Milkweed, Praying Mantis and Aphids

 



Milkweed, Praying Mantis and Aphids.

 

Four generations of my family celebrated Mother's Day together today. My grandaughters cooked their Mum and me a late breakfast then we went down to the creek so the little ones could play in the clean, fresh sand left by the floods. It was too cold to swim but they enjoyed the sand and plopping rocks. The bigger ones skipped their stones across the water and had fun taking photographs with grandma's camera.  While they played I discovered this miniture "city" on a milkweed growing by the water's edge.



Milkweed also known as Mexican Butterfly Weed

 These wildflowers are the food plant for the caterpillar of the Monarch Butterfly but today there were no butterflies only millions of the bright yellow Oleander Aphids. 

The aphids produse their babies live and all these little fellows were gathered along the main stem.  Those with wings were out on the leaves. 


Yellow wingless aphids onthe stems
Winged aphids under the leaves

 

I have always loved these beautiful little flowers.  They look like dancers in yellow headdress with swirling red skirts.  The buds are like miniture balloons and reveal nothing of the yellow centre hidden beneath their red cloak.



Miniture ballerinas



Ladybirds or ladybugs like to feast on the aphids but they too were absent today but a little wasp and a praying mantis were visiting.  I wonder if they feast on these tiny little yellow creatures.  I know the ants like to suck the honey dew they excrete and that the honey dew also encourages a black mould on plants.  The milk weed seems to be handling the infestation of aphids better than my garden plants would.  



The poser



Once this praying mantis realized the big eye of my camera was on him he would move and pose, move and pose.  I loved this shot of him staring straight down the camera lens and the little buds...you can almost see through them.  Don't forget to visit Today's Flowers   and enjoy other flowers from around the world.