hell at the moment, but things were calm and quiet here on the Colorado Plateau yesterday. These pink sand dunes are the largest of the 8 known populations of the rare and federally-listed milkweed, Asclepias welshii. It forms large clonal colonies here in the more open and exposed areas of the dunes. It's proximal leaves nearer the stem are smooth and glabrous, but the distal leaves nearer the spherical inflorescences are covered in a thick layer of wool that picks up the orange-ish pink sand grains, weathered out of the Jurassic Navajo sandstone.
Asclepias welshii wasn't even described until 1979, based on herbarium specimens collected by Holmgren twenty years prior. It has the largest seeds of any milkweed, only 5 mm shy of an inch long (2 cm), and seeds can last in the shifting sands for years. The roots of this plant must go deep down into the dune beds. The first year seedlings have leaves that look remarkably different from adult plants - linear and narrow. The other populations are East of this one, two or three of them on Navajo land. The flowers are aromatic and smell a bit like vanilla.
Species list for this episode :
#Penstemon laevis (Plantaginaceae)
Hymenopappus filifolius (Asteraceae)
Eriogonum alatum (Polygonaceae)
#Scabrethia scabra
#Sophora stenophylla (Fabaceae)
Ladeania lanceolata (Fabaceae)
Comandra umbellata (Sanatalaceae)
#Asclepias welshii (Apocynaceae)
Much thanks to Blake Wellard for help keying out a few of these taxa down to species (ie Penstemon laevis and Ladeania lanceolata).
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[@thethoughtemporium]

Was ready to light some shit on fire after spending 30 seconds on twitter. Had to balance it out with 30 minutes of milkweeds and dunes. Fantastic as always

[@SuperAWaC]

looks like you're getting punked by the social media brainwashing machine

[@selfdribblingbasketball9769]

delete twitter

[@francisdashwood3591]

Delete Social Media

[@klincecum]

@@francisdashwood3591 You realize you're on it right?

[@wade8067]

Yá'át'ééh (hello) from the Navajo Nation. Keep the videos coming, I'm learning a lot while laughing my ass off. Life on the Rez can be kinda shitty but like the native botany we're pretty resilient, goddamm invasives.

[@florascent9ts]

hehe stay strong brother

[@birdraft5875]

Some feedback: I dig it when you describe how things smell. And when you provide temperatures, elevations, those kinds of details. Thanks for making these videos, for doing the work. I find them inspiring on many levels. GFY.

[@joshdfox420]

Looks like a wonderful place to be during the insanity going on. No people = best place to be

[@larjkok1184]

Where the hell do you live?

[@johnrangel2226]

"Psyche ward green!" Can't wait to tell my wife the new color our bedroom's gonna be painted! Mil gracias!

[@samuelkorger3567]

Man had me wheezing with that one

[@adriansaninja]

"What's this guy doin is he stoned? What's he doin over there?" I feel personally attacked

[@christianclark2763]

Yes

[@markchinguz4401]

Lol yeah, when I'm in the forest, looking at things with my loupe, sometimes people ask me if I'm ok

[@kiara-kh7nh]

I love clicking on your work of art thumbnails, then hear “WHELCOME TO CRIME PAYS-

[@Faroresama]

the color and texture of that sand is incredible

[@csheadtrip]

10 minutes in, I'm already feeling like a better person. Your videos are always a welcomed treat!

[@joshdfox420]

Kinda makes me not wanna die so much, ya know

[@roberthollandsworth1809]

Those milkweeds are gorgeous. Love a good fluffy leaf.

[@CurrentlyBlazed]

Hey, I bought a book you recommended and have started learning botany. Thanks for the great videos man, keep it up you beautiful bastard

[@doctorgravel8572]

24:44, that is an amazing stand of milkweed. What a wonderful plant.

[@davidnilsen7336]

AND... a wonderfully bizarre and beautiful PLANET!!

[@tauceti8341]

I love when my wife throws you on speakers. I yell from across the room, This fjuckin gui. I love your candor though, its actually got me lookin at these flowers now.

[@royriley6282]

Last time I was this early, angiosperms had yet to evolve insect mediated pollination.

[@thedudegrowsfood284]

As a matter of fact, the last time i was in the 4 corners area, i was on cubensis. At night. Full moon. Niiiiice.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Psilocybe aztecorum can be found at elevations above 5,000' in Colorado and Arizona. Ask Alan Rockefeller.

