Interesting plant to identify
Submitted by lile001 on Fri, 10/10/2008 - 21:43
This strange looking plant was blooming in late july and August. It suffered all kinds of abuse including being run over by a utility truck and chomping by caterpillars, who ate the flowers up before they could seed. I wanted to identify it all summer, but could not find anything close in the books I have. Anybody hazard a guess?
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Plant.jpg | 271.48 KB |
| plant2.jpg | 126.46 KB |
| plant3.jpg | 242.63 KB |
- lile001's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Comments
lile001,
Nice photos! The plant is Asclepias hirtella (Prairie Milkweed). It is often found in old fields and prairies. The caterpillars you mention could have been of Monarch Butterflies. They are one of the few caterpillars that can tolerate the toxins in the milky sap of Milkweeds. In fact, they build the toxins up in their bodies to deter predators.
Justin