Spotted Spurge

I've been trying to identify a mystery and while doing so I saw pictures of spotted spurge, (Euphorbia maculata... oops...Chamaesyce maculata. Those crazy synonyms again. HA!). This is native to our area, even if not one of the most desired species. I've pulled plenty of it over the years.

Are there any bugs or critters that are interested in this plant? It seems anything that is deemed pest/noxious, all I find in the search hits are ways to get rid of it.

From the website Illinois Wildflowers:

"The nectar of the flowers attracts small bees, flower flies, and wasps. Some upland gamebirds eat the seeds, including the Mourning Dove and Greater Prairie Chicken. The milky juice of the foliage is somewhat toxic to mammalian herbivores, and so this plant is rarely eaten by them."

See http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/prostrate_spurge.htm

Birds eat the seeds, the milky sap sticks to feet and distributes seed also. 2' taproot possible- hosts fungi that attack crops as well as undesirable flying and crawling insects. Milksap purslane can cause digestive issues and if herd animals do consume, can cause death.
UCDavis isnt happy with the stuff, dont believe it hosts anything we want to protect...

Thanks for the info. I had to look up UCDavis, never heard of it.

If it is native bugs, then surely it has a use. Those bugs are consumed by other things. Some of my bug eating birds returned. I probably will still pull some of the plant, but do not need to be as aggressive about it.

I think I am rubbing off on the children, but they are going a little extreme. :) They were afraid to kill an ant that made its way into the house, yet they didn't want to take it outside because of the risk it wouldn't find its way back home.

Uh oh chillybean, chuckl, just mention it was going after their Easter crumbs they left in their beds... a place for everything- so we can have a place for ourselves- and everything to its place!