COMMON MILKWEED

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca); gets its name from the milky white sap which is quite toxic. Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) larvae feed on it with no apparent ill effects. However, when transformed into the butterfly, the toxicity of the sap remains and predators quickly learn not to eat these creatures.

There are several other types of butterflies whose larvae do not eat milkweed and therefore are not toxic. But they do mimic the Monarch's coloration which makes predators think twice.

Here in both images you see the seed heads producing "wishes" with seeds attached for dispersal. When we were kids (7 decades ago) it was common knowledge that if you made a wish on one of these and set it off into the wind, the wish would come true if it blew out of sight.

I tried it yesterday...very windy. It blew out of sight. If you're following the U.S. elections you'll know my wish came true.