Milkweed Diners

I've discussed before the various insects that are attracted to milkweed, and this Great Spangled Fritillary and Red Milkweed Beetle represent the 2 main motivations of those insects. The Red Milkweed Beetle represents the insects that want to eat (some parts of) the milkweed, while the Great Spangled Fritillary represents the pollinators that are just here for the nectar.

While I'd like to think these guys are friendly acquaintances who meet at the milkweed the way coworkers meet at the water cooler, the realist in me suspects that (at best) they only recognize each other as non-predators they can be around without fear of being eaten.

June 15, 2022 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 210218218, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

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