On Milkweed

Do you recognize milkweed? This is the most common type in our area of Maryland and it seems to be coming up all over right now. I even have one coming up in a front flower bed - which I may decide to nurture and hope the butterflies find it. Years ago we had milkweed plants at the edge of our forest but it either got to shady for them or some other environment change caused them to stop growing there. The corn field near our community used to have milkweed plants along its margins but those are gone as well.

I’m thrilled to see more plants coming up this year since the Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on the plants and the caterpillars feast on their leaves.

There are even orange and black milkweed bugs that feed on the plants and are often seen in clusters of large and small insects (a picture from last fall).

 Many other butterflies and bees like the nectar of their flowers. Even humans can smell the sweetness of the milkweed flowers!

These are things to look forward to in the coming months!