Monarch Supporter

I would be so excited to see that in my yard!

I've been waiting all summer for butterflies to discover some of the goodies I have growing in containers on my patio.  I did see a couple of beautiful Swallowtail butterflies earlier this month, but not much else.  Then today I stepped out my back door, and found this...!

(Be sure to watch in high def.)

CitizenKate wrote:I would be so excited to see that in my yard!

I've been waiting all summer for butterflies to discover some of the goodies I have growing in containers on my patio.  I did see a couple of beautiful Swallowtail butterflies earlier this month, but not much else.  Then today I stepped out my back door, and found this...!

(Be sure to watch in high def.)

Sorry, CK, those are not monarchs, they're Painted Ladies. 

countrynaturals wrote:
Sorry, CK, those are not monarchs, they're Painted Ladies. 

Oh. Heheh! Thanks for the correction, I was thinking they didn't look exactly like the monarchs I've seen before, but didn't know what else they could have been.

I'm still enjoying them a lot.

CitizenKate wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:
Sorry, CK, those are not monarchs, they're Painted Ladies. 

Oh.  Heheh!  Thanks for the correction, I was thinking they didn't look exactly like the monarchs I've seen before, but didn't know what else they could have been.

I'm still enjoying them a lot.

Absolutely. They're all wonderful. Painted Ladies are the ones they send out in the educational kits, because they're the easiest to raise, so they're very plentiful. Monarchs are in trouble because they migrate and their migration paths are in jeopardy. They are also susceptible to disease. Mine got wiped out last year and never came back this year.

CitizenKate wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:
Sorry, CK, those are not monarchs, they're Painted Ladies. 

Oh.  Heheh!  Thanks for the correction, I was thinking they didn't look exactly like the monarchs I've seen before, but didn't know what else they could have been.

I'm still enjoying them a lot.

Wow!  There are so many of them!s. What is that flower that they love?

It looks like Asclepias tuberosa, I'm sure it is a milkweed of some sort. Wish mine was as popular!

Our milkweeds are pink or white.  And those are Painted Ladies...just wasn't sure!  Great plant!  Especially if native!

Scorpio Rising wrote:
Wow!  There are so many of them!s. What is that flower that they love?

Ike gets the prize - they are the Asclepias tuberosa - one of the milkweed varieties.  I found these locally.  The ones I got came in a couple of different blossom colors.  The ones in the YouTube video have a bright golden yellow stamen and petals.  The other one has the same bright golden yellow stamen, with fire engine red petals.  Even if no butterflies or bees came to visit them, I'd still love them, they're beautiful plants.

countrynaturals wrote:
Monarchs are in trouble because they migrate and their migration paths are in jeopardy. They are also susceptible to disease. Mine got wiped out last year and never came back this year.

Ohhh, that is so sad.  I've read of the plight of the Monarch and that is why I started learning about raising milkweed plants.  I read back in the thread to see your posts about what happened to your butterfly colony... that is heartbreaking.  But this also has me researching on the subject of plant diseases that affect butterfly health.  I know it's sad, but I appreciate what you shared about your experience.

CitizenKate wrote:

Monarchs are in trouble because they migrate and their migration paths are in jeopardy. They are also susceptible to disease. Mine got wiped out last year and never came back this year.

Ohhh, that is so sad.  I've read of the plight of the Monarch and that is why I started learning about raising milkweed plants.  I read back in the thread to see your posts about what happened to your butterfly colony... that is heartbreaking.  But this also has me researching on the subject of plant diseases that affect butterfly health.  I know it's sad, but I appreciate what you shared about your experience.

I'm hoping they're okay somewhere else, just not coming here anymore. The reason I say that is because I only had them during the drought. This year, I have no California Hairstreaks or Gulf Fritillaries, either, and they aren't endangered at all. Maybe they all went back to their normal habitat. 

With the climate change, I think these migratory animals will figure out the new path

Saw my first Monarch in the redwoods this morning.

No eggs in the milkweed, so this could be a lone wolf, but I will keep checking.

countrynaturals wrote:Saw my first Monarch in the redwoods this morning.

No eggs in the milkweed, so this could be a lone wolf, but I will keep checking.

Yayayayay!!!!!  They are just waiting due to the temps....

Scorpio Rising wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:Saw my first Monarch in the redwoods this morning.

