Our precious milkweed plants – everyone loves them!

Getting down to it, like ants on aphids!

Lots of milkweed plants
in our backyard fields.

It seems it is the height of the season. I thought spring was the thing.

Insects are hungry and twitterpated!

Milkweed plants host many critters.

They smell beautiful!

Obviously, the Monarch butterfly eggs and caterpillars, but there are several bugs who are named after the plant.

Whilst searching for Monarch butterfly eggs, I managed to find a ton of bugs I'd never photographed. Serendipity.
(Never mind the deerflies that bit me!)

It's amazing the bugs that depend upon this plant.
I did find ONE Monarch caterpillar that hatched this week. I was so excited. It was confirmed on BAMONA.

First Monarch caterpillar in two years!

I know what they are up to!

Milkweed tussock moth larvae

She kept on eating, then she moved away!

He gave me a dirty look, 'Back off, sister!'

Red Milkweed Beetle 
(Tetraopes tetrophthalmus)

Dorah walks in the milkweed
in the lower field meadow!
She was frog hunting.

Red Milkweed Beetle
(Tetraopes tetrophthalmus)

Macro lens is tricky,
especially with my glasses.
Its front spider legs are focused...

Here are some photos of some of the others. Earwigs, lots of beetles.

Butterfly up close. Was it ever mad at me!

One critter chewed a hole, and sucked up the juice in the plant stem. Others chew off the leaves, like the Red Milkweed Beetle. Some bugs use Milkweed itself, others, like the ants, spiders, and lady beetles, feed on the aphids that feed on the plants. It's an insect eat insect world!

goldenrod soldier beetle, also known as Pennsylvania leatherwing (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus)