I rescued this milkweed

On October 1st, I visited an old friend on the side of the road leading into Oakland Camp. When I first met this specimen of Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, it was lying flat on the ground with a badly injured trunk. On a whim, I propped it into an upright position with a couple of rocks. That was during the last week of June. Every day during the summer, I stopped to inspect this plant on my way to work at the camp. On days that I led nature hikes, we'd also stop and pay a visit. I photographed many different bug visitors including the Red Milkweed Beetle, the Small Milkweed Bug, grasshoppers, and several kinds of spiders. The camp season ended in mid-August. This past weekend, I was thrilled to see the plant still standing. The beautiful fragrant flowers are long gone and it is now sporting a couple of seed pods. The larger one is supporting quite a colorful colony of aphids. Click on the photo for a closer look, although readers who cultivate roses might want to demur. Personally, I would raise roses specifically to attract aphids. They are quite fascinating.