Any Butterfly Experts?

Got all excited yesterday, as my Asclepsias was literally covered with Monarch caterpillars, for the first time ever. I counted at least 6-7 on a medium-sized plant. Went out there today to take a pic of the caterpillars, and only two remained. Was quite disappointed and am wondering what happened? No chrysalis that I can see. Also noticed a third caterpillar on the ground, curled up like a grub. Alive, but very slow to react to touch. Anyone know what's going on? I thought they stayed on the milkweed plant, first feeding, then forming a chrysalis prior to emerging as a butterfly. I also thought that, aside from parasitic wasps, they really had no enemies. WHERE DID THEY GO????

I am no expert but I had a bunch of cats on a fennel plant and they too abruptly disappeared with no chrysalis' in sight. There is a bird feeder nearby and I am just guessing the birds liked the fresh meat. Note to self - do not plant butterfly hosts where you feed the birds.......

We had a speaker at our Gardening group last week from Cypress Gardens in Monks Corner which is a butterfly garden/habitat. He mentioned that they had had a problem this year with an increase in dragon flies which eat the caterpillars. Might be your problem.

I'm having a hard time picturing a dragon fly eating a caterpillar.

Core you outta see some of the ones in our yard! They come from the bog swamp and had I not seen them with my own eyes I would have thought Branden was exagerating! they are huge...wing span bigger than a hummingbird so I can def. see them eating some caterpillars!

Birds will eat them or at least try to before they realize they taste bad. Only 2% of Monarchs survive until adult. You can transfer them to a butterfly house and keep adding fresh milkweed to protect them.

This message was edited Sep 2, 2010 6:56 AM

...and remember, caterpillars start out very tiny and grow to the size we normally see. I have neighbors that protect plants with the baby monarch larvae. These foks have good eyes and they see the cats before they are even 1/4", then they drape row cover over the host plant to protect them from the birds.

I have some sort of cats eating my bush morning glory, yellow with black heads any one have a good web site to figure out what they are??? They're very small but eating like crazy.

Most caterpillars, including Monarchs, tend to wander just before making cocoons or a chrysalis. So its possible the caterpillars have formed chrysalises on a neighboring plant or structure. The one that was curled up, if full sized, should not be disturbed, since the monarch caterpillar typically attaches its tail end to the small pad of silk on spot where it wants to form a chrysalis, then hangs down in a J shape until it sheds its skin to become the pupa.
Parasites do get some caterpillars, I once had a tachnid fly larva come out of a monarch chrysalis (destroying its chance of becoming a butterfly) that I had in my classroom, it was kind of a bummer since the students were hoping to see a butterfly emerge, but they did learn something about mother nature. Plus we fed the tachnid fly pupa that formed right afterwards to a Venus Fly Trap :)

I have a lot of butterflies, both Monarchs and Cloudless Sulphurs, in my cottage rose gardens. They particularly love the Lantanas.

I read somewhere that they travel a bit away from their foodsource before they form a chrysalis.
I had black swallowtail cats on my parsley and dill on my screened back porch and they formed chrysalises away from the herbs.