During a two-week period in late-May/early-June 2016, I followed a cohort of Slender Spreadwing damselflies (Lestes rectangularis) that emerged from a large vernal pool at Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.

31 MAY 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
Purple Milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) plants were growing in the fields near the same vernal pool. This blog post is the first of a four-part time series featuring photos of the milkweed, taken during some of my visits to the site in search of Slender Spreadwing.

31 MAY 2016 | Huntley Meadows Park | Purple Milkweed
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Look closely at the full-size version of the first photo. Notice the small black insects on the milkweed flowers.
Ants are notorious for stealing nectar and love all kinds of Milkweeds… Source Credit: Alonso Abugattas Jr, Natural Resources Manager for Arlington County Parks, Virginia USA. Alonso is also the creator and administrator of the Capital Naturalist Facebook group, where I requested help with identification of the unknown insects on the milkweed.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Asclepias purpurascens, Huntley Meadows Park, Purple Milkweed, vernal pool
March 15, 2019 at 10:27 am |
[…] Showcasing some of my digital photography and videography. « Time series: Purple Milkweed (Part 1) […]
March 18, 2019 at 4:03 am |
[…] Time series: Purple Milkweed (Part 1) […]