Hare don't care! Consumption of a rare, desert milkweed containing phytochemicals by the black-tailed jackrabbit

Abstract We recorded video providing the first conclusive evidence that the black-tailed jackrabbit ( Lepus californicus ) consumes Mojave milkweed ( Asclepias nyctaginifolia ) containing phytochemicals in the Ivanpah Valley, Mojave Desert, California, USA. We discuss possible chemical and biological interactions between the black-tailed jackrabbit and Mojave milkweed. We explore potential ecological effects of black-tailed jackrabbit herbivory on Mojave milkweed, including competition with the monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ) and its close relative the queen butterfly ( Danaus gilippus ), and how these ecological interactions may be affected by anthropogenic land-use and land-cover change in arid environments of the western United States.