Date: 04/15/2002

Number: 1

A few shoots of new growth can be seen where I cut down my Mexican milkweed
in the fall. There are 3 shoots, each bout 2 inches tall, in each of the
three "clumps" that I had planted last summer. Common milkweed that grows in
the fields around here doesn't usually come up unitl June.

know I'm sure what I have growing by my house is certainly milkweed. I know how tricky it can be to distinguish early shoots of dogbane from those of the milkweed plants. A few years ago I tried feeding it to my caterpillars and was amazed that they did not eat it (I was convinced at the time that it was milkweed and that is why I was feeding it to them). I will check the fields this weekend at Valley Forge National Park where Asc. syrica grows and will report my findings. The Asc. syrica in my garden has not emerged to date. The milkweed that has emerged in my garden is along the house (fairly protected area); I believe it is Asc. currasavica. Each cluster has four shoots, the tallest in each cluster is 4 inches.

Haverford, PA

Latitude: 40 Longitude: -75.3

Observed by: Ann
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