Dropping off our recyclables would make for a boring trip if it weren't for the chance to survey the roadside weeds. I always bring my camera. One of my favorite spots for Showy Milkweed is on Lee Road, and most of the milkweeds have been cut down by weed eaters. The few that remain play host to the surviving bugs, and I have developed a protective feeling toward the Small Milkweed Bug and the Red Milkweed Beetle. I can't really do anything to protect them, but paying regular visits, so long as they last, builds up my store of summer memories to sustain me during the winter.
I can still hope that advocating for the protection of the milkweeds will result in protecting their visitors. To get a bit more complicated, it amounts to protecting ecosystems which includes soil, other plants and animals, not just for personal enjoyment but for survival of habitat that we depend on.
I've been taking closer looks at Goldenrod lately. They are the focus of a variety of food chains, and the insect visitors are peaking at this time of year. I've overcome my aversion to Goldenrod which was established by my Dad's life-long battle with hay fever. I grew up thinking of Goldenrod as an enemy. I'm sorry that Dad missed out on all the wonders I'm seeing now. Case in point: the Thread-waisted Wasp.
Note the little flying thing just above and to the left of the wasp.
The Gum Plant is thriving around the Chinese restaurant in East Quincy. One thing I love about this plant is how it will bear flowers in all stages of development simultaneously from gummy buds to seeds. Also, those recurved bracts beneath the yellow ray flowers are intriguing. The plant is sticky, so I often find wind-blown seeds of other nearby plants, especially Salsify, stuck to the stems and leaves.
Don't be in a rush on your next trip to the dump. Learn to appreciate the biological wonders at the side of the road. Root for the weeds over the weed eaters.
No comments:
Post a Comment