RHH's photos with the keyword: lygaeus

The Milkweed is the main food plant for the larvae of the Monarch Butterfly. Feeding on the toxic sap makes them and the Butterflies themselves distasteful to birds and other predators.

The Milkweed is the main food plant for the larvae of the Monarch Butterfly. Feeding on the toxic sap makes them and the Butterflies themselves distasteful to birds and other predators.

The Milkweed is the main food plant for the larvae of the Monarch Butterfly. Feeding on the toxic sap makes them and the Butterflies themselves distasteful to birds and other predators.

The Milkweed, in this case Asclepias syriaca, is the main food plant for the larvae of the Monarch Butterfly. Feeding on the toxic sap makes the larvae and the butterflies themselves distasteful to birds and other predators. The Milkweed Bugs feed on the seeds and are not considered harmful to the butterflies or their larva.

The insect is the Small Milkweed Bug, Lygaeus kalmii, and the flowers are one of the Buttercups, perhaps the Swamp Buttercup, Ranunculus orthorhynchus. The photo was taken near the Columbia River on a hike up Dog Mountain.