Gone to Seed

At the end of its season, the milkweed distributes the produce of its summer labor – the potential milkweed crop of next season.

I snapped this image on a recent trip to the woods in my area. I was out to capture some fall color and this milkweed caught my eye. I found it on the edge of the woods, as I was leaving.   The fine fibers of the seeds were slowly undulating in the light breeze.  It may not be as exciting as brightly colored leaves, but I thought it was a very cool, and beautiful, view of nature.

The milkweed, is an American genus of herbaceous perennial, dicotyledonous plants that contains over 140 known species. Milkweed is an important plant because so many species of insects depend on it. For example, monarch butterflies, milkweed bugs, and milkweed leaf beetles only eat milkweed, and could not survive without it.

You can get a better look at the details in this image by clicking on the photo.  A larger version will open in a new browser tab.

All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.