This is the last photo of Great Spangled Fritillaries feeding atop milkweeds that I'm going to post. I just find it fascinating that I came upon such a large flutter of the butterflies, and that within a small area there were three different types of milkweed growing. It's not practical to allow milkweed to take over an area, it is poisonous to everything but certain species of butterflies, but to allow a few plants, well spaced out, even in a somewhat small area, does allow these butterflies to flourish.
Posts
1 comment:
Just to clarify that only the leaves contain material that is toxic - the nectar from the flowers is enjoyed by a wide range of insects. If you watch your milkweed carefully, you'll see an abundance of bumblebees and solitary bees (and a variety of beetles) getting nutrition from those flowers. Congratulations on having them in your garden.
Post a Comment