62 Nebraskaland • August-September 2022
THE LAST STOP
The relationship between milkweed and monarch
butterflies is well-known in the pollinator world. In my
garden, the plants not only provide beautiful and fragrant
flowers, but also food and shelter to many other species as
well. So, when I noticed the different species of insects and
arachnids using the milkweed in my flower garden, I began
documenting them with a camera.
First, I watched a granddaddy long-leg (or harvestmen),
which is not a true spider, eating a smaller spider on a
milkweed leaf. Longlegs are scavengers, and they feed by
searching the ground and plants for small insects, eggs or
dead plant or animal material. In this instance, my milkweed
plants offered the ideal hunting grounds.
Then I saw a milkweed tussock moth caterpillar making its
way through the maze of milkweed leaves, stopping to feast
along the way. I had never seen a tussock caterpillar before,
and it reminded me of a Shih Tzu dog with its fluffy tufts
of black, orange and white. Like monarch caterpillars, this
caterpillar's bright coloration signals to would-be predators
that its body contains toxic cardiac glycosides from eating
the milkweed, which the tussock caterpillar exclusively
feeds on.
One of the neatest things I found was a fishing spider
and her egg sac with newly emerged spiderlings. As the
mother stood guard to protect her young, the large, strong
leaves of the milkweed plant provided them shelter from the
elements as well. With its thick stem, this milkweed plant
has survived through many of Mother Nature's trials, which
is why the spider chose it as the location to lay her egg sac.
Each plant was like a world in itself, and this was just a
small sample of what I saw. In addition to knowing that
I'm helping pollinators, I've delighted in the joy of watching
nature play out on milkweed. I encourage you to plant them
in your own garden
By Julie Geiser
THE WONDROUS MILKWEED PLANT
MILKWEED TUSSOCK MOTH CATERPILLAR
FISHING SPIDER
GRANDDADDY LONG-LEG SPIDER
