Raising Monarch Butterflies and a chrysalis

So? How did all the Butterfly releasing and cocoon watching go ? any one , everyone ?
Snow covered here , at least three months or so before anything will happen here .

Well, all my cats have either crawled off to cocoon or have been eaten by lizards. I haven't found many cocoons about, but they are pretty good at hiding them in my garden. The one I found on my small palm tree looks like the butterfly made it out alright and I still need to check that one in the day lily bed. It's amazing how far from the milkweed plants these guys crawl off to cocoon. Next year I'm putting in a large patch of milkweed so I think I'll come up with some kind of enclosure to protect the cats from the lizards, I didn't realize they were a threat.

Om nom nom.

I did not have a single caterpillar.

Had about 8 monarch sightings beginning in September. One female appeared to lay eggs and I collected several, but none hatched. I found no cats on my plants either. I have not read anything about winter populations, but Dale over on the Daily picture thread said he'd seen more in TX this year than in recent past.

I brought in 8 tropical MWs in containers (and all of their yellow aphids!) and hope to take cuttings and start more plants that way. Took some time to get rid of the aphids (are they ever really gone?) but clipped the tops off some plants (were pretty sickly) and will see if any of those root.

The plants definitely prefer to be warm inside and receive as much sun as possible.

I am sending out free MW seeds to friends and family on FB to those who have expressed an interest. The postage will eat me up, so I'm trying to figure the safest way to ship without great expense.

I know it seems kind of silly to use a padded envelope for a few seeds that don't really seem that fragile.
I've never started the tropical milkweed from cuttings, I'll be interested to know if it works. The seed grows really easy and flowers first year though. I am still harvesting seed from last years' plants.
I'm going to try to start some early in the greenhouse this year. But if the icky aphids show up in there they will be banished to the out of doors!
Where do the aphids come from? I don't have aphids on any of my other plants.
Maybe they're like frogs and water bugs, which fall from the sky when you put in a pond.

Kind of like when it rains minnows or the black water shrimp krill that show up in a water container during hurricane season ,, Somethings only seem to be , because they happen .. lol ?

Wanted to add , probably the Oldest ,," Because it is that way ...."

This message was edited Dec 17, 2013 1:06 AM

Dee, I take a regular business size envelope and cut a folded piece o bubble wrap or that stuff that looks like a flexible styrofoam sheet to fit the envy. I then tape the seed packet or packets to the inside of the folded stuff. It goes for a regular Forever stamp. Im not recommending this for a lot of seed packets but for two or three, it works fine. The po likes the business size envelope and it is very light when sent this way.

Also, I root milk weed all the time by just sticking it in a pot of soil. It is much faster than seed and if I dont prune it my milk weed gets 6' tall. More branches mean more leaves so when you prune it you get more.

What kind of milkweed steadycam3? The tropical milkweed certainly doesn't get 6' tall, well I guess you are in Texas, LOL.
My "Hairy balls" got 6' tall. Can't say I'm a fan of huge milkweed, it's bad enough to have short plants with aphids but the tall ones . . . I brushed up against it with my hair and got totally grossed out. I'm so glad they have left so I can chop the plants down without having to deal with the sap and the aphids.

Im talking the regular bloodflower, orange with yellow centers. A lot of things get taller here where I live than it states on the usual info., especially years like this one where we got plenty of rain.

I dont mind the aphids because just as soon as they show up, the lady beetles are right behind. I like having the lady beetles so I tolerate the aphids.

I haven't tried cuttings before, but I am informed that they (A. curassavica/Bloodflower) root readily even in water. Of course, it would help to have healthy stock, but I don't have high hopes for these first cuttings. The plants after trimming are already sending out new growth, so I'm hopeful I'll be able to take more cuttings and try again before too long.

I dunno about the aphids. I have more parasite/pests indoors this season than I have ever seen. Scale on my citrus, aphids also on my oxalis plants ( but they are white not yellow), some kind of white cottony wooly worm on a staghorn fern given by a neighbor, spider mites on heirloom marigolds I just CAN'T lose. Cleaning plants will be my new hobby. Have stocked up on spray bottles, dawn detergent, rubbing alcohol, textured cotton pads, q-tips, etc. O what fun!

