July 29, 2014
Honeybee on Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
The genus Asclepias has produced many beautiful species, including this Swamp Milkweed. Although naturally growing in wet areas, it also adapts well to drier sites, including gardens and the planting beds in the Water Department parking lot, where this one was photographed. In addition to providing nectar for bees, all of the milkweeds are hosts for the larvae of the Monarch Butterfly. The loss of wild milkweeds as a result of herbicide use in farmers' fields has been suggested as a cause for diminishing numbers of these charismatic insects.