If all the leaves on my milkweed plants have been eaten away, what can I do to grow more leaves?

Plants do grow new leaves (if given a chance) because the roots are still there.

Add more milkweed plants? Protect the ones you have while they recover?

I want regrow leaves immediately. Is the only solution a butterfly net to keep the Monarchs out until the plant grows new leaves or is there a better way?

Nothing regrows immediately

Thanks, Kittrina

The more you feed the Monarchs, the faster you run out of food and they just keep coming. I know I have heard folks have tried leaves from other milkweeds on them, BUT I do not have Monarchs and never had that problem, and do not know how that works. @purpleinopp

kittriana said: Add more milkweed plants?

Nothing wrong in planting more varieties...

Years ago, I planted a lot of asclepias tuberosa seed, and the voles killed the entire patch.

I planted the common milkweed, and the monarchs don't seem to like it.

I tried the tropical milkweed and it's just too dry here.

I'm actually having some success with matelea... and it's real pretty...

So... I want to see some pictures...
Last year, the pipevine caterpillars reduced the patch of variegated pipevine to bare stems... it came back fine.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/pl...

Thanks for inviting me, Kat. : ) I don't have much to add. It's not unusual to have caterpillars eat everything if you just have 1 plant, or a dozen.

@purpleinopp I was hoping you might have solutions to her getting milkweed from somewhere, chuckl.

In my experience, the local butterflies want the local milkweed. The rest just make the garden prettier.

As said, Existing plants will regrow as best they can with care. But you can't do much to speed it up.
Monarchs here will eat plenty of tropical milkweed.

Have you seen those mesh, collapsible laundry baskets? (Sometimes they're called pop-up hampers). They're often available at discount and dollar stores. You could turn one of those upside down over the plant you want to recover, and weigh the handles down with stones or bricks. A little fertilizer / compost may help as well.

If you have native milkweed plants, you'll soon discover their roots go down to China and the plants will easily spread.
I'm not familiar with other types of milkweed, but we always loved the pods and learned that goldfinches use the fluffy part of milkweed seeds when the pods open to line their nests.
So it seems that these plants serve many needs in nature.

I see this like feeding people:

If they eat all the veggies you have and you still have more people coming, then you don't have enough veggies.

If the creatures are eating all nilkweed leaves and there are still creatures to feed, then plant more milkweed.

Or you allow nature to follow its course and allow some Monarchs to die, there is a chance that if there isn't enough to feed them, there may not be enough to support them later on as generations come.