365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Milkweed At Last!
Day 281: At last! The Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) has a few open flowers! This stem is the only one out of a dozen or so which carries an inflorescence (two, actually), but considering that it has taken three or four years to reach this point, I have hopes that at least some of the others will follow suit next year. As for the types of pollinators it may attract, I'm not expecting Monarchs. They are quite uncommon in western Washington, and I have never seen one. However, I'm sure they're not the only butterfly which finds Asclepias appealing. I can't imagine having to hand-pollinate the flowers, but I'll keep my little paintbrush handy because I want to grow these for the pods. I'll be watching for insect activity, although I haven't seen many butterflies of any species in the yard yet this year.
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