Raising Monarchs

[JBtheExplorer]

The second Monarch emerged but fell from its chrysalis. I got it hanging on a stick within seconds, but unfortunately, it couldn't fully inflate its wings. It will not be able to fly and will not last long in the wild. It also appears that one of its legs does not work properly, which is probably why it fell.

 

[Mmathis]

Guys, this is sooooo cool! Thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures!

My trials with growing milkweed ended in disaster last year and I didn't have the energy to try again. I was growing swamp milkweed in my turtle-bog and was overwhelmed by those little orange aphid things. I've since read that other species are less prone to insect attacks, so maybe next year

Now, I did save a few small plants from the turtle-bog and tucked them in the pond as marginals. I spread them out so they're not grouped, hoping they would fare better against pests. They are still growing and so far, no pests, so maybe.....

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Guys, this is sooooo cool! Thank you for sharing these wonderful pictures!

My trials with growing milkweed ended in disaster last year and I didn't have the energy to try again. I was growing swamp milkweed in my turtle-bog and was overwhelmed by those little orange aphid things. I've since read that other species are less prone to insect attacks, so maybe next year

Now, I did save a few small plants from the turtle-bog and tucked them in the pond as marginals. I spread them out so they're not grouped, hoping they would fare better against pests. They are still growing and so far, no pests, so maybe.....

I've got oleander aphids on many of my milkweeds this year, but they're not having any effect on their health so I've left them on. You can remove them with a strong spray of water or just rub your finger down the stem. They're so soft that touching them usually instantly kills them. Once they fall off they won't get back on. Regardless, you shouldn't consider it a disaster, as Monarchs are not the only insect that needs milkweed to survive. Milkweed Bugs, Milkweed Beetles, Milkweed Leaf Beetles, Tussock Moths, and even Oleander Aphids survive thanks to Milkweed!


I released another healthy female Monarch today.

The male from yesterday who wasn't able to properly inflate his wings is still in the garden. He's moved from flower to flower. Sometimes he tries to fly but doesn't go anywhere.

 

[CountryEscape]

Great photos, JB!
MMathis, I had aphids TERRIBLE last year on my swamp milkweed. BTW, you don't have to grow it in the water, it can easily grow in the ground, too. I have never had aphids bad on my common milkweed. I've got seeds from both of those, if you would like to try growing the common. Hint: The seeds need to be cold stratified on both of these. I.E., you need to put them through "winter" to get them to sprout. So, you can either put them in the ground/under mulch or thin layer of dirt this fall, or put them in your fridge or freezer for a month or so then plant them in the spring. Last fall, I took a whole common milkweed pod and put all the seeds from it under the mulch, just to see what happened. OMG, I must have had at least 50 plants sprout! So, I know THAT works! I also have some tropical butterfly weed and orange and yellow butterfly weed, but no seeds from those so far .... hoping they all produce seeds eventually. Time will tell.
I'm seeing lots of monarch butterflies, but so far only the one baby cat and she was released last week. Nothing since then. Last year I raised 42 monarchs to be released, this year it appears I'll be doing good to have 5. Very sad!!! But, my wild flower area I'm creating is bringing in tons of swallowtails. Next year I'm concentrating on their host plants. Although I planted dill, parsley, and fennel, the weeds overtook them, so not much there for host plants. I'll designate a large area for that next year. I bought a couple variegated willow bushes, and that's another host plant, so will see if they survive and what I get on them next year. I'm loving how things have turned out, but need to get control of the grass and weeds better next year. In time, I hope these large areas self seed and the flowers outnumber the grass and weeds. It will take a few years, but I love working on it!!!

 

[Mmathis]

@JBtheExplorer @CountryEscape Thanks to both for the encouragement!

I was primarily growing the swamp version as a bog plant in my turtle bog. They grew like weeds [pun not really intended] -- the bog environment was good for them. And by the time they were covered with the oleander aphids, it was overwhelming as there were so many plants and so many bugs and on every surface of the plant. The aphids were so bad that the plants went downhill fast, and I panicked. I actually never considered removing the aphids by hand, but again, there were so many...... I'll try again next year, and try again with different varieties, as well. CE I might take you up on the offer -- let me think about it. I have never been good at growing things from seed, and might do better if I can order some seedlings or established plants in the spring.

Oh, and I learned a good lesson regarding environmental balance from this. The milkweed was growing in the turtle-bog. At some point during the summer, I had a major ant problem [they were carpenter ants] in the turtle habitat, mostly caused because I was using lots and lots of dead tree limbs [etc] to make the habitat as natural for the turtles as possible and so the dead wood would host insects that the turtles could snack on....also the perfect environment for the ants. The ants were so bad that I couldn't put out turtle food as the ants would attack the turtles [initially I thought they were fire ants, but weren't]. I put out baits for the ants and cleared out the wood. Problem solved [more or less]. Then I learned that carpenter ants are a major predator of oleander aphids...... I'll never know for sure, but will always wonder if my eliminating the ants contributed to the aphid problem.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

@JBtheExplorer @CountryEscapeI actually never considered removing the aphids by hand, but again, there were so many...... I'll try again next year, and try again with different varieties, as well.

Just remember, even if the foliage looks unhealthy, it's not dying. It should have no problem returning the following year. Milkweeds are strong. In Spring, I had a rabbit eat mine right to the ground, and it has since grown back to be even thicker than it was.

Ants typically protect aphids from predators, because they like the sticky stuff the aphids leave behind.