[@AlAllerton]

@@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt I remember reading about that. They thought it was two different species of Psilocybe and after sequencing it wound up being the same. Kinda like how P. ovoids are found in the U.S. north east and the north west with none in between for thousands of miles. Kinda makes you wonder what happened there. Did they get separated over time by environmental changes or is this part of the homogenocene?

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

@@AlAllerton probably been there for hundreds of thousands of years if not millions. Not sure what substrate they're digesting though. When we saw them on Nevado de Toluca they were growing beneath a massive Asteraceae shrub, Senecio cinerarioides.

[@Lucas22780]

@@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt huh, so it wasn't growing in cow shit

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

@@Lucas22780 No. Cubensis is the only species out of however many dozen that does. The rest are saprotrophs on decaying plant material.

[@stoneylrobertson]

I don't think I've ever appreciated a desert environment more. Just awesome.

[@dawnbreak3299]

I just cant... there is literally NO OTHER channel i could ever sit and watch of any other man walking through the desert talking bout plants and bugs for 30 minutes like this guy ova here...i just cant💜

[@lucyb15]

what a visually stunning place! the light, the shadows, the plant etchings, the mules' ears...I love how they grow in troops. So much beauty ! (deserts and psychedelics are old pals) love the colors, love it all, thank-you!

[@kayazzara108]

Just a note, Monarch Butterflies eat milkweed before their migration in order to make themselves very poisonous to predators.

[@damiangraham3571]

3 EPISODES OF TONY BACK TO BACK AND MY GUTS ARE ACHING. YOU’RE DOING WONDERS FOR MENTAL HEALTH ALL OVER THE WORLD. THANK YOU

[@CRMayerCo]

Thanks. That was a nice little virtual get-away. 👍

[@davidx8249]

17:14 ought to be a t-shirt, "Quell ur rage". The shadows of the plants blow me away.

[@johnqburkhart5888]

This is one of my favorite episodes of Crime Pays. All sorts of great plants, good commentary, and laughs.

[@cooperolm9687]

Gorgeous thing, that milkweed is. More and more Asclepias becomes one of my favourite genus.

[@larryclark1518]

Man, your enthusiasm is contagious, I swear. Thanks for the tour of the Martian-like landscape(with flora bonus). I am thrilled that you took us along.

[@dandelionbomb]

Yucca fruit is super tasty. Like a watermelon and a kiwi had a baby.

[@antonioponce6544]

I never thought I'd enjoy a botany video. Great job. Thanks.

[@earlystrings1]

About eating milkweed: I’ve heard never to eat any milkweed species west of the rockies due to toxicity. Eastern common milkweed is quite pleasant when young, a bit like broccoli. Lovely video. I live in Colorado, a long day’s drive from this landscape but the desert might as well be a different planet from the mountains.

[@Biophile23]

Wow to see a Tradescantia in the desert! If that species is anything like the several species farther east (not just T. ohiensis), they only flower from mid morning until about noon. So if you're too early or too late, no petals for you! ;) Does Eriogonum not have ocrea like most members of Polygonaceae? I didn't see any, maybe some reduced ones but not much. Maybe they're on the basal rosette? Love that Scabrethia! The milkweed, gorgeous leaf hairs, guessing that's a herbivory deterrent. Crazy how different the seedlings are from the adults. Love the Sephora too . . . The moving sand . . . O_O Suddenly realized the danger of sand dunes collapsing . . . Beautiful vistas. Thank you for this video, fantastic! :)

[@rivitraven]

Most sand dunes rarely collapse because of the way the sand locks itself together like a puzzle.

[@wildmntflower]

That Sophora is gorgeous! I'll be looking for that at nurseries. Fabaceae does it again. What a beautiful family!

[@pamappleby1400]

Such a beautiful place, too short a visit with ya, but thank you for providing some much needed nausea reducing footage of some stunning plant life!

[@WhiffleWaffles]

These videos really make me appreciate nature. Can't wait for the thunder to clear up so I can go out and just take it in for myself.

[@elsagrace3893]

Why wait?

[@gnored]

This has got to be one of your best. So many beautiful plants, and in such a beautiful place too!

[@Fragrantbeard]

gnored isn't it spec fucking tacular?

[@collecter3456]

I do love milkweeds. Cool and pretty looking plants. Their leaves are so thick, it makes them look so unique.

[@hugmynutus]

That shot of the (sun) flowers on the hill was incredible. thanks for that.

