I have a butterfly question

This was my first year planting milk weed and it was recommended by a friend to attract butterflys i didn't know until i was here on this forum last night that they laid eggs on it and the catapillars ate it. My husband and i were out in the yard a while back and saw a monarch these are rare to my yard and we stand and stare when one actually comes here. It flew directly to the milk weed and i said guess its hungry and needs some fuel for its long trip. But today i was down at my little garden and all my milk was completely eaten up only the bare stalks left. I went looking for what had eaten it and found 3 of the same catapillars i saw here that were monarchs but sadly they were dead just hanging limp.
My question is could some have escaped and are chrysalis somewhere or did they all perish?
What killed them and can i prevent this from happening again?
How much milk weed do i need i have about 10 plants?
Will it survive the winters here in Georgia?

If you saw three, then there are surely more around. They can wander quite a ways off so look for chrysalids anywhere within 20 feet (to start).

Monarchs are pretty susceptible to diseases. Another possibility is that they didn't molt all the way. I lost one that way last night.

The more milkweed the better, but it's a vicious circle. More milkweed means more caterpillars but then you'll want more milkweed to feed those caterpillars, etc. But ten is a good number. I have four large ones and about a dozen smaller ones that came up from seed this past spring.

Not sure what kind of milkweed you have, but there are many kinds native to the east coast. I saw a bunch growing wild in WV this summer so I'm sure you can find some that will work for you. But as a Floridian I try not to tell anyone about winter time since I never actually experience it.

A number of things could have killed your monarch caterpillars...from pesticides to predators. Sometimes purchased plants have been sprayed - so unless you know for sure the place you are buying it from doesn't use chemicals I'd say grow them from seed or find another nursery.

Predators include all sorts of insects and critters...from spiders, wasps, assassin bugs to lizards and birds and felines etc.

Checking over your plants every day to several times a day to remove bad bugs might help. You could move them to a cage and to raise and release them.

Check around the eaves, walls and fence of your house for chrysalids. Or look around the surrounding plants.

Some chrysalids will overwinter.

As for how much milkweed you need...well, the more you plant they more they will come :o)

~ Cat

ps...nice photo of a Long-tailed Skipper - they use legumes as larval hosts. Blue Pea Vine, Lima Beans, Scarlet Runner Beans and others.

The Long-Tailed Skippers like my Cherokee Wax beans just fine, too! I guess they have good taste!

Melanie

...scribble scribble...am writing Cherokee Wax Beans to the seeds I need to get for my garden in the hopes of getting those dratted Long-tail Skippers to lay eggs!!! :o)

~ Cat

This message was edited Sep 16, 2008 7:56 PM

It's always good when you find a plant both you and the caterpillars enjoy!

Thank you i bought the milk weed seed from a organic catalog called bakers creek in MO.
They did very well and are or was about 2 foot tall and burgundy and yellow blooms will they survive the winter or do i need to replant next spring?? I already have fennel for the yellow & Black butterflys and thanks for the info on the Skipper i thought it was some sort of moth.
I have been trying to have things for the butterflys since they now spray our roadside and have killed the native butterfly weed and queen annes lace.