Get A Room

Insect fornication -

A couple of Milkweed Beetles (trying to) enjoy a romantic outing!

Milkweed Scatters Promise.

I came upon the above milkweed factoid on one of my social media apps yesterday - good to know right.

The ironic thing about this factoid is that only a couple hours earlier I took the below pictures of the milkweed I have had growing in my pool area!

Although, I've cut EVERYTHING else back as a part of putting my yard and flower beds to sleep for the winter, I didn't touch the milkweeds.  Their seed pods were all nice and plump but still green and not ready to open.  Fast forward a month or so and this is the rewards of my patients -

It's a cool sight to see these seeds floating away, like falling snow, as the wind carries them off.  Hoping that some find a safe place to take root come spring.

After all, Milkweed seeds are crucial for the Monarch butterfly's lifecycle.

Their seeds are tiny lanterns, each one drifts away carrying the hope of a monarch’s tomorrow.

Milkweed Pods A Plenty

I had oodles of milkweed this summer, with many of them growing in the flower beds within the pool area.  These plants did very well, got very big and have big seed pods, as they're big fans of direct sun.

I took the below pics a couple weeks ago.  These same seed pods have now begun to dry and crack open and will soon be blowing their seeds all over!

It would also appear that once milkweed gets established in an area they spread and sprout new plants via their roots too, not just the seeds they'll soon be sowing.

Frustratingly and sadly, I did NOT spot a single Monarch caterpillar on any of my milkweed plants.  Nor did I see any on the milkweeds plants I've passed on my walks or when out delivering mail, alas.

And I only saw a handful of adult Monarch butterflies visiting the flowers in my yard this summer.

But then again, as I've been saying, it's been a weird summer in general for plants and animals, from my perspective anyway.

Some McLuv'n!

C'mon, what's more American than a pair of cuddling Milkweed Beetles?!

Enjoy the 4th!

Will They Come?

I've had milkweed growing along my side yard for several years now.  Of course I leave them be, even the ones that have started growing into the lawn, all in the hopes of attracting Monarch butterflies and their caterpillars.

Last year a couple milkweed plants sprouted in a flower bed inside the pool fence.  Again, I let them be and this year LOOK at my reward - oodles and oodles of them!

As you can see these are doing really well, which is because they have full sun for most of the late morning and all afternoon!  I also have plenty on the side yard again this year but they don't get as much sun, so are on the smaller side.

Invasive perhaps, but either way, I couldn't be happier that they've taken so well, keep coming back year after year, even if they're taking over in some places.

Fingers, and toes, are crossed in the hopes they finally attract Monarchs!

First Frye Monarch Caterpillar!

I spied my first Monarch caterpillar ever here at the ole homestead!

Oddly enough it wasn't on one of my milkweed plants, rather it was climbing on the wire fence.  Of course, thinking I was helping I moved it to one of the milkweeds but it was too fidgety and made it's way to the ground rather quickly - 

Here is a short video of the dude off and in search of something - 

My assumption is that this dude was searching for a suitable place where it could make it's chrysalis.  I'll poke around in that area again to see if I can spot the chrysalis.

Here are just some of the milkweed plants I have this year.  They've really done well and are taking over, which I luv! 

There are oodles of seed pods coming along too, so hopefully there will be even more plants that pop up!

I've searched the plants but yet to see any signs of spot any additional caterpillars but I'll keep looking  Hoping they are more out there and I'm just not spotting them.  Fingers crossed.

Asclepias, AKA Mikweed

My Milkweed plants have finally moved into a sunnier location and I have so many of them this year!  Most are doing fantastic with oodles of flowers too, which smell terrific!

Although, I've had Milkweed for many years now, there have been no Monarch caterpillars that have called them, alas

Fingers crossed this could be the year since they're doing to well!

If the Red Milkweed Beetle, sometimes called "four eyes", is any indication, my hopes for Monarch's have grown since there are scads of them all over!  

Red milkweed beetles, herbivores that eat only milkweed, are not harmful to monarchs or harm monarch eggs or larvae, so you do not need to remove them from your milkweed plants. The two species can and do coexist peacefully.

Here are just a couple pics of cuddling and dining beetles -

Fingers crossed!