I don't spray before plants come in like some do. I don't like to kill beneficial insects, or anything, really. But as Dee notes, puling some creepy crawlies thru your hair is a real drag too. :D

I have found a little regular Listerine and a few drops of Ammonia deters many , clogs the spray bottle too ... Yes it kills cats ,, 8 to 14 days or so to clear .
Some Hydrogen peroxide is what most who use these home remedies use , or had in the past , only that can kill a plant also , trial & error time ..
I learned that (sort of) playing with plant disease ,,

Oops ,, the DE is what clogs the bottle . goof .

I haven't had the need to spray much in my garden. We don't get a lot of plant eating bugs like grasshoppers, mostly spiders and ants. We have so many lizards and birds that the bugs are kept under control. I love to watch the little finches dancing around in the flower garden after I have been out there weeding. They just love it when scratch things up for them. Now if I could just find some friendly snakes to keep the gophers away.

We had a rodent "problem" a couple of years ago. I let a lady friend know that we wanted garden snakes for our woodpile, and within a week we had some lovely black snakes. (She used to do pest control so lots of people call on her for critter control).

Seems I remember Giant gophers ,, cannot seem to find the pic this morning ..
Rodents live everywhere ,anyway , even those who do not have them,, do !!!

I was wondering ? Besides a early difficult ink ,as to counterfeiting , And the study of a few poisons .
What have Butterflies been used for ?
One of things , this morning ....

Interesting question, though it's not work I've studied...

Hi All. I haven't posted since September, but we ended up having a very successful year with the monarchs. Altogether I figure we had 100 go into chrysalis and I think most of them made it to butterflies. The last few were in November but it was too cold and they just hung there unable to turn into the chrysalis. (Next year I'll bring them inside.) It was so nice to see the butterflies in the yard from mid summer on, and in fact on sunny days there are still usually one or two. I wonder where they go when it rains and how they deal with the cold?

Overall it was a wonderful experience so I've turned two beds into mostly milkweed and nectar plants. I'm also researching the other local butterflies and planting for them. Plus I'm going to plant part of our slope that is now bare for the butterflies, bees, and hummers and put up a sign naming it Butterfly Hill. I'm hoping to have the milkweed much more established next year so it's not such a scramble to have enough.

As important as our success was, I'm also really pleased that since we shared chrysalises with neighbors (my husband glued them onto chop sticks) that five of them want to plant milkweed too. They were adults, but were like kids taking care of their little bundles and were thrilled to watch them emerge and fly around in their yards. Hopefully it will continue to spread to more and more houses and the area will be alive with monarchs! And, I can sell some of the 23 plants I bought since I won't need them all if mine are larger and more mature.

I want to thank you for answering my question early on and encouraging me. It was something I'd been wanting to do for a while but then got into succulents. I did see butterflies around them too, so hopefully they like some of the succulents flower's nectar as I have hundreds, with some in bloom almost year round. Now I'm focusing on both and it's so fun!

Cheers,
Annie

Thanks for all you did to help the Monarchs this year - educating our neighbors and friends is so important. Every little bit helps. It's got to!

Enjoy the holidays! I just watched Elf. :)
xo
A.

Annie,
I too am planting en mass milkweed this coming spring. I didn't get as many cats as I have in previous years, which makes me worry about our local Monarch population. I still have some extra curassavica, physocarpa (hairy balls), and fennel seeds if you would like some. I have seed from other Asclepias to grow next year too. What kind did you grow this year?
I'm also doing lots of nector plants for both the butterflies and the bees. Really excited about all that I plan on putting in this Spring. I had a pretty good butterfly garden this year, but next year it will be even better. I have several dozen scabiosa and berlandiera sprouted in my greenhouse, and they are just the first necter plants I'm starting from seed.

Zinnias and Tithonia are among the best nectar plants I've ever seen for all butterflies! And so easy - and it's amazing how the monarchs (all butterflies really) can find their host plants even in a dense, busy garden.

