The process of getting the pollen to the right location is improbable. Imagine a saddlebag consisting of pollen grains Botanists define this as a "Pollinium." Moving these "saddlebags" from flower to flower after getting caught on the legs of bees and wasps is how pollination occurs. The Pollen is a little different from other flowers. The complicated center of the flower contain the Anthers, Ovaries, Stigma and other parts. The petals are some distance away from the reproductive parts of the plant and are what Botanists call "reflexed down". There are five Sepals and five petals that are parallel to the reproductive parts of the flower. These hoods contain the nectar that attracts the pollinators. These hoods are the fused Stamens (Male Sexual Organs) of the flower. If you take the time, you will see five hoods and five horns surrounding the center of the flower. These flowers are minuscule - about 1 centimeter - small enough that I had a hard time capturing them even with a macro lens. The individual flowers are clustered in a ball shape (up to five inches in circumference) containing up to fifty flowers. Female Milkweed bugs may deposit eggs on the stem and roots after the foliage is gone and this larvae will emerge in the Spring 2. After the flowers and leaves have died back in the Fall, Spring rains will signal the plant to re-sprout yet again. This plant produces more nectar, seeds and pollen than it could ever use to the benefit of the environmental niche the plant occupies. Surprisingly - one of the larger wasps you will see in the Santa Monica Mountains - is a Milkweed aficionado known as the Tarantula Hawk. The Large Milkweed bug - Oncopeltus fasciatus - feed on the seeds and sap while the Cobalt Milkweed Beetle - Chrysochus cobaltinus feed on the leaves. Consuming any part of the plant causes vomiting or worse and so makes those creatures that can consume the plant unpalatable to many predators. The plant contains a chemical - cardiac glycoside - which is toxic to many living creatures. Monarch Butterflies lay their eggs on the plant, the larvae eat the leaves, grow into caterpillars before transforming into Butterflies. Most of us think Monarch Butterfly when we hear the name Milkweed and for good reason. Cool fact - the flowers are continuously replenished with nectar while the flower is viable. Wasps, Butterflies,Bees, Beetles, Ants, Aphids and so on are attracted to the Sucrose rich (3%) 1 nectar. The plants are a hotbed of insect activity. Leaves are long and narrow (up to five inches) and form a whorl (spiral) around the 12 inch to 36-inch tall stem. Narrow Leaved Milkweed - Asclepias fascicularis a perennial, is one of four species of Milkweed found in the Santa Monica Mountains, grows in grassland habitats and flowers from late May into the first days of Fall.
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