There is little question that the Monarch Butterfly is the royalty of Milkweed Manor. Nearly every discussion of the Milkweed gets around to mentioning this noble butterfly and its lifecycle link to this plant. Unfortunately, lesser occupants such as the Milkweed Tiger Moth and the Red Milkweed Beetle are often ignored as a result. Perhaps it is time to look over this overlook and see what we’ve been missing.

  The Milkweed Tiger pictured above is a member of the Tiger Moth family  Typical of their ilk, they are furry to the extreme and appear to lack a definable head end. They do have a head end, of course, and this can usually be defined as the part nearest the chewed portion of a leaf (here, is an exception to the rule).  This common species chews only on milkweeds and dogbanes. 

  As a milkweed eater, they ingest the cardiac glycosides found in the milky sap of these plants and use the chemical as a predator deterrent.  They try to avoid eating too much of the sap, however, because it gums up their chewing mouthparts (it contains a latex like rubber).

  When young, the Milkweed Tiger is a colonial beast – all the hatchlings stay together and feed together. During this early gregarious stage they carefully skeletonize the leaves and try to keep away from the sappy veins as much as possible. After their third molt, the tiger cubs head off on their own. Older larvae often deliberately cut the main vein, close to the stem, before dining in order to “bleed off” extra sap and make the leaf more palatable. During all this time they ingest just enough poison to keep themselves toxic.

  By the end of the summer these hairy little creatures will descend down into the leaf litter and weave themselves into a nice furry cocoon made up of body “hair” and silk. They will overwinter as pupae and emerge next year as rather plain looking moths.

  Red Milkweed Beetles, the other unappreciated members of milkweed society, are so named because they are (red milkweed eaters, that is). They claim lineage to a group of insects known as longhorn beetles. All members of this group have very long antennae – the so-called “horns” of their type – which emerge out of the forehead uncomfortably close to their eyes. The antennae base on these insects usually overlaps into the eye space, but those on the Milkweed beetle actually divide the eye into two separate parts! Given that there is plenty of room on the head capsule to put these things, it is not certain why this is so. The scientific name of this antennae-eyed creature is Tetraopes tetrophalmus which is Latin double-speak meaning “four eyes.”

  I invite you to pick up a Milkweed Beetle sometime. Hold the creature firmly in your fingers and hold it up close to your ear (see here).  You’ll hear the thing complain about its treatment with a series of raspy squeaks. As long as you maintain your grip they will keep up this mechanical response.  Properly translated, the beetles are probably requesting a return to their food plant and offering some kind of comment on your mother’s ancestry! 

  Milkweed Tiger Moth caterpillars will offer no commentary if similarly handled, but will roll up and attempt to drop to the ground.  Neither beast appreciates the attention – they apparently prefer being overlooked.