Getting ready to do something illicit on the milkweed plant are a pair of...milkweed bugs! Yes that is really what they are called. (Scientific name: Oncopeltus fasciatus)It has a long proboscis and is a piercing sucking insect. It feeds on the seeds, leaves and stems of milkweed (Asclepias). It is found in small groups on milkweed often on the stems, leaves and on the seed pods. The bodies of milkweed bugs contain toxic compounds derived from the sap which they suck from milkweed. Milkweed bugs are true bugs (Hemiptera) . They are used as research insects because they are easy to use in the laboratory, have a short life cycle and are easy to manipulate.
I had other photos that were more detailed, but none had the little insect in free fall on the left.
Check out this picture I captured of a milkweed bug rave, but be warned. It is pretty creepy. http://tinyurl.com/nqrncnj
Don't you love it when you get something so unexpected?! The information is fascinating...I had no idea! When I first saw your "rave" I thought it was an internet photo (not yours) to show them in a large gathering!
Thank you for sharing the picture of the milkweed and the information about the milkweed bugs. I had no klue.....oh, I thing that is the german word no idea.
November 5th, 2015
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