All in One

About a month ago I worked for a few weeks as an outdoor educator taking kids fishing and helping them learn about fresh and saltwater ecosystems of the mid-Atlantic. A great job, indeed. I was out for about eight hours a day doing everything from putting worms on hooks and re-stringing fishing line to pointing out bird species and any other type of wildlife we spotted. On one fishing adventure with my group, on the edge of a large pond, I spied a lone milkweed plant. That plant was teaming with life. The milkweed had a monarch caterpillar climbing about its leaves. The monarch seems to me a celebrated butterfly but it is rare that I find one. I was managing a group of about 12 pre-teens and we all took note of the caterpillar, its’ beauty and what it would one day become. Most of the kids I was with were fully versed in the life cycle of a butterfly because I think it is covered as part of the third or fourth grade science curriculum in the schools where I live. It was especially cool, however, for them to see something they had learned about in the classroom out in nature.

Upon further inspection the monarch caterpillar was not alone on the milkweed plant that day. Below is a picture of other critters calling the plant home. I have no idea what they are but at the time I thought they were insect eggs or mites of some kind. An internet search has also left me without answers. That’s okay though because the kids came up with their own ideas. Some thought the little orange ovals were caterpillar poop while others thought they were larvae of some other insect.

Another inhabitant of the milkweed looks much more sinister especially when I zoom in on it. I still do not know the scientific name for the spider shown below but I believe it is a type of jumping spider. It remained motionless, patiently awaiting its’ next prey, as we peered down into its’ world. As you can tell from the photo the spider has made itself at home, the makings of a web in the background. If you look carefully at the lower right hand part of the picture it appears that the leaf has been chewed up most likely from our friend the monarch caterpillar. Does the spider prey on newly hatched monarchs? I am not sure but there are remnants of a meal still hanging out in his web.

What a great find for the kids and I. A single plant that was home to so much life. Just imagine how much life there is on a plant twice this size or on a tree I asked the kids as they wondered before wandering off.