On Saturday, the blog came across a field of milkweed by the side of the Bicentennial Greenway in Greensboro. Monarch butterfly caterpillars are extremely picky eaters - they eat only the leaves of milkweed plants. The leaves are toxic to vertebrates because they contain compounds called cardiac glycosides. The toxins consumed by caterpillars eventually end up in butterfly wings, which is why monarchs are avoided by most birds...to help birds make the connection, monarchs have evolved bright coloration...this patch of milkweed should provide plenty of monarchs to be admired by the citizens of Greensboro in the weeks and months to come.
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