Here is the plant that one usually connects with the Monarch Butterfly. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias) is a wet-prairie native. This image shows three stages of bloom for the lovely purple balls on MIlkweed plants. Monarchs lay their eggs on the leaves to provide nearby food when they heirs hatch. What makes this plant choice so amazing is that the leaf juice (milk) is very toxic to birds and other Monarch predators. So when Monarch consume the Milkweed leaf they, themselves, become poisonous to predators. They then have a natural defense and more likely to survive. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergA closeup of the forming buds seem to only hint at the future large cluster of purple Swamp MIlkweed flowers. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergLeaves of the Milkweed are thick, almost succulent-like, with plenty of milky white, poisonous sap inside. The flowers, like many perennials space out their bloom cycle allowing the purple flowers to attract Monarchs for a lengthy season. I continue to be awed by nature’s intelligent choices. Copyright 2024 Pamela Breitberg
