The monarch caterpillars in our garden haven’t been surviving over the past two years & I shared my disappointment with a friend in horticulture. It may have been due to neighbors pesticides, predators, or some other factor.
She suggested collecting caterpillars just after they hatch, and providing fresh milkweed leaves daily in a protected mesh enclosure.
This morning we awoke to this wondrous surprise!
ChiaChatter
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •Jeff Gilmour 🚀
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •Bill Hooker
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •JaneGray
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •H2O
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •Parsecale
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •🌼 Dagnabbit, Pascaline! 🌼
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •TimChaffee
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •Sheril Kirshenbaum
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in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •SallyX
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •Shawn Radcliffe
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •Congrats on your butterfly.
My family has had good luck with Monarchs in our backyard garden, although it took several years of letting milkweed and other native plants grow wild in our yard.
We also cordon off any plants where the caterpillars build their chrysalis, so they won't be accidentally disturbed.
Mattygabe
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •Lyndee
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •My milkweed is four yrs old. They have a tap root and take a while to show in spring. Once they poke out, they take off and will spread over time.
I leave my cats and butterflies outdoors. I have over 20 that pupated this year, and about 8 cats died. Some years will be better than others. Cycle of life. A second batch of cats have hatched and are happily fattening up.
I live in cooler canadian temps along one of the great lakes.
Plant milkweed in a sunny location. They will come. 😊
Sheril Kirshenbaum
in reply to Lyndee • • •Lyndee
in reply to Sheril Kirshenbaum • • •