[@kimheartsuds]

Thank you for sharing your adventures with us! Your dogs are adorable!

[@growmiezhomiez8760]

It’s a trip seeing pines In the desert.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

It is. Remember the elevation here is 6100' however.

[@falldogg8606]

U still have any extra auto seeds

[@falldogg8606]

Lets trade

[@growmiezhomiez8760]

Falldogg i think so. I got look thru my beans. Email me. [e-mail]

[@maryenos91]

We have been enjoying your films and love Jake and his misbehaving...haha,You are so talented and we are learning a lot...You seem to have much patience with this and we can see the love oozing out of you in your descriptions....Love how you talk to Jake as though he is a humanoid....better than some around for sure....Keep up and good work.....

[@teresaoconnell4790]

THIS GUY!!! Your knowledge is amazing and astounding! I would like to mention that the survival of the Monarch Butterfly depends on Milkweed. We tried to eradicate milkweed as a farm weed many years ago. Now we find that Monarch populations are endangered. If you want Monarch Butterflies in your area, plant Milkweed. They have a huge migration path that extends to the east coast as well.

[@J-Lander]

How great is this you get a stand up session, calming vistas, and an education!

[@contemporiser]

I suggested to my friend to get the ruler tattoo. He has a foundry, and sometimes he wants to know the shrinkage of the pattern. I just told him to use a slightly different body part.

[@rogerb4971]

Dude, as a Hoya head, your milkweed descriptions are delightful, spot on and insane. I love your videos. GFY. Good day!

[@rolo2415]

My man, you make my life better. 🙌

[@shaneflickinger]

Damn! Can't argue with that beautiful dune landscape! I'm so glad you are able to bring us to these amazing spots!

[@theresamcmullen4841]

Should I assume that those cliffs in the background will be those dunes in fifteen thousand years or less? I’m glad to see all the bugs too. And the footprints.

[@saltrocklamp199]

I'm sure I've been here! It's a beautiful area, the sand seems to act almost like snow, muffling sound. Hiking around in the dunes is surreal. It's a beautiful place and it ought to stay protected.

[@sonex413]

"psych ward green" LOL Thanks for another great video. What a visually beautiful habitat!

[@TrackZero]

Human Tumor, that's going in my lexicon.

[@hypercube33]

So weird seeing that milkweed in the desert like area when we have them in the midwest chilling

[@18SchabergRafe]

favorite channel, thanks for all the knowledge.

[@demonorse]

Milkweed here at my house in Detroit just beginning to bloom. I can smell it inside the house. I haven't found any monarch caterpillars here yet, but I found 3 at work.

[@deadzipper1777]

Jesus this place looks amazing to walk for hours in. Also have some milkweed growing near me, can't wait for it to fully bloom.

[@MUSTASCH1O]

This week is the second time my house has had to go into isolation. With these videos I at least feel like I am going for a walk myself, and always learn a thing or two too!

[@wendysalter]

I love your schooling man - we need this, these plants are unique and magical, exquisite miracles of life. A desert full of jewels. Thanks of taking us on this adventure of discovery.

[@carlosgalvan8478]

Come South! I’m in Kearny AZ and I will make you homemade salsa!

[@ho2cultcha]

Wow! i never would have guessed that Eriogonum alata was in the buckwheat family! that Scabrethia and the Sophora are great candidates for horticulture! love the color of the sand too. another great vid!

[@creativeusername8760]

Clicked this video with the quickness

[@happyraccoon4791]

I visit Utah every year since 1987. I know this area. I spend most of my time a little north, in the Abajos, behind The Needles, ...stay out of Moab!

[@happyraccoon4791]

@@tommypetraglia4688 I had left Jellystone, late August 1987 and meandered down 191. Near Arches I saw "Dead Horse Point...". The name drew me up. The road had Just been paved. $6 it was to camp....I walked to the point. A sign "hang gliders Please check in...". Please. Then I saw the goosenecks. The view. So I jumped on my Moto Morning 501 dual sport and wandered. I went behind Moab and 90 miles of dirt to 211 near Needles Outpost. Back to Dugout Ranch to Beef Basin. I was hooked. When I first saw Moab I was in love. But Suddenly I Knew ...."this is gonna be like The Vail Colo of the desert." By1989 mountain bikers were pouring in in late April. The building boom began 1991-2. I rarely go there since then. Beef Basin back to Alice Springs has many ruins. Ruin Park is in this area. It's amazing. From this area you can ascend the Abajos, past Duck lake, Dark Canyon (E. Abbey) , The Knotch, Kilgalia, down to Natural Bridges, Blanding. Blue spruce. You'll love it. All dirt, passable when rain free.

