• Wednesday-What'sUP August 17 - 03:17 am

According to Ken Scheibach, the milkweed is the host plant to the monarch butterfly and the food source for many other insects, which makes this wildflower a very important one. In the second photo, four skipper moths and a bee are enjoying the milkweed's nectar. Photo number three shows a monarch caterpillar preparing to become a beautiful butterfly. Most milkweeds contain cardiac glycosides which are stored in the bodies of both the caterpillar and butterfly. These poisons are distasteful and toxic to birds and thus protects the butterfly from predators.

The adult monarch continues to take nourishment from the milkweed (Photo #4). A very important weed, indeed. This butterfly's offspring will likely be the generation that returns to Mexico during the fall migration. The lowly milkweed should be important to all who enjoy the beautiful displays provided by Monarchs and other butterflies. I like how Ken captured the Monarch Butterfly as it flies off and remains just a blur, in the last photo. Thanks, Ken, for the insect/wildflower lesson!

I believe in the power of nature to impel us to more spiritually balanced lives..
Barry Lopez

I love these pictures!!!

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ssrs/story?id=3343

Peninsula Point Lighthouse is a nice place for a picnic.

Great pics!

Cardiac Glycosides...very impressive Mary!

Beautiful pictures. Bill and I watched a show on the migration of the monarch butterfly. It was very interesting.

Beautiful pictures. How educational about the Monarch Butterflies. One time we took a train ride in Canada and saw a lot of Monarch Butterflies on the pine trees. They were just hanging on the trees everywhere. What a site. As I always say love the Pasty Cam. Everyone have a good day. It is to be cool here in Indiana today. Got a lot of green beans to can today.

Yesterday evening the kids and I were on the beach just south of Muskegon. There was a fair breeze coming out of the northwest, and out over the water we spotted a Monarch at about 50 feet up, drifting and fluttering with the wind. I can't imagine it had the horsepower to fly out from land against that wind, so my guess is it had come all the way over Lake Michigan from somewhere up near Manitowoc, probably a hundred miles nonstop over the water.

Super photos and super explanations. How much we learn about our beautiful area from Pasty Net. Thanks, Ken, wonderful presentation.

Beautiful images!

Fabulous stuff!

Lots & lots more good stuff about Monarchs and their migrations at this excellent Minnesota based organization! Especially great for school kids:

http://www.learner.org/north/monarch/

I love the picture of John Dee w/Gracie and all the story and pictures of Mom, Dad and the new babe! How heartwarming. God Bless!

Butterflies, Flutterbies, Papillon whatever you choose to call them
they are all beautiful!

I am always appreciative and honored when they visit my flower
garden every summer.

If someone could get a picture of the crysallis (sp?) of a Monarch butterfly and post it, that would be great. It's the most beautiful crysallis ever!