I don't have the space in the sun to start more, unless I turn over the entire front yard. I'm not sure how my BF or our LLs would feel about THAT.

Amanda, do you start the the zinnias in place in early Spring, or start them inside early and transplant? I have collected quite a few different ones from the Fall seed trades.

Dee, it sounds like you have enough space to direct sow.

My weeds are quite out of control so I have to place everything strategically. That's why I start zinnias either inside or late winter/early spring sow outside in containers or milkjugs so I can put each plant where I want it. Particularly because some areas of the yard don't get full Sun and I have to be sure they are spaced well enough apart to avoid powdery mildew.

Sure wish I had more room for a field of zinnias! :)

About the Zinnia , same here ,
Thing is I have never been any good at cleaning seeds from them ,
It is usually the big tray , and plucking and transplanting the little seedlings ..
I lose too many that way ,, just one of those things ..
Great nectar plant , everything loves them and great blooms too !!! can't beat that ... ^_^

My biggest problem is deer. I have several small fenced areas for nectar plants and then I'll put the milkweeds and the thistles in the pasture. I have a bunch of those old barrel stays I can use to mark where I've sowed seeds because as soon as I start watering the grass will come up too! I'll probably do a circle in the pasture, with a sprinkler in the middle. I have collected just a ton of milkweed seed, like 8 different types.
I've already got a few zinnias up and I'm babying them in the greenhouse. I think I'm going to start growing them in the gallon pots so I don't have to move all of them as seedlings. I have to gopher cage or pot all of the flowers, last year I tried to get delphiniums started and the gophers pulled them all underground. In order to save money on wire I'm potting most of the flowers in gallon pots and then just cutting the bottoms off and putting aviary wire over the bottoms. Then I'm sinking the whole pot in ground. So far I've done this with some hollyhocks and they seem to be thriving just fine. I'll just put the annuals in ground inbetween the perennials and they can take their chances with the gophers. I'm already winter sowing in my greenhouse. It's been warm here and unless we get a another cold snap this month it's probable the weather will stay above freezing.

Wow Dee, we do have to get creative to maintain our gardens!!!

Since my experience last Fall with Monarch cats rearing and release and the critical numbers in the Mexican overwintering site and the difficulty of finding good milkweed sources to feed the 18 I fostered after their small stand of milkweed was devoured, I have been determined to do what I can to increase the untainted # of milkweed plants in several areas and have as many waiting in the wings as I can manage.

None of the nurseries I contacted or went to carried milkweed. One that did could not assure me that they or their supplier had not been treated with anything that could harm the cats that consumed them. So I have been searching for a supplier for plugs and starter plants. I want plants this year in particular because every egg laid that lives to become the next generation increases the chance for a rebound in pop #s. Plants as a head start on edible milkweed production and surer than my seed sowing efforts!

I have found one wholesale grower that offers the plants I want but need to meet the $500 first order minimum to order from them. So far my orders total half of that. Would anyone here be interested in a flat of any of the milkweeds they offer? Prices do not include s/h.
A currasvaca/72 plants/ $51.84
A incarnata /50/ 57.50
A incarnata white flower /50/37,50
A syriaca/50/ 57.50
A tuberosa/50/ $57.50
A tuberosa/72/ 46.80
A verticilata /50/ $ 57.50

Of the list above which are easiest/hardest to establish? Any groups alredy doing this re Monarchs? My model is the Monarch Way Station of suggested # milkweed and nectar plants. Comments suggestions very welcomed! This is for multiple sites along my paper route not just one garden

I am growing from seed and have extra if you want to try that.. Seems like a lot of money to put out for the plants, especially if you can't find someone or two to go in with you. I have grown A. currassavica and A. physocarpa from seed and both establish adult perennial plants in one season. I have LOTS of A curassavica seed and lots of other seeds I have collected from plant trades this year I would share with you for postage. I have fresh seed for these Asclepias: syriaca, tuberosa, incarnata, physocarpa (hairy balls), physocarpa (tennis balls), speciosa, variegata (white milkweed), and curassavica (mexican). Put your money into a heat mat, a light fixture and some plastic pots!

