A Miniature World

 Milkweed plants line one sunny part of a trail going into the Indiana Dunes. I like to hunt Monarch Caterpillars on Milkweed but discovered a busy miniature world this weekend.

It appears that milkweed bugs have been busy---for a quarter of a mile just about every milkweed plant looked like this.

And the miniature world gets even more interesting and busy the closer you get:

Might be the Monarch larva I was looking for in the middle

Kind of cute aren't they?

Nurturer or snack?

    

A Tiny Milkweed Universe

A whole universe exists on milkweeds. Besides the Monarch eggs and caterpillars, I've seen ants attending aphids and the worlds created by milkweed bugs seen here.

These tiny guys, no bigger than an average ant, will grow to be a little less than an inch. Because they feed on milkweed they are are poison to most predators just like Monarch Butterflies.

The bug of Milkweed

Hundreds of Milkweed Bugs are munching on milkweed plants now in Indiana. The bugs are really fascinating and easily collected and studied.

The Milkweed Bugs obtain the same bitter taste from the milkweed plant that makes Monarch Butterflies unpalatable to birds and other possible predators. They raise their young right on the plant, chowing all the while.

Up close Milkweed Bugs are really quite beautiful.