Milkweed - Butterfly Magnet - Part I: Brushfoots

Karl Foord - Extension Educator, Horticulture

I was vacationing at Scenic State Park last month, and while driving down the road to Big Fork I saw a patch of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) along the roadside (Photo 1). I decided to stop and see if milkweed's reputation as a butterfly magnet was truly deserved.

I stood in the patch for an hour. It was like being in a natural butterfly house. The amount of activity was amazing. I would estimate there to have been at least 100 butterflies in this approximately 15' x 20' patch. There was also a dizzing array of butterfly species. I have attempted to record this diversity with photographs, and using Larry Weber's Butterflies of the North Woods, have identified 26 different species.

I will divide the findings into three articles; brushfoots, skippers, and a collection of sulphurs, coppers, hairstreaks, and day-flying moths.