They (curassavica) root so easily from cuttings that I would never spend that much money for starts. I have paid $15 for a 3 gallon full plant to feed my cats but then I trim and root all the cuttings after they have finished.

Dee, Good to know A currasavica and A physocarpa will reach maturity in one season. Thanks

Steadycam, Since you feed your cats A currasavica can you give me some fram of reference for how many cats you can raise per plant? Also, I am familiar with the ease of rooting cuttings but the cuttings I rooted from the tops of the almost totally consumed plants did not produce new leaves fast enough to keep up with demand. It also seemed that noticable munching of the leaves to almost complete consumption was about 3 days!

To anyone, If the cuttings I have or the seeds I collected from A currasavica contained any substances that might be harmful to Monarchs because of how they were treated before they reached my hands how safe would you consider them to be?

Since OE disease is a threat to Monarchs do you think 'wild collected' seed could carry it to the plant it grows into. I know strict sanitation but not how it applies to seeds,

Thanks, Judy

I haven't a clue. If it was me I'd figure two per plant as that's how many I have left on one plant and not had them completely defoliate it before wandering off to cocoon. I haven't seen evidence of OE in any of my monarchs so far. And I would gladly send you seed, and lots of it!

I think you're probably pretty safe buying plants, although I understand the concern. Most nurseries don't use folage sprays unless necessary, I mean it cost to spray plants with pesticide and it is more cost effective to feed plants with slow release fertilizer in the soil.

I'm just starting my milkweed and I have no doubt they will be up and large enough to feed on when the monarchs get here. Then of course most of them will just go dorment and come back on their own from then on, that will be nice. I have some good A. curassavica that overwintered and is leafing out now. Even one that is blooming, weird weather here.

Coleup, I brought in 6 eggs and the freeze was coming that night. I brought in 6 A. currs. that were trying to leaf out after rearing 10 other cats outdoors. The tiny cats dont eat much but in about a week I went to a nursery and bought two more pots oc A.c. One was full the other only about half full of foliage. The cats were getting bigger so they ate those in 2 days. I had to go to a different nursery because the original nursery, I got the last 2 they had. I got a large full 3 gal. A.c. about 2 ft high and the cats finished up on it. They used only about a third of it before pupating. I find it hard to gauge how much they ate since it was so hodge-podge. I had never done this before so just winged it.

You are correct that the milkweeds wont come back fast enough to feed the same crop of cats. I envision having enough plants to have some growing back while using another batch to feed and then switching them out. I probably have 50 cuttings rooting now and as it warms up these will leaf out well. It's reassuring to me to know I can go buy a pot full if I run out of food.

Coleup if you still want to buy plants let me know. I'm a bit of a lazy gardener and prefer plants to seeds.

Also coleup, did you try monarch watch.org? They sell milkweed, I believe.

I haven't heard from coleup, maybe computor trouble?
Dee

I did check Monarch Watch Milkweed Market Place.. They offer 3 kinds for my area for $60.90 per flat (32 plants) delivered. I like that the plants are grown from seeds from each area.

So far about 15 of us are ordering 8 flats of milkweed and are possibly ordering several flats of nectar plants (species aster and goldenrod) as well. We will do 4+ Monarch Waystations and a half mile strip of community right of way. One woman is designating about a half acre to a milkweed 'farm' in addition to her huge butterfly garden area. May also do a weekly Farmers Market. We get our plants the end of March. Any seeds we start are bonus and good practice and backup.

This is a big undertaking, but the energy seems to be there to do this. Mostly we only get Monarchs here as part of fall migration so that is a ways off.

Coleup, Is it too late to add on to your order you mentioned?

Dee, you have dmail!

Steadycam, tell me what you are interested in and send me yyour zipcode and I will get a quote for you for s&h.
Min is one full flat as priced above. Most milkweeds available 3/31. verticilata not until 5/26
Syriaca and currasavaca limited quantities.

What did you have in mind?

My zip is 77008-2342 and I would want a flat of tuberosa or incarnata or a mixed flat of the two.