Date: 10/29/2022

Number: 1

Common milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca, pictured) follicles have opened during the past week here, and seeds began to fly within the past few days; one swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) had one follicle remaining on an otherwise bare stem, with all but one seed already gone. - The common milkweeds pictured were previously reported (such as on 7th Aug 2022), I named the pair "7-11" due to the number of seed pods that fully matured on them. The plant on the left was 48 inches tall, and began with sixteen seed pod buds on it, eleven of which fully matured. While the plant on the right has seven pods which fully matured, it was knocked down having a broken stem from a severe wind storm about a week ago. I picked the broken plant and hung it on a tall post so its seeds could be better taken up by the wind.

I have not surveyed all my milkweed fields yet, but from what I've seen so far it appears I had fewer plants overall (compared with last season) and with very few seed pods overall, many plants with none. I observed many many bees and wasps this season, and (sadly) very few butterflies of any kind at all, with perhaps only a couple dozen total monarch adults observed here all season.

Gulliver, MI

Latitude: 46.1 Longitude: -86.1

Observed by: James
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