YAY you is right!
I'm green with envy over your zebra swallowtails, your tigers and monarchs, too!
Sherry

Congrats, Frecklejuice (I loved that book). Now the fun begins!! Just, curious, have your reported to Journey North, and where do you live?

sandy

Just checked your page and saw that you live in NC. : )

Goodness frecklejuice..you've got it goin on!!!! Man, what would I give to see some Zebra eggs and cats?? Hmmm....you might even talk me out of a couple of teen aged boys! :o) I planted 3 little Pawpaws in my yard specifically for them. Now, let's hope they show some appreciation and show up to use them!! I was planting flower seed in my raised bed yesterday when a Mama Monarch came by and began to lay her eggs all over the small Butterfly Weed that has come up there. My Common Milkweed is COVERED in Monarch eggs. I have not brought in any eggs because I don't have any potted milkweed that is large enough yet, and the Common MW doesn't tend to hold up so well when I cut it. Anybody have any tips for keeping it fresh for longer?~~Angie

I don't know if I would want to raise Zebra STs or not, after what MissSherry went thru with them. Very difficult. If I could sleeve them, I think I would have the best luck that way. I just hate it when I lose them, ya know?

BTW, congrats, Frecklejuice! You have your work cut out for you......but what a fun job!

Susan

Angie,

Try clipping a couple of the common mw leaves, rinse and lightly dry them off, then place in a plastic bag and put in the fridge crisper. I suggest only trying with two leaves until you see if it will allow you to use them to feed indoor cats.

A super nice nursery owner here in Arkansas mailed me a packet of about 40 common mw leaves several different times one season so I could keep my many little cats alive after I ran out of mw.

From the baggie, I'd just take out only what I thought they'd eat during the day (the leaves were huge). The leaves will go limp after several hours being out of the crisper but would last a day and the little cats would eat them, even limp. While not ideal, my little cats survived and did well.

Mary

Thanks Mary. I don't ever bring cats inside. I have a nice big wrap around porch, and I use my side porch for rearing. I own several butterfly rearing tents, and I normally just put whole potted plants into them for the cats. I have about 50 potted Tropical MW seedlings out there now, and I know it won't be enough. I wintersowed a TON of Trop MW this year. Need to go out and individually pot some more seedlings!! :o)

Bandjzmom, If I were more organized I would use potted hosts and NOT bring them inside. I think your way reduces the spread of disease.

Well, I don't know if the spread of disease is reduced freckle, but it sure is easier on me to use the potted plants in the tents. When the cats have eaten almost all of the leaves, I just pop in a new plant. I have to transfer a few cats to new plants, but that isn't hard to do. Here is a pic of my tent. Lots of room to work with the cats.

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