[@happyraccoon4791]

@@tommypetraglia4688 Dittos!! My first reaction to the area was "whata great place to die". Got this fantasy of finding a nice natural sepulchre....the Needles Outpost sold in 1992 for $250,000!! 600+ acres...I was freshly divorced....resold in recent past and is now some kinda hoity toity Gucci loafer place. So I'm gonna treat it like Moab. Do go up thru the Bears Ears, past Duck Lake to intersection that goes to Beef Basin...you can go to the Needles if you like. Climb up Elephant Hill. This requires Backing Up steep slopes maybe 3 times. A motorcycle can not make the turns! You must move the bike around the turn. But it's fun.

[@gardnersmith3580]

16:14 "Can you imagine being here on mild psychedelics?" The smell of some sophora flowers ARE mild psychedelics, such as Sophora secundiflora (Texas Mountain Laurel) in the Hill Country. Don't know about this one, S. stenophylla, but most members of the genus have toxic seeds and foliage.

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

This species smells incredible, as well. Aromatic from 8' away

[@SuperDaveP270]

Dammit another Asclepias! You had me back at A. albicans but you just keep on delivering straight to my heart

[@user-yw9mw9hv8o]

beautiful plants, beautiful scenery, beautiful little insect bastards, some philosophical takes i gladly watch this. really is almost therapeutic. awe and comtenplation. i hope ya keep doin whatcha doin. thank ya

[@alisonburgess345]

Fantastic milkweed. I hope it has some protection order on it. Only 8 wild populations! Perhaps it could be brought into horticulture - it’s pretty enough - could be good garden specimen. It’s what they did with the Wollemi Pine here and, given we nearly lost the last wild stand in the January bushfires, it’s just as well. It’s not ideal, but better than being left with a few pressings in a herbarium.. Terrific video. I haven’t watched in a while but should have.

[@jesserivera9704]

I love your videos. makes me want to go out but I dont know what im looking at ahaha. reminds me always of this proverb of hell: "To create a little flower is the labor of ages." -William Blake

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

Anybody can learn. Just requires being observant and curious and asking questions.

[@jesserivera9704]

@@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesntwell yeah, thanks, I know, but like, what do I do, just go walking with a botany book? I'm a somewhat successful autodidact but with Botany I have no clue where to start. And are there even plants worth checking out here in Toronto? Wanna come visit sometime and get me started? You'll always have a place to stay up here if you need bro!

[@CrimePaysButBotanyDoesnt]

@@jesserivera9704 download inaturalist, start uploading observations, and when you learn what a plant is that you observed go read about it in Wikipedia and see what family it's in (and thus what it's evolutionarily related to) and any other pertinent informsiton that may be listed

[@sky1ar]

look at the new thumbnails, production value baby

[@VOST0K]

Gotta say, that's the most beautiful sand I've ever seen. If you can call this seeing.

[@Fragrantbeard]

Vladivostok isn't it? I'll take that over the black sand in Hawaii any day - it glows! Stunning!

[@carolshannon6522]

A true pleasure. Thank you.

[@rlsingle00]

Love the views and plant life. Thank you for sharing. Great video as always.

[@brokenheart172]

Really awesome vid. Great shots of all kinds of flora and fauna in this one. Loved seeing the plants from the dunes with cameos from the insect life that also inhabits the ecosystem.

[@nathanaelcard]

That red sand is unmistakable. Reminds me of the land around Page AZ. Haven't been out there since this bastard got me into plant id, but now I definitely wanna go back

[@WayneTheSeine]

The view 10:00 was a stunner as was 20:21....beautiful shots..it is all so damn beautiful.

[@iloveaginganddying6207]

I'm doing botany field work this summer. Last week i saw H. filifolius at my site too, in Alberta, Canada. Fun to see similar species!

[@philsphan6865]

Thanks again, brother! Much needed moment of peace!

[@RedGrassEater259]

I've been watching your vids for about a year now, and i love them! A couple months ago I was out at the coral sand dunes with my roommates and we saw some weird guy with a camera yelling at the ground. Thought what the hell is this guy doing, just yelling at the ground and recording it? It wasn't until i saw this that I realized it was probably you! Thanks for pointing out the great smell of the sophora, nobody i was with could smell it!

