Fish Lake Trail

As the ride continued down this beautiful little bike path, I stumbled upon a nice patch of milkweed on a steep ridge beneath a stand of lodgepole pines. I still can't find any rhyme or reason to where the milkweed grows. Although the plants seem to like this sunny hillside, water does not seem abundant on this side of the trail. There is some sort of marshy area on the other side, however-- does the milkweed stretch its roots all the way over there? I wonder if the milkweed forms mycelial networks with the roots of other plants, like the pine trees and shrubs along the trail. Milkweed, who are your friends?

--Caracol