 

[CountryEscape]

Agree with JB, Mmathis. If you have aphids in the future, and don't want to wash them off (some say that gets rid of them, some say they return the following day ...), just prune the plant to the ground. It will return, trust me.
All of the milkweed/butterfly weed plants need to be cold stratified, so they require cold/freezing temps to germinate. If you even have a couple of pots of potting soil that you can put the seeds in late this fall, and put them outside, I just bet you will have seedlings in the spring. Of course, not positive you even have freezing temps in the winter where you are. LOL If not, then house the seeds in the fridge or freezer for a month or so before putting them in the pots in very early spring, or your winter. I didn't have trouble growing any of the seeds I planted in Jan/Feb. winter sowing style. It's a method where you prepare/plant seeds in winter, put the jugs outside even in the snow (although snow is not required, as some people seem to think) and let nature take it's course. The idea is that the seeds won't germinate until nature tells them to, instead of when humans tell them to inside under grow lights. They are far healthier than any seedlings grown under lights. I use milk jugs, cut 3/4 of the way around the tops, drill holes in the bottom for drainage, then close and fasten a pipe cleaner to keep the container closed. Only have to water when very dry, Mother Nature does the rest. Once the seeds germinate and begin to grow, you can open the tops during the day and close them at night (if still below 40 at night). They don't grow fast like seedlings grown under lights, as the night time temps keep them from bolting. But, in your climate, I think simply using pots of potting soil will work just fine, too!

 

[budgenator]

Great thread, I've got about a 1/4 acre that the next door neighbor was encroaching on while planting his crops out behind our brush pile (rabbits and voles have staked claim on that). I'm seriously thinking about roto-tilling it and planting a mix of native meadow and pollinator plant seed mix on it next spring. I'm sure the bees and butterflies will love it. I'll have to make sure there is some sorghum and buckwheat in there too.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

When I got home today, I saw my final two Monarchs ready for release.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I don't bring in every Monarch caterpillar I see (I prefer to let nature do its thing most of the time), but I found three in front of the house on small milkweed plants and because I had to clean the house and paint, I knew it was best to get them out of there. I brought them in, and since I had two larger ones by my pond, I brought them in too. All 5 are in their chrysalises now. These will be the last 5 I bring in this year.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Two more released today. One female and one male.

Even better, while releasing the first one, I found another Monarch on the small tree in my garden that was drying off its wings. Somewhere in the garden there is an empty chrysalis.

So, with the help of my native garden, three more Monarchs took flight today!

 

[CountryEscape]

WTG, JB!!! I was about crying this year, not finding any eggs, cats or anything, although I was seeing lots of monarchs. Others in IL that I'm friends with on a butterfly page on Facebook were reporting the same thing ... until about 3 weeks ago. Finally, last week, I started finding cats and a few eggs. I had raised one cat to release, but that was over a month ago, and had all but given up finding any more this year, but others gave me hope, and sure enough I started finding them again. I have about 8 cats in my aquarium, 3 in chrysalis, 2 that are teensy tiny baby cats, and the others in cat form from medium to almost ready to change.
Sadly, after I uploaded some pictures from my camera to my computer this morning (the photos attached), my camera fell off the tv tray onto the floor, and I think the connection was damaged. Grrrr ... glad I can get another card reader (the one that came with the camera already quit working) and I have a charger to put the battery into. It's just so much easier to plug it in and go from there! The 3 cats in "J" form this morning are in chrysalis tonight, and the tiny baby has doubled in size. It's now maybe 1/4" long. LOL

This guy attached to a milkweed leaf to pupate, so I'll have to make sure the leaf gets attached to something so it is "hanging" when the leaf dries out, because the chrysalis needs to be hanging when the butterfly emerges, so their wings will open correctly.

Can you see the tiny baby? He's light green, with faint black and white stripes, just like the big ones. Don't mind the yellow dots .. those are aphids I obviously didn't get cleaned off of the leaves before I brought the milkweed in for food.

 

[Nepen]

look look!!!!!! YEY!!!!

I found 5. I took them all in. My first!!!!!! Found them on my swamp milkweed the most only 1 on common milkweed. My swamp milkweed leaves are dropping and only a few left so I put the common milkweed leaves in. They don't seem to like it very much. Thought?

Can they live in 70f degree house or should I put them outside and cover them.

Tell me it is the monarch caterpillar and not the look alike one please!!

 

[CountryEscape]

It's a monarch, you won't find the "look-a-like" one on milkweed. BTW, the look a like is a swallowtail cat, so they are just as much fun to rear/raise!
Keep them in the house. If you found yours on swamp, they may not like the common. Keep a close watch on them. If you can, drive around and find some swamp in the road ditches (there is lots of it around near me), if you saw any growing there with pink flowers 1-3 weeks ago! They may not transfer. I had lots of luck transferring from swamp to tropical that I raised from seed this year, and common to tropical. But, if they get hungry, they should transfer. Just be sure to keep the stems of the stalk or leaf in water to keep it fresh. If the leaf starts to dry out, no cat is going to eat it.
Good luck with your new babies!!! If all you found are as large as this one, you only have a week or so before they go into chrysalis, and then about 10-14 days later you will have gorgeous butterflies to release!!! Woohoo!!!!

 

[JBtheExplorer]

It's a monarch, you won't find the "look-a-like" one on milkweed.

You won't find Viceroy caterpillars on Milkweed and Viceroy caterpillars don't look like Monarch Caterpillars, however, the other look-a-like, and relative of the Monarch - the Queen Butterfly - caterpillar does also eat milkweed and looks similar. Nepen's is a Monarch, though.

They don't seem to like it very much. Thought?

It should be just fine. They won't eat constantly, especially when shedding, they'll stop eating for a while. As long as the Milkweed is fresh, they'll eat it. I replace milkweed leaves after the second day.