Holy Cow!! What a year YOU'RE having!! I'm struggling to find any at all...
I have two lonely larvae now, bringing my total raised this season to 15. I'd be happy to take some larvae if you need homes. I have plenty of milkweed that hasn't been touched by anything but those longhorn beetles.
I can e-mail you my address if you'd like.

Just following up...so far all the caterpillars I'm fostering for Sandy are doing well. I had one form it's chrysalis this morning... I've got four more who are getting close - I expect them to hang in their "J" probably later today or tomorrow. I haven't lost any so far. I have a ton of milkweed this year. I planted a ton (more than ever) in anticipation of raising as many as I could. No momma's ever visited me this year (so far) but I'm so thrilled to be fostering Sandy's.

I have 20 cats plus 1 chrysalis from the first batch she gave me. I have approximately 30 from the 2nd batch that I picked up yesterday. They are very tiny and to me that makes it difficult to accurately count.

Anyway, just wanted to post an update for all that so far, everything is looking good!

I can attest to the fact that Sandy has her hands full! It's as if they knew to go to her garden as their babies would be well cared for! :-)

~Laura

Leafhead,

I would love to share some of these with you. However, I don't think they would make the trip well. I tried once to share with Sherry, and they didn't make it. If you lived in Oklahoma, I'd find a way to meet you somewhere and share. I hope you find more--but not so many that you are overwhelmed.

Sandy

I don't know how you're managing to raise that many caterpillars, Sandy!!! That's a full-time, run-your-legs-off job alright!!

Leafhead, I ordered some gulf frit eggs and small giant swallowtail caterpillars from Florida earlier. The eggs all hatched, they grew rapidly, they've made their chrysalides, and the first one emerged yesterday.
All six of the GST cats looked good when they arrived, but they all died, none even ate or grew much. I've never had any problems raising giant swallowtails that I find here, so mailing caterpillars is NOT a good thing to do. Mailing eggs is okay, I guess, if you can mail them as soon as they're laid, and they get to their destination quickly, which is what happened with the gulf frits.

Still, we all sure wish we could help Sandy! I've got lots of milkweed they could be eating now. :(

On behalf of monarchs and their admirers, we all thank you, Sandy!

Sherry

I echo what Sherry says Sandy. Thank you for caring and for devoting your time and efforts so selflessly. I truly wish that I could help you out. I also have plenty of milkweed. I have found 8 Monarch cats now, and I am searching the plants at least twice daily for more. It's hard to find them on the dying Butterfly Weed and easier to find them on the Common MW. Mine are eating like pigs and doing well so far though.
Angie

Thanks, Sherry.

It's either feast or famine! No in-betweens. I quit ordering cats/eggs, as I had bad luck. But, I'm farther from Florida than you are!

If I can get through the next week, I'll have a break, as I haven't found anymore eggs in the last few days. The only other eggs I'm bringing in are the Black Swallowtails as the eggs are gone overnight if I don't rescue them. It's an "eat the eggs and caterpillars" world out there!

Sandy

I found some more eggs this morning:) Also, there has been a dozen or so eggs and seven cats from the Black swallowtail, which has been late this year. I also have two Monarch 2nd instar cats at home and one at work, same age, on common milkweed.
Seems I'm seeing a few more butterflies as Summer wears on...
I'm glad Sandy is helping so many Monarchs into the world:-) I wish her all the luck in the world!
If you need milkweed, maybe I can overnight some to you, Sandy. Anyone had experience mailing Milkweed?

Thanks, John.

The milkweed is holding up. I started removing the vines that are in the front flower bed so that I didn't totally strip the curassavica and incarnata. If needed, I can collect viridis in the wild. It's just trying to keep them clean and fed that is wearing. Not as young as I used to be! LOL

Thanks all for your kind words. And thanks to Laura for helping out.

Sandy

Some suggestions. Monarch Watch has regional specialist or contact people listed on their website. They might be able to point you in the direction of a nearby person who could help. I'm quite confident that milkweed could be mailed overnight, if packaged wrapped in moist toweling. I'd be happy to send a bunch, if you need it. In fact, my best milkweed field is across the road from the post office. Say the word and I'll send some out today.

Martha

Sandy--
You're a Monarch hero!

Can't offer much but moral support. I'm new here. I don't have any milkweed to offer (just planted some curassavica last week and hoping to get some pods to plant for next year.) I'm raising my very first cats right now (black swallowtails.) My hat is off to you. Even my 3 cats take work and worry!

