How exciting Ollierose! I enjoyed looking through your pictures.

I know just how you feel, cuz I raised Monarchs this year for the first time too - it's very addicting! Such gorgeous perfect creatures when they first eclose. Plant a few flowers for the butterflies and hummingbirds and next thing you know, you're raising them...

Next year, I'm wsing lots more Asclepias, and some more Fennel and Dill too - might try raising a few Black Swallowtails. :)

It's almost emotional watching that slide show. So beautiful. You guys are inspiring me to try to raise butterflies. I have asclepias (adding swamp soon) and I have dill and newly winter sown bronze fennel.

You know, I visit the butterfly forum every once in a while and am amazed at what these folks do. Perhaps we can run a thread here next year coaching winter sowers to raise butterflies on our winter sown plants.

Wouldn't it be cool to put a butterfly SASBE offering together?

Diana,

Maximus is wonderful!! Isn't it great to be able to take photos before they take off?? I enjoy setting them on different plants and clicking away to get that perfect shot. They are truly beautiful.

Bakemom,
Raising them has certainly been an experience! You don't really realize how much they eat and poop until you bring them inside. LOL!!

Terrene,

I'm aiming it for Painted Ladies and posssibly Swallowtails next year. I'll be reading all winter long and trading for their host plants to winter sow. Right now I have two Luna Moth cocoons overwintering in the basement. :O)

I was out playing in the garden when I realized something was eating my ws. butterfly weed. At first I was mad as I'd had rabbit and bug problems earlier in the year. Then I found the cat, had to laugh at myself, that's the reason I wanted to grow it in the first place. I put it in a box kept it clean and fed it they do poop a lot!! It went into a pretty cocoon - nice green w/ a gold stripe on top a few days latter.
Nothing had happened for about a month, I assumed it had died. After reading this post I checked on it and he's there!!! moving his wings a little !!
This is exciting!!

Annette

What a beautiful slideshow.

Congratulations, new Mom.

Karen

I love it when they're almost ready to fly, and they crawl on my finger and hang out there. Sometimes I walked them out to the little meadow and try to find them a nice spot in the sun. Most of the time they're anxious to fly, and they take off. The last butterfly spent 5 or 10 minutes hanging out on my finger, sunning herself. She was in no hurry to leave - almost as if she was saying goodbye!

Bakemom - I read and posted a little on the Butterfly forum for years before trying my hand at raising them. Some of the posters over there are amazing, all the species they raise. It was a little intimidating but then I read Tdogmom's blog, and realized it doesn't sound so difficult. And it wasn't! I'd be happy to volunteer as a coach.

Tiffy - I've been thinking about where else I might be able to find some eggs/cats of other butterflies. I've got lots of violets, so maybe there will be some Fritillary cats on them? And there's a nice grove of Sassafras in a nearby woodland - maybe some Spicebush Swallowtail cats? What would the neighbors think if they see me scouring the trees? Well it probably wouldn't surprise them...Hehe

Ollie, my kids and I had so much fun raising monarchs for the first time this year. I can't get over how beautiful their chrysalis is...the gold is so lovely.

I wintersowed a. incarnata and a. tuberosa. The incarnata came up and ended up being the host plant for our babies. The tuberosa did diddly. Has anyone had winter-sowing success with this one, the plain ole butterfly weed? Maybe I just had bum seeds.

Thanks for such a lovely slideshow.

First ones out

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Five siblings in the real world

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Meredith

I am still so excited for you,and this is my third time at this thread...lol! I know how much this meant to you and it couldn't happen to a better person at a better time! Cheers my dear! :)

Irislover, love your pics! I WS'd Asclepias tuberosa this year, seeds collected from 2007's plants, and got 1 measly sprout. I also WS'd two batches of A. curassavica from 2 different seed trades, and one batch turned out to be A. tuberosa (which was a nice surprise considering the results of my seeds). Six or so healthy seedlings that even bloomed a bit this year. SO, I think you're right, it might depend on the seeds.

Next year I'm WSing lots of A. curassavica, because it makes a great filler annual, and it is also one of the better host species for Monarchs due to its high content of glycosides in the leaves.

WSers should not hesitate to start Asclepias from seed to attract Monarchs, even in the first year, because the small first year plants seem to be very attractive to the female Monarchs. It could be because the Monarch caterpillars prefer the younger, more tender leaves. Also, the young plants keep a low profile, which might offer some protection from predators (like wasps).

"WSers should not hesitate to start Asclepias from seed to attract Monarchs, even in the first year, because the small first year plants seem to be very attractive to the female Monarchs. It could be because the Monarch caterpillars prefer the younger, more tender leaves. Also, the young plants keep a low profile, which might offer some protection from predators (like wasps)."

I agree,I did not find any cats or eggs on any of my mature milkweed. The four cats I had were found on my ws babies in pots sitting on my steps going up the backyard! I am glad you said this tererene,it helped confirm what I was thinkin'! ;)

Oh! He's beautiful!!!!