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Milkweed Leaf - Asclepias syriaca If you spot a U-shaped hole in a milkweed leaf, turn it over and you may find a monarch caterpillar.<br /> <br /> A monarch caterpillar&#039;s first meal is its egg shell. Next, it eats milkweed leaf hairs, and then finally, the leaf itself. The first holes it chews are broadly U-shaped. The shape of the hole is important because it prevents the sticky sap from flooding the leaf and gluing the caterpillar&#039;s mandibles (mouthparts) together.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Milkweed<br /> <br /> On the underside of the leaf:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132552/monarch_caterpillar_-_danaus_plexippus.html" title="Monarch Caterpillar - Danaus plexippus"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/3232/132552_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=%2Fvd4xtiY8hEfr%2BivIW0mM9zdUxk%3D" width="200" height="146" alt="Monarch Caterpillar - Danaus plexippus If you spot a U-shaped hole in a milkweed leaf, turn it over and you may find a monarch caterpillar.<br /> <br /> A monarch caterpillar&#039;s first meal is its egg shell. Next, it eats milkweed leaf hairs, and then finally, the leaf itself. The first holes it chews are broadly U-shaped. The shape of the hole is important because it prevents the sticky sap from flooding the leaf and gluing the caterpillar&#039;s mandibles (mouthparts) together.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Milkweed<br /> <br /> Leaf from above:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132553/milkweed_leaf_-_asclepias_syriaca.html Danaus,Danaus plexippus,Geotagged,Monarch butterfly,Summer,United States,caterpillar,larva,milkweed" /></a></figure> Asclepias,Asclepias syriaca,Common Milkweed,Geotagged,Summer,United States,milkweed,signs of wildlife Click/tap to enlarge

Milkweed Leaf - Asclepias syriaca

If you spot a U-shaped hole in a milkweed leaf, turn it over and you may find a monarch caterpillar.

A monarch caterpillar's first meal is its egg shell. Next, it eats milkweed leaf hairs, and then finally, the leaf itself. The first holes it chews are broadly U-shaped. The shape of the hole is important because it prevents the sticky sap from flooding the leaf and gluing the caterpillar's mandibles (mouthparts) together.

Habitat: Milkweed

On the underside of the leaf:

Monarch Caterpillar - Danaus plexippus If you spot a U-shaped hole in a milkweed leaf, turn it over and you may find a monarch caterpillar.<br /> <br /> A monarch caterpillar's first meal is its egg shell. Next, it eats milkweed leaf hairs, and then finally, the leaf itself. The first holes it chews are broadly U-shaped. The shape of the hole is important because it prevents the sticky sap from flooding the leaf and gluing the caterpillar's mandibles (mouthparts) together.<br /> <br /> Habitat: Milkweed<br /> <br /> Leaf from above:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/132553/milkweed_leaf_-_asclepias_syriaca.html Danaus,Danaus plexippus,Geotagged,Monarch butterfly,Summer,United States,caterpillar,larva,milkweed

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The Common Milkweed

"Asclepias syriaca" is a species of flowering plant. It is in the genus "Asclepias", the milkweeds. This species is native to southern Canada and of much of the conterminous eastern U.S., east of the Rocky Mountains, excluding the drier parts of the prairies.

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Similar species: Gentianales
Species identified by Christine Young
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By Christine Young

All rights reserved
Uploaded Mar 31, 2022. Captured Aug 6, 2021 08:06 in 5 Judson Ave, Woodbury, CT 06798, USA.
country flag of United States of America Explore United States of America 39,948 9,641 8
  • Canon EOS 90D
  • f/5.0
  • 1/99s
  • ISO400
  • 100mm
Captured in the summer. More summer photos.

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