Show i 4 J I Milkweed and Its Guests I BY BV ALBERTA FIELD FJELD IP t Mr 9 g 44 A I L I f t Milkweed 1 Ins IDS of ur e an J Is 3 t THIS T 1 of otton tan foun tOU fou growing gr JA In e pro to a black blackberry berry brry which Carefully shelters helter it from st and the feet teet of or pass passIng passing ing cattle Within its Us own system is 18 iss s i er tod a 0 bl Juice W render It t wry dl tu l tb the browsing br kine And kind I ha v found but 1 ut two ape sze of ot larvae lane that use its dusty gray xray green leen leave leavas lea as a food toad pasture one oner I Of r the thiH Is Ig I the and anet yellow bor bordered derod dered caterpillar of ot the but butterfly tartly and titer the theather other til J 4 larva l r ot of the Ju who whose bOH tufts tufUi of ot orange oranee black back and white hairs I 1 make it a conspicuous object on the un under Under der del side of ot the milkweed leaves This forehanded fallow when it s I time to togo togo togo go into a retreat for far transformation utilizes its fl e feathers in making makinI a coPen that protects time the pupa I during ther helpless l i If It tb the tiny bf e numerous small flies files and aid we wei bl b butterflies ck belon belong ing to th the were called upon for their opinion of or the milkweed th y would gl to this thi floral oral orallo hostelry lo tery a R very bad name indeed and would advise ad fou jo u to ah hun n it for to them it is 18 the vilest U it den On the other hand band if you re to view this Uti lux luxuriant luxuriant luxuriant fence tence corner from the standpoint of some seine lusty fusty rust b bee e people and the time gorgeous winged d Monarch but butterflies you would advertise adv it as a growth of more than ordinarily ami amt amiable amiable able intentions and be inclined to treat I It jt with all th the courtesy due to a bene benefactor benet V Y t factor of ot the winged winded ed world orld But it is 1 not with the milkweed res residents r re that tt w We have to deal but b t with the t e transient visitors and guests who 4 ome une for tor the tho day anT and desire to be up and Md way away as soon on as a thy t y have hav par pW partaken partaken taken of ot the m nerous feast a feast provided by b this dds provident plant p nt in hi or 01 ord d r that Its guests may act as u pur purveyors purveyors V Ol of oC the precious p peU pellan ll tn n which Otherwise would mould fall fan on unfertile ground and so tK about t tIme exter extermination ext of ot the species f 7 Many slants alanta to o t toward that class of guests e tS S who destroy their leaves they may ma be eaten to tatters without any attempt at resistance but let a carrying bract i t tamper tam r with Ute tie stores stor of oC golden roW oust treasured trea so carefully for future fertilization f and bristling hairs automatic traps and other forms of ot defense are used against the un unprofitable profitable offenders oen ers The Time d dhas has to say M the some unquestionable able contrivances The corolla of or the flower Is five the pointed and has lobes lob which are bent upward and above this is an erect arted like an all umbrella each lobe of at which contains a honor honey chest with a tooth lOoth on either side and a bonelike which projects from within As Jui this flower is not arranged tr it must depend upon its insect ct visitors for assistance and It is III I only the strong and vigorous who can render the t th service The broad anthers authers of ot the flower are closed up around a thick stalk of pistils which terminate in a disk but butas buta as a 5 the fertilizing pollen pOll n of the anthers never reach these pistils pistIl foreign aid aidis aidis aidis is required for tor the When Mr 11 Bee arrives arrive and desires to partake of ot the feast he has considerable trou trouble trouble trouble ble In reaching the sweets but as he ho kicks about some of his feet naturally slip Up through the tiny Un clefts below where here the stamens are secreted and become attached to the funny little brown pollen masses ma aes that are joined together by a hard brown substance which forms the slot When the bee beeMs beeMs Ms has feasted to his satisfaction lle gives a vigorous kick in order to free him himself himself himself self and this action Detaches the trap trapdoor trapdoor trapdoor door to which the pollen Is joined and the insect flies lea away with one or more twin masses muses on his Itis feet He looks hooks as though he were ere weighted down with a pair of ot saddle bags bag When he reaches the next flower the stalks of ot the woe wee pollen masses having haying swung sung together he again a does docs battle for an entrance and a M as a consequence he will land his burden upon the sticky sUck surface of ot some same stigmatic disk and thus will accomplish the desired act It is th Ute the small fry fr of the insect world however hoen r who meet their death at the tb door of these the e blossoms for fOl their tiny legs ligi slip low and nd tight into the slot and they the are not strong trong enough to withdraw the imprisoned 1 members You will often otten see a poor little severed lox leK dangling pitifully which has been left behind by some small creature as the price of ot its Us liberty These wee chaps ha are unable to transfer pollen as they the are not strong enough to detach bags Perhaps that th t la is why vh th plant pl nt has b found f u l It to t arrange a project proe pr et t the honey closet clo et from such visitors Whether the swinging corpse orp e of a culprit who has been so closely held that It has slowly starved to death is a warning to of offenders offen offenders fenders fen ers is hard to tell the comparative example not always ala s having quite the desired effect ct in Ia our out own administrations adminIstrations ALBERTA ALBIRTA FIELD Copyright Cop IMS Itoi by the time Nature Story Syndicate Syn cate |