12 July 2024
Closing week Charity Kheshgi and I discovered insects mating on milkweed that I had by no means spotted sooner than.
The crimson milkweed beetle (Tetraopes tetrophthalmus) is one in every of 14-17 species of longhorn milkweed beetles in U.S. and Canada. They’re host-specific on commonplace milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). The women are even consuming whilst mating.
Although they devour the plant they don’t like getting caught in milkweed sap so that they prohibit their publicity to it by way of purposely draining the veins.
(video of a crimson milkweed beetle slicing milkweed vein to cut back/prevent latex drive sooner than feeding past the reduce, embedded from Wikimedia Commons)
Different anticipated milkweed bugs have no longer made an look but. I’ve noticed neither huge nor small milkweed insects. I in most cases to find them on milkweed pods however the crops are handiest within the leaf expansion and flowering degree at the moment.
In the meantime, buddies who develop milkweed to draw monarch butterflies are involved that they have got no longer noticed any monarchs but. Used to be remaining week too early? Steve Gosser photographed this one in July 2014.
Have you ever noticed monarch butterflies this month in southwestern PA?
If that is so, depart a remark to let me know.