I know I have shouted the message before, but we NNNNEEEEEEEED TO INFORM our communities about their decline! I raised 50 from egg last year, 48 made it, tagged and I release for mexico.


PLANTS MILKWEED, spread the word, don't let our silence be their demise!

Is this the thread where we post pictures of Monarchs on our faces?




Plant milkweed! Monarchs are super fun and friendly!

Good percentage of surviving Monarchs! Congrats!

I have a friend who helps the cause by raising monarchs and is spreading the word. She gave me a dozen milkweed plants for my garden so I am hoping they do well and that the monarchs lay their eggs on them this year.

It would be a terrible thing to lose such a beautiful butterfly!

I watched a Monarch lay eggs on a milkweed yesterday. Unfortunately this plant self seeded right under a bird feeder so the birds will be on the look out for cats, I'll have to do something quickly. Can I remove the leaves with the eggs and put them in a shoe box? Also, I didn't see any water in your boxes, do the leaves provide enough moisture? Then there is your photo of the chrysalises, what do you have the pins stuck in and is that something else you put in the shoebox? Help........

Yes,you can take the leaves with the eggs and and lay them on a wet paper towel to keep the leaves from drying out.
This should be done in a container with a net cover to keep the eggs safe, predators can get to them even in the house.
When the eggs hatch in five days to a week from when they were laid, put the leaves on a dry towel and put some milkweed leaves close to the old leaves. The cats will move from the old leaves to the new ones and begin to eat.

I am sorry I have to leave now for work, but I will tell you more, later when I come back,
Thank you for doing a good thing, and good luck.

Yea, be mindful of the caterpillar frass on wet leavee. I'll ,ale video logs when I see ours.


https://www.learner.org/jnorth...

very useful link!

Also, look at
https://youtu.be/_I5F4AHyQHs


He'd great, learn from him

Auto correct makes me look illiterate....



I'll make video logs on my process


Save milkweed plants. Look for them before you do yard work

Those are very nice links Brenden, and there are many ways to do the job.
This is the way I prefer because it makes it easy.
After the cats start to eat, they will will poop little pellets called frass, these have to be cleaned out of the box everyday.
Since the box is lined with paper it makes it easy to clean, it just rolls off, and you can add a new paper if needed.
You don't need to give them water because the leaves contain enough moisture for them.
Just give them a few leaves everyday as they need it.
I will talk about it more later.

Josephine, I follow your advice and always overwinter my milkweed in the garage so it is ready in the spring.You do amazing deeds!

Yea, the only roadblock I have found, is I CANNOT germinate milkweed for my life!

I've done almost 500 seeds now, some from my field, and most fro live monarch.com


I can't believe it...

When your a blonde, life is tilted a bit I guess haha

Wild milkweed seeds are very difficult, not only to germinate but also to get them to grow in the garden.
But Tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica is easy and that is the one I use the most,
http://garden.org/ideas/view/f...
Also Milkweed Vine, Funastrum cynanchoides does well for me, and that is plentiful once you get going,
I used the vine to raise the 36 monarchs.
http://garden.org/ideas/view/f...

I was able to save 3, maybe 4, eggs and one very tiny (1/4") cat who is trying to escape the shoe box. I just caught it way up on the side of the plastic.

Good job! I suppose you have a net cover on the box right? Otherwise they will escape.

frostweed said:Wild milkweed seeds are very difficult, not only to germinate but also to get them to grow in the garden.
But Tropical milkweed, Asclepias curassavica is easy and that is the one I use the most,
http://garden.org/ideas/view/f...
Also Milkweed Vine, Funastrum cynanchoides does well for me, and that is plentiful once you get going,
I used the vine to raise the 36 monarchs.
http://garden.org/ideas/view/f...

How fast could you send me some ? Serious question.

Yes, I cut the middle out of a shoe box lid and and am using it to clamp down a piece of cheesecloth.
The little cat, if that is what I have, is a character, I keep finding it on the side of the box and it can really move pretty fast. This may not even be a Monarch cat, but I did find it in the right place. I had just misted the box, hence the water droplets.

Also, a trick. If you find a female, catch her, and leave her on a monarch plant that is enclosed. That guy I the video did, and there were at least 40 eggs!
Release her afterwards of course..

You are doing a great job Alice The little cat different from a monarch, but it could be that it is very tiny.
Is he eating the milkweed? If so it probably is a monarch, just wait and see, they grow fast.

Brenden I am sorry but I have no seed for them at this time, maybe this fall?