Today we hiked the Northwest (Purple) hiking trail. On our hike we observed a lot of plants. The butterfly milkweed caught my attention. The bright reddish/orange flowers stood out and were hard to miss. This plant is essential to species of monarch (Danaus plexippus). Unlike most other milkweeds, the flowers of butterfly milkweed are not pink, white, or purple. Instead, this milkweed species has bright reddish/orange flowers, which is why it stood out the most. The monarch (butterfly) uses different species of milkweeds to raise their young. As I observed the plant, I noticed two butterflies- probably pollinating the bright reddish/orange flowers. This reminded me of Aldo Leopold’s “January Thaw” because only when we sit and observe nature; is when we realize the various roles of each species in our ecosystem. I also thought it was interesting to know that monarchs co-evolved with milkweeds, developing adaptation that allows caterpillars to feed on the plant that many other insects cannot. The latex-based sap produced by milkweed plants contains toxic compounds which may kill other insects. Therefore, other insects try an avoid species of milkweeds. No other butterfly is more precious than the monarch. Monarch population has dropped dramatically in the past few decades thus gardeners want to help by including the monarch butterfly host plant in their garden.
Journal entry by Nosheen Majeed
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