Swamp Milkweed

Swamp Milkweed

Asclepias incarnate

So, now I'm halfway through, the last day of June.  I went out this morning before work and encountered mosquitoes, deerflies, and poison ivy, those three things that try to make my life miserable.  However, they were unsuccessful.  When I get dialed into a Fringed Loosestrife I don't feel the mosquitoes biting, or hear the deerflies buzzing, or scratch at my poison ivy.  All in all, this project has been a lot of fun and very interesting, in spite of all of the challenges.

The one thing I knew about, but didn't know what to do about, is the amount of time it takes, time that I could be out mowing the lawn or painting the barn, tasks that will have to wait.  I'm not all that fond of mowing or painting, so I don't feel too bad about not doing them, but it's starting to become a bit noticeable.  I suspect my wife will notice soon.

So far I've been able to keep up.  It's hard getting a new set of plant pictures every day.  I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to make it through about October, but after that I'm not so sure.  It's not just taking the pictures that takes time, but then they have to be loaded to the computer, sorted, photo-shopped, labelled and stored with appropriate comments for identification.  Oh yeah, first the plant has to be identified, a task that isn't always simple.

The hardest part, but the most rewarding, is figuring out something clever to say about the plant on the blog.  I'm sure some of you have noticed the variation in the commentary, ranging from a quick note to a more complex, researched article.  This all depends on how much time and creativity I have at the moment, along with whatever inspiration has hit me.

I'll keep this up through the end of the year, perhaps the last few months being pictures of twigs or leaves, but I'll get 'er done.

So, what about Swamp Milkweed?

Swamp Milkweed grows in swamps.  Amazing!  The nice thing about it is that it's the only Milkweed that you're likely to see in swampy areas in Indiana.  It's fairly common in wet areas and around lake edges.  It looks a bit like Common Milkweed, but has thinner leaves.  In fall, the pods are also thinner than Common Milkweed.



Note the leaves that are thinner than the Common Milkweed

Cool looking pods

Typical looking Milkweed flowers