[@jeannettelee2806]

Love the measuring tape tattoo.

[@nmnate]

Just started watching... man this is refreshing. Also a reminder to plant some more native plants in the yard (we're in northern NM, pinon / juniper mostly). Would love to get some SW native asclepias in the yard eventually.

[@FrostyDelights]

Thanks Cpbd definitely needed this today

[@odinbriem9183]

Always exited to see videos from my territory, thank you very much

[@willi-fg2dh]

always nice to hear you describe places i'll never be able, any more, to get to . . . i can tell you love these places.

[@AlAllerton]

About those white moths at 26:00 I was reading about other milkweeds tonight and an article mentioned Cycnia tenera, the dogbane tiger moth. [Copied from wiki...] It is a common feeder on Apocynum cannabinum (dogbane, Indian hemp) which produces a milky latex containing cardenolides, toxic cardiac glycoside that defend against herbivores. It also feeds on milkweed species, Asclepias, at least in parts of its range, but is most commonly reported from dogbane. Its interactions with bats have been much studied, but are an area of dispute regarding whether the clicks emitted by adult moths are disruptive of bat echolocation, or merely aposematic warning signals.

[@jackwood8307]

Hey your back! Was starting to worry!❤️

[@lilithmarie3233]

Love your videos...always makes my day haha

[@MichaelCarolina]

I enjoy your videos. ;) Keep em coming.

[@Indoor_Man]

Thank you to you for being you. I just watched my first video. That was awesome!

[@Indoor_Man]

Professional entertainers with a writing staff are less entertaining than you. Thank you.

[@MaleficusPhasma]

STRAIGHT UP! these videos are my favorite thing on the internet!

[@cosmicbackwoods]

thanks man. your videos helped before everything got super weird so they are especially meditative now. also that place looks sick, might have to go check it out

[@wutflex]

I wanna do this for a living

[@SeanDahlman1]

I am currently studying Penstemon with the Forest Service RMRS and yeah... It feels like there are 100000 species haha. Love your videos, if your in Idaho our crew would love to show you around.

[@JimmieK2010]

Amazingly intense colors, almost surreal. Absolutely stunning.

[@margiekn]

I raise Monarch butterflies. I grow Tropical milkweed from seeds. This is such an interesting segment! Did you see any Monarchs there?

[@barrypoontang]

love it mate, who knew plants could be interesting. You should do species identifying videos more.

[@treebeard7140]

You have less rainfall than a lot of places near me yet the most gorgeous plants. Desert plants don't fuck around

[@no1hypocrite]

great stuff as always

[@jaewok5G]

that is _really_ nice looking sand.

[@teamuncle]

Thanks for a very beautiful landscape and educational commentary. Suitably quelled. From SE England Glaswegian.

[@newbotany]

This is my favourite channel... By a mile. One to imitate, though with your own individuality. Is Tony the first entertaining scientist?

[@markweidemann4641]

Such an Amazing and Surreal High Desert Landscape... Very Cool!!! 😉🤟🏻💯

[@oldairyheir]

Wonderful habitat and scenery! Thanks, Joey! As an aside, I thought I'd heard of Asclepias before, but in a different context. Actually it was 'Asclepius'. Linnaeus himself codified our native milkweed as Asclepias syriaca (though the plant is not from Syria) in 1753, naming the species after Asclepius, the Greek god of healing. The classic rod of Asclepius and of medicine focusing on patients and used by many medical organizations worldwide is a single snake twined around a wooden staff.

[@VickyDPi]

Stunning!!

[@Murdant]

I know you get tons of requests from folks asking you to come to their area. But, if you've never been to the cedar glades here in middle Tennessee, then you REALLY need to check them out. The flora is right up your alley. Rare and endangered species found no where else, and geology unique to this region.

[@pimpdaddygary]

I lost it at "Human Tumor" TM. 🤣🤣🤣

[@jcv3061]

As always, thanks so much for your awesome vids and sense of humor, man! These A. welshii look very, very similar to some milkweeds (that I haven't been able to identify) that I've seen growing in urban Managua. People call'em "dog's balls" plants, because the seed pod looks uncannily like a tight, green [air-filled] n*tsack! The ones down here are probably invasive, I'm guessing; I took some pictures of some I found growing in the street today because I remembered watching your video a few weeks ago.