The pretty silk flower
As soon as I saw her on the side of the bike path, I stopped to photograph it. It was so beautiful! Later, while processing my photo, I thought to myself that I would call it the silk flower. It gave off such sweetness. I was not very far from the reality since it is now called "soyer du Québec" Can be translate has Québec silk. Its scientific name is Asclepias syriaca, or milkweed for most people.A plant essential for the survival of the monarch butterfly. Already, the first nations used it as food as well as in the design of clothing. King Louis XV would also have used this silk for his warm clothes. Baptized at the time "the silk of America". Its use disappeared with the British conquest, when the Colonial Empire was teeming with silk and cotton.More recently, a textile engineer from Granby, in the Eastern Townships, found a way to exploit this fiber of the future industrially. The pretty flower has incredible properties. Its fibers repel water and absorb oil. Which would make it an excellent acoustic and thermal insulator. We may soon have a great, 100% vegetable alternative for our outdoor clothing.Several “soyer” cultures have emerged in Quebec since 2014. Personally, this type of project amazes and inspires me! The pretty flower doesn't only have flattering names as it would also be known as, suckling pig, cotton, cotton wool, parakeet weed, cow's tongue. If you want to know more about Quebec “soyer” culture, "Pur soyer.com" a company from Thetford Mines has some interesting videos on YouTube (french only).
The soyer du Québec
The pretty silk flower