Guest Blogger: Tanya Harvey
Below is an excerpt from Tanya Harvey’s blog, follow the link to read the full article: Further Rigdon Area Meadow Exploration. Banner photo courtesy of Tanya Harvey.
Meadows in Rigdon
Photo credit: Tanya Harvey. Mating fritillaries on mock orange. Checkerspots, Lorquin’s admirals, and a pale swallowtail also took advantage of the abundant nectar, while I enjoyed the heady fragrance.
“I headed up the steep slope and through the woods to locate the waypoint Crystal had given me. I was not very hopeful as I really couldn’t imagine that there were any appropriate openings. But then I found the little sunny spot with some outcrop at the base, and there was the milkweed! It was only about a half-acre, but it had several fully blooming mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) shrubs at the base of the rocks, attracting many butterflies and other insects.
While there weren’t very many large milkweed plants, a thorough survey totaled 37 plants, including 7 seedlings. Hard to imagine but it appeared that this population was expanding. I knew this species like shadier edges of rocky meadows, but I never imagined it could survive in such a small sunny spot. What really surprised me was that I found 2 monarch eggs and one (sadly) dead caterpillar on the ground beneath a milkweed plant. How did they find such a small population in such a small opening?! I’m calling this little spot Crystal’s Glade, and I definitely plan to revisit it in the future to see how the population is doing.”
