Weeds - Milkweed, Bugs and Butterflies

Weeds, generally, are a plant that gardeners pull out of their gardens and plantings. Weeds are, by definition, a "...wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants...". I'm not so sure I consider the area behind my store's back door to be "cultivated", but I do have "weeds" that I encourage, and others that I pull out. I pull out the large dock plants that grow to 3-4 feet high, spread 30,000 or more seeds over the area each year, and can wait up to ten years to germinate. They're rather obnoxious and the last thing I need is another allergen. 

Milkweed has these characteristic pink puffball blooms and
large smooth-edged spade-like leaves, growing off a
single large stem. Once I cleared away the other weeds, my
milkweed grew quickly. 

There is one weed that I actively encourage, however. (If I encourage a weed to grow, does that make it a cultivated plant and not a weed at all?) That weed is milkweed, and I encourage it because it is beloved by butterflies and bees - two flying critters that we need for flowers and pollination. I have a good crop of milkweed growing next to my backdoor at the shop, and last week I cleared away a lot of the junk weeds to allow my milkweeds more space and more sunlight. They're thriving now. 

This is my ooky red bug and it makes me shiver a
little bit, even in virtual form. It's segmented so
it might be a type of beetle, but I'm really not sure.
It's big, it's red and it's scary! 

One thing I've noticed about the milkweed, though, are these red beetles. They're rather ooky. They're actually big, approximately one inch or close to 2.5 cm in length. They freak me out a bit - maybe because of the color. In nature, often the bright colors are signals of poison or other noxious elements in something that would otherwise be a feast for a bird or a critter. 

I thought my bug might be a milkweed bug, like these two, but
I didn't see the characteristic X on the back of my bug, and I don't
think my bug can fly either. Milkweed bugs can fly - EEEK! 

Still, if the butterflies and bees enjoy my milkweed, I guess I can live with the ooky bugs too. I'd like to get rid of the last of the large dock plants, but I have to get past the red bugs to get to them. Do you think the dock plants have hired the red bugs to act as their weedy body guards? I suppose anything is possible - LOL. 

I love butterflies, and if they love milkweed and this particular weed
helps them, I'm all for growing it behind my shop. I may as well allow
some minimal cultivation of a weed for the sake of a bit more
beauty in the world. 

We're under heat advisory today with high actual temperatures making the day feel like more than 100 F degrees. That would be ok - hot but ok - except we're also having some high humidity. Sauna here we come! Have an excellent Friday, I'll be back tomorrow. If you know anything about my ooky red bugs, please let me know.