No eggs in the milkweed, so this could be a lone wolf, but I will keep checking.

Yayayayay!!!!!  They are just waiting due to the temps....

Yup, Hubby and daughter saw a few around town, too. They're back!

Monarch migration map from 
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/report_sightings_embed.html


Click on the map below

countrynaturals wrote:
Yup, Hubby and daughter saw a few around town, too. They're back!

trolleydriver wrote:Monarch migration map from 
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/report_sightings_embed.html


Click on the map below

Thanks for the link to the map, TD,  I'm plugged in, now...

Look what I found in my garden this morning...


Then this evening, I found a second one.  Okay, I checked this time to see what species this is, but I'll wait for the experts to weigh in... these are monarchs, yes? I finally saw a single adult Monarch flutter through my garden the day before yesterday. Didn't stick around long, but then I don't watch out there all day long.

AWWWW!! He's so cute!

Yes, that is a monarch, I believe...

Yep, monarch!

The copycat(erpillar) you may be thinking of is the larva of the Queen butterfly - but they have an additional set of antennae-like decorations in the middle of their bodies:
http://npsot.org/wp/kerrville/files/2016/01/Monarch-vs.-Queen-Caterpillar.pdf

AtlantaMarie wrote:AWWWW!!  He's so cute!

Yes, that is a monarch, I believe...

Looks like it to me.   Mine turned out to be a bachelor just passing through, so no babies here. 

CitizenKate wrote:Look what I found in my garden this morning...


Then this evening, I found a second one.  Okay, I checked this time to see what species this is, but I'll wait for the experts to weigh in... these are monarchs, yes?  I finally saw a single adult Monarch flutter through my garden the day before yesterday.  Didn't stick around long, but then I don't watch out there all day long.

Adorbs!  I found 2 or 3 strange caterpillars on my milkweed tonight, turns out they are some milkweed eating Tussock moth caterpillars!!!!  Grrr!  I didn't kill them , but I did know them down....that was probably immature of me....

Scorpio Rising wrote:Adorbs!  I found 2 or 3 strange caterpillars on my milkweed tonight, turns out they are some milkweed eating Tussock moth caterpillars!!!!  Grrr!  I didn't kill them , but I did know them down....that was probably immature of me....

The "animated 1970s macrame" caterpillars?


I get them on my dogbane*. I think they're cute in a goofy, rough-coat guinea pig sort of way. David L. Wagner, author of Caterpillars of Eastern North America explains that even though they are eating the same plant as the monarch caterpillars, he has observed a division of resources that suggests there isn't the direct competition we're worried about. He writes "I associate Monarchs with young, vigorously growing shoots, while Milkweed Tussock Moths are content to eat older foliage, sometimes that which has already started to yellow."

*The monarchs won't use dogbane as a host ...so of course I've had a very easy time establishing a nice stand of those plants and am STILL struggling to get some real milkweed growing! Tangentially related, I bought 2 heavily discounted turtlehead plants today, for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterflies to use as a host plant.

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:

Scorpio Rising wrote:Adorbs!  I found 2 or 3 strange caterpillars on my milkweed tonight, turns out they are some milkweed eating Tussock moth caterpillars!!!!  Grrr!  I didn't kill them , but I did know them down....that was probably immature of me....

The "animated 1970s macrame" caterpillars?


I get them on my dogbane*. I think they're cute in a goofy, rough-coat guinea pig sort of way. David L. Wagner, author of Caterpillars of Eastern North America explains that even though they are eating the same plant as the monarch caterpillars, he has observed a division of resources that suggests there isn't the direct competition we're worried about. He writes "I associate Monarchs with young, vigorously growing shoots, while Milkweed Tussock Moths are content to eat older foliage, sometimes that which has already started to yellow."

*The monarchs won't use dogbane as a host ...so of course I've had a very easy time establishing a nice stand of those plants and am STILL struggling to get some real milkweed growing! Tangentially related, I bought 2 heavily discounted turtlehead plants today, for the Baltimore Checkerspot butterflies to use as a host plant.

Yep, that is them!  I just knocked them off....like I said, rather immature....good to know that it is just part of the web.  I actually rescued one from the pool!  Oh well, didn't see them today, but I am sure they were OK just re-located!  Temporarily I'm sure.