Look closerInsects
Large milkweed bugs crowding milkweed seed pods in late summer
When: August to September
Late summer milkweed pods collect crowds of large milkweed bugs, adults and smaller nymphs packed together, wearing bright orange warning colors borrowed from the plant's own toxins.
Why this time of year
The crowding happens in the last half of summer, when the seed pods they feed on have formed, so August and September are the weeks to find a pod wearing a whole family of them.
How to notice it
- Find a milkweed patch with fat green pods; road edges and unmowed corners are good bets.
- Scan pods for clusters of orange-and-black bugs; look for the big adults and the smaller, rounder young stages side by side.
- They are piercing the pod to drink from the seeds inside, and the plant itself is not harmed.
- Compare their orange to a monarch's: both wear milkweed's warning colors.
Try this with kids: How many different sizes of milkweed bug can you count on one pod?
a nymph is a young insect that looks like a smaller, wingless version of the adult
Safety
- Fine to watch up close; the bugs are harmless to people.
Sources
- yardandgarden.extension.iastate.eduFinding milkweed bugs on milkweed seed pods in the last half of summer is not cause for alarm; milkweed bugs are harmless unless you are saving seeds to propagate; their bright colors serve as a warning to would-be predators, and the bugs accumulate toxins from the milkweed plant.
- mdc.mo.govSeveral large milkweed bug nymphs at various stages feed on a developing common milkweed pod; seen from July until the first hard freezes of fall; they generally do not damage milkweed plants very much; they sequester toxic chemicals from milkweed and their bright color warns predators that they taste bad.
- homegarden.cahnr.uconn.eduLarge milkweed bugs feed mid-late summer and migrate south at the end of the season; adults are bright orange-red and black; they do no significant harm to the plants; adults and nymphs appear together.
In the guide for August, September