Have you tried posting in the regional forum here for more volunteers?
Liz

Liz,

I have learned through many years of doing this, that people have good hearts and will offer to take some of the caterpillars. However, unless a person knows what they are doing, it's easy to lose the caterpillars. I furnished a school once with over 100 caterpillars to learn later that none of them survived. I have since specified that I don't share caterpillars with classrooms unless the teachers will take time for instruction in how to care for these creatures. It's amazing how that requirement has halted requests. I have had failures also along the way, and have had to work through what happened, including where I plant the milkweed in my yard, as I have an aerobic septic system. I'm getting closer to the end of this batch--at the most a week left. Hopefully, there will be a lull before the fall migration and more eggs are laid.

Sandy

I pick milkweed and put it in the fridge in a resealable bag and it lasts several days. maybe you could mail it that way?

Just wanted to say good luck Sandy! Please send some of your babies up this way - it's been dry and hot the past couple weeks, but the milkweed has grown quite well overall.

Still waiting and hoping, but sometimes they don't show up here until August.

Thanks, Terrene. These should be starting to take flight on the 27th of July, in time to arrive at your place in . . . August! Hope some of them make it.

Sandy

Wow Sandy, you are going to single-handedly save the monarch population.

Our garden is covered with eggs now. I've release one male/female and I've got about 30 chrysalises and large cats. I also have six more baby cats I've "accidentally" collected picking milkweed.

They are laying eggs all over the common, physocarpa, and tropical

To save time I use cuttings and store milkweed in the refrigerator....I don't think that will help with your numbers though. I hope you find others in your community to lighten your load a bit. Thank you for what you're doing! Tony

You've been raising a lot of monarchs yourself, Tony - fantastic!

Sherry

Tony, I feel like I'm beginning to turn the corner. I actually left for a while today and mowed out at the acreage for 4 hours. I cut some A viridis that grows wild on the land around the acreage to bring home to feed the cats. This is a more substantial milkweed, and seems to satisfy them or fill them better. Quite a few migrated to the top of the large cage that I have them in. I moved them into a 3 x 3 x l.5 container today to give the remaining cats more room as they get larger. Over 50 cats pupated today which also helps--no more need for food for these 50!!! I put the 5th instar cats in paper sacks 2 days ago to get them out of the way of the smaller cats. I also can monitor the food better in the sacks by just adding leaves as needed.

It's coming together, and Laura sent a message that the first ones she is fostering are pupating. She lost one out of 20, which is great. It's going to be pretty awesome when I release about 40-50 at one time--may have to have a release party! Or even contact the local paper. LOL I usually shun publicity, but this might bring attention to the plight of the Monarchs. WIll have to mull that over. Laura, you interested in helping with a release and some publicity? I know the neighborhood kids would love it.

Sandy

Sandy, I will do anything I can to help bring attention to the Monarchs - publicity is great!

~Laura

If your newspaper publishes and article and/or picture, please share it with us!

Congrats, Sandy!

Sherry

Update on the butterflies I'm fostering for Sandy...

I now have four chrysalides and 7 hanging in the "J". I've still only had the one loss out of the first batch however I noticed a second yesterday not looking just right, so I've isolated him just in case. He is still eating, although not much, and still pooping, although not much. His little antennae are droopy and he just looks, well, sick. But I'm doing all I can to help him if he can pull through. If not, hopefully by isolating him I've reduced risk to the others.

Of the 2nd batch, which are still on the small side (2nd instars maybe?) they are all looking good and eating well. Not quite at the "eat me out of house and home" stage, but I know it's coming.

I'm so glad now that I went crazy this spring buying so much milkweed - my husband thought I'd lost my mind - LOL! I have mostly tropical - about fourteen plants, also have incarnata (6) that came back up from last year, and two Oscar that are getting HUGE. I also have four tuberosa that are quite large. I bought a flat of syriaca from Monarch Watch but the rabbits have devoured it. I've put fencing around as many as I could but I fear they won't recover fully (not enough to provide food for anyone this year.)

I'm going to figure out a way to overwinter some cuttings from the tropical so I don't have to buy so much next spring.

~Laura

Boy, a release of 50 Monarchs by a private individual who raised them out of concern for the plight of these endangered creatures. That seems like it would be a great news story, and great publicity for the Monarchs. I don't think I'll be able to get more than 20 all at one time at the current rate. You should go for it, Sandy. At least have a release party with the neighbor kids and make sure their parents know about it. Thanks again for all you are doing.

Martha