Date: 09/30/2013

Number: 1

On sickly monarch larvae sighted on a liatris. I could observe no milkweed available in that area. The milkweed that grows in this area is Green Antelope Horn Milkweed. And it is usually spent by now, and has often been mowed under in this area as part of lake maintenance. It may grow in other areas that we are not aware of, but usually it is commonly situated in disturbed areas, near the road side, where vegetation around it grows low to the ground or is mowed often. It peaks in June, and sometimes we get a second smaller round of blooms in August. In the past, I have found monarch larvae on Liatris around Lake Arcadia in similar circumstances over the years. There seemed to be NO milkweed in the immediate vicinity. You find one per liatris plant, like the eggs were accidentally dropped there, and not a cluster of larvae. The larvae are usually very small and sort of sad looking.
http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/lia.asper.htm

Midwest City, OK

Latitude: 35.4 Longitude: -97.4

Observed by: S.
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