Raising Monarchs

[Mmathis]

@CountryEscape BUT, the caterpillars are very different, and what you have does look like a monarch caterpillar. What I read said the viceroy would look like a stick.....

 

[JBtheExplorer]

@CountryEscape BUT, the caterpillars are very different, and what you have does look like a monarch caterpillar. What I read said the viceroy would look like a stick.....

I agree, the caterpillar is a Monarch, the butterfly is a Viceroy. I can hardly tell viceroys and monarchs apart. If they're smaller than normal I assume they're Viceroys, but never really know unless they happen to land close enough for me to see their markings. And then you have the Queen Butterfly which slightly resembles Monarchs, and the caterpillar looks a lot like a Monarch caterpillar, too.

Thanks, JB, I didn't know that. I'm still trying to decide if I want a true wild flower garden, or just put extras in that space, and mulch it so grass and weeds don't grow. Not sure the seeds would come up if I mulched it

It can be tough to commit to it, I agree. When I first decided to add native plants I still would find interesting non-natives and add them too. Last year I finally decided to commit to native-only plants, and I have to say, now that I've started my native plant project, I might never add anything but native plants again. I've become just a little bit addicted to it. I've still got another year before the majority of my plants flower, but the color I'm already seeing has been great and I'm really looking forward to seeing it next year.

I'm not really sure how the seedlings will do with mulch. I chose to only thinly mulch mine, too thin to prevent weeds but helps hold in moisture. The seedlings had no problem popping up through it, but it's so thin that it hardly covers the dirt. From now on I'll be using the plant remains as a natural mulch after each winter.

 

[CountryEscape]

Good idea, JB, with the thin layer of mulch. I have grass that grows in there, need to dig it out, bad types of grass. I've been able to pull most weeds this year because of all the water. I think I'm going to go to work early, and dig up a really nice bunch of orange milkweed I spotted yesterday, and maybe a light pink phlox also found. I think that's what the pink is anyhow. Will have to bring the buckets of plants into the office, though, so they don't cook outside. Or, will do it after work. Just trying to save on gas, as the plants are about 10 miles from my house, and I'm cheap. LOL

 

[CountryEscape]

Also, the Viceroy doesn't lay eggs on the milkweed, the host plant is the poplar or willow, so no worries getting the caterpillars mixed up with them. Now, I've never seen a Queen Butterfly, so had to look that one up! They are much darker, not as many lines and spots than the monarch. They do, however, use the milkweed, and their caterpillar is very similar! Here they are:

 

[CountryEscape]

So, above on my flower is the Viceroy, and then I posted the pics of the Monarch and Viceroy to show the difference in them. Here's a cool pic of the monarch butterfly caterpillar from infant to full grown, compared side by side with the Queen Butterfly caterpillar (right pic).

 

[CountryEscape]

Found two more caterpillars on milkweed this morning. The first one is about the same size as the babies I have had since last Friday. The second pic is a newborn, so it will take a little longer to mature than the rest of them. Still have 6 of the original 7, so now a total of 8. Woohoo!!!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Found a pair of monarch caterpillars on a swamp milkweed in the woods today.

 

[Mmathis]

@JBtheExplorer I'm jealous! Mine aren't blooming yet. I hope they bloom this season, but I can be patient if they want to wait an extra year...because I don't have a choice, do I...?

Those are lovely blooms and I can see a little 'pillar in there!

 

[Mmathis]

Found two more caterpillars on milkweed this morning. The first one is about the same size as the babies I have had since last Friday. The second pic is a newborn, so it will take a little longer to mature than the rest of them. Still have 6 of the original 7, so now a total of 8. Woohoo!!!
View attachment 83688 View attachment 83689

Like, like, like, like!!!!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I saw a Monarch interested in my native plant garden today. Unfortunately, it didn't stop at the milkweeds, but it was the first one I've seen by the garden, so that was great!

For anyone interested, Here's half of my main native plant garden. As you can see, it has a long way to go. Ignore the chicken wire cages (had to protect some of the plants during rabbit attacks), and imagine black-eyed susans, gray-headed coneflowers, purple prairie clover, common milkweed, swamp milkweed, dogbane, blue-eyed grass, and purple coneflowers where all the empty spaces are. It should be bursting with color next year!

and here's a video of it, too, showing the whole thing. The new section is mostly empty and will take another two years before it's established. I also have 3' x 3' native gardens under 4 of my birdhouses.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

@JBtheExplorerMine aren't blooming yet. I hope they bloom this season, but I can be patient if they want to wait an extra year...

How tall are they? and if you get a chance, carefully pull back the top leaves and see if you can see a small cluster forming.

 

[CountryEscape]

Awww, JB,how nice of that bumblebee to stop and pose for you! Is that liatris (the purple spiked flower)? That's what I call it, but I think others have a different maybe more common name. I bought some of them in I think bulb form first year I had my pond, and it's grown and been divided many times, and I've shared it with lots of people, too! Love how it keeps giving and giving! And, it's so sturdy and tall, great backdrop for so many other flowers.
LOVE your orange milkweed! It's exactly what I dug up, and checked my plants this morning, and they are doing well. Watered them in good.

 

[CountryEscape]

MM, were your swamp milkweeds grown from seed, or did someone give you a plant? I got mine that were grown from seeds, so they were small seedlings last spring. This year they have really grown!
Here are the "babies" as of today! I took a few "group" photos, then the rest are each of the individual babies, the two smallest were hanging out together. There are 8 of them! Four babies in this pic. You can see the size difference in the one on the left and the one next to it. Leaves are wilting much faster now that the caterpillars are growing up. Had to change them yesterday and today! I don't mind, new leaves are just a few steps away.

OK, now the individual photos! You can count each caterpillar in each pic, and then the last pic has two, the tiniest one, and the next smallest. I guess they wanted to hang out together.

This next guy was "poopy" ...literally. He fell off his leaf onto the saran wrap on the glass, and it had wet poop on it. He kept rolling over and over, so I finally put it down on the paper towels for a while. He was "rearing up" and you can see the black slimy stuff on him. Poor guy ...

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Awww, JB,how nice of that bumblebee to stop and pose for you! Is that liatris (the purple spiked flower)?

Yes, that's Liatris, often called Blazing Star. Bumble Bees love it. I've seen a few Hummingbirds at it, too.

 

[CountryEscape]

I transplanted 2 of my 4 swamp milkweeds to the wildflower garden area. Also moved a Rose Mallow plant and Fern Leaf Pansy that a friend grew from seeds and gave to me. Plus, put some starts of Blanket flower out there, that came up from seeds. And, I planted the 3 new cone flower plants, as they seem to be multi-colored blooms as the flowers mature. Should be fun next year!