I love milkweed! It is a rather tall and ugly plant, but, like most humans, it has characteristics that I love.
1) The flower of the milkweed attracts butterflies, mostly monarch butterflies.
2) The butterflies will lay their eggs on the plant, and their offspring use the plant for food.
3) The monarch catepillars will eat their way through the plant and go into their dormant stage about 30 feet from their milkweed home. It's a challenge to find the chrysalis! I haven't been able to do that yet.
4) Butterflies will be attracted to your garden because of the milkweed.
5) When they blossom, the flowers, though not the most beautiful I have ever seen, will send their fragrance wafting through the air so the area around your garden smells like a touch of heaven!
I encourage the growth of milkweeds. I don't pull them. I let them grow tall and strong. They require very little care because they are a "weed". I checked my milkweed plants today. I found a box elder bug sitting on the buds of one of my plants. That little bug was just sitting there under the warm sun. Soon, the flowers will begin to bloom. Soon the butterflies will be here! For me, this is one of the best parts of summer--butterflies and milkweed plants.
Well, you just brought back memories of finding milkweed and breaking off a bit to see the "milk". What a bonus that they attract the butterflies!
ReplyDeleteCool photo Miss M ;o)
ReplyDeleteI love the box elder bug (I don't think we have those here). Our Monarchs were late this last season - we seemed to have them around forever - it was wonderful! I look forward to seeing more photo's :o)