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Index of Subjects Concerning the sticky pollen packets which David has mentioned, they do claim some victims. At my old farm in eastern Ontario, there were some stands of milkweed which I frequented daily to photograph insects. Milkweed does attract a lot of insect activity - quite apart from Monarch butterflies. I often found insects stuck to flowers or loaded down with many pollen packets. This fly has quite a few: http://www.pbase.com/crocodile/image/31440127/large And a Brown Mantid Fly with a packet stuck to one foot http://www.pbase.com/crocodile/image/45856022/original Mantid flies are particularly attracted to Milkweed - right about the time that the flowers are at their stickiest. I've watched these insects spend a great deal of time grooming themselves, working to remove the sticky pollen packets from their heads and feet. regards, Bev Wigney Round Hill, N.S. On 2015-10-30, at 8:29 PM, Larry Bogan <larry@bogan.ca> wrote: > David is correct, Monarch butterfly larvae are so sparse that they make no significant impact on the milkweed growing in the Annapolis Valley. We are not surveying milkweed plots to encourage more milkweed but to determine where the Monarch larvae and eggs might be during the breeding season so that we know where to observe or collect eggs/larvae to help them. > > Some people do not have milkweed and want to grow it on their property and so we offer them a source. Common milkweed is invasive and needs to be controlled if it is planted. I always warn people of that fact. > > When the milkweed in our field is in bloom it is wonderously populated with bees, most being honey bees. I have not observed the effect David mentioned but will look for it next summer. It certainly has not harmed my neighbor's hives as they seemed to be healthy this fall. > > ////// === /////// > Larry Bogan > Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia > <larry@bogan.ca> > > On Fri, 30 Oct 2015 18:49:44 -0300 > "David & Alison Webster" <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote: > >> Hi All, Oct 30, 2015 >> The abundance of some insect such as the Monarch Butterfly will be a function, not of every factor in its environment, but of those relatively few factors which are limiting. Monarch adults can feed on many flowers but their larvae require Milkweed leaves so, in principal, a shortage of Milkweed leaves could limit populations here. >> But if abundance of Milkweed in NS were limiting Monarch populations here then one would expect to frequently s
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