DO YOUR PART- grow milkweed

[Fuerte Rav]

Yes we have ladybugs - known as ladybirds to the English. Can't buy them here but a few come around naturally every now and again. Never seem to be enough of them to clear the pests though - I think the ladybirds are getting eaten by other, bigger bugs and birds.

[cmu]

Hello! First post since 2015, time flies! Interesting thread, ty! Where I work now, we grow and sell asclepias seedlings. I was previously unaware of the disease monarch butterflies get if there are too many in an area that isn’t ‘clean’, and they emerge from the chrysalis deformed. I don’t remember where I read the info, but they highly suggested that people who were growing asclepias with evergreen leaves periodically chop the plants back so that the disease couldn’t as readily hang around and infect future butterflies. This is a problem in the south of course, where it doesn’t freeze or frost as much, but it is a tip to try and help people who would like to help out monarchs by growing feeder plants. I did see diseased monarchs at the previous greenhouses of a previous employer, but I don’t know the source of their infection. I’m not overly knowledgeable about monarchs or this disease, just felt it would be a good heads-up for people

[DirtyCoconuts]

great info- i have them completely chewed to nothing every year so it is done for me

[Dollythehun]

Saw this today:

Endangered-species decision expected on beloved butterfly

[Fuerte Rav]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

great info- i have them completely chewed to nothing every year so it is done for me

and me, several times a year, but good to know!

[SundayGardener]

I grow swamp milkweed, other varieties don't do too well for me. For the bees and birds, I grow a lot of agastache, the bumblebees love the blooms and the birds come later and decimate the plants for the seeds. Borage was also popular this past summer. Monarchs are always attracted to tithonia, but they need to lay their eggs on plants that will provide food...I always have pots of parsley and rosemary (rarely gets to bloom stage). Think I spotted all of 3 Monarchs this year but I live in more of a congested area. I hear people out in more open areas see more (those areas tend not to be chemical free though, lots of groomed lawns).

I inherited 2 arborvitae, would they harbor diseases that disfigure butterflies? Strictly speaking, they don't exactly stay green year round.

[cmu]

That’s a good question! I think there is more danger with surfaces that have high contact of high numbers of butterflies. If an occasional butterfly lands on a leaf I wouldn’t think there would be as much chance. And I think it isn’t highly persistent where it would be there beyond a normal season. It might be something good to research more

[Dollythehun]

I have some arborvitae. I don't think you have any worries.

[Fuerte Rav]

Last of my current brood emerged yesterday















I've got more eggs on milkweed plants so it won't be long before the next army of caterpillars is munching its' way through my garden!

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by Fuerte Rav

Last of my current brood emerged yesterday

















I've got more eggs on milkweed plants so it won't be long before the next army of caterpillars is munching its' way through my garden!

I think it's cool how crinkled their wings are!