Life in the Milkweed

Emma and I biked down to the Lane Street Land Trust meadow this morning and looked at the young milkweed that's growing for signs of life. The meadow was cut over about a month ago, and the milkweed is now young and tender. See map location.

Here's a beautiful Monarch Butterfly caterpillar feeding on the milkweed. We found a couple of these. The milkweed has a toxic compound that the Monarchs ingest, making them unpalatable to other creatures.

Here are some ants tending to a colony of Oleander Aphids. The ants drink a liquid secreted by the aphids. These particular aphids are not native to North America, but originated in the Mediterranean region.

Harriet's bench was still in the shade, giving us a nice break from the sun. The milkweed patch we checked is visible just beyond the bench.