Others have noted that given a choice, monarch butterflys prefer to lay eggs on tropical milkweed. Here in our yard, in Madison, Wisconsin, tropical milkweed would be an annual, not a perennial, so we grow other varieties. Asclepias incarnata is most preferred by monarch females, when they are laying eggs. We also have Asclepias tuberosa, and Asclepias syriaca. I think that maybe 80% of the monarch eggs are found on Asclepias incarnata, though.

We miss you!! Sounds like you are having a productive summer, and now Monarchs! If they do like they are doing here, they won't leave you alone from now until migration. I found 123 eggs today, 51 of which were on an Oscar Milkweed.

How are all your little guys (milkweeds) that you are growing from seed?

How is that new granddaughter?

Take care, this heat is horrible.

Sandy

Oh, Sandy, the heat is awful! I just came in after watering a few things. Just planted out my A. purpurescens, so keeping a close eye on them. The others haven't done too well, to be honest. I think the early heat wave that began in May has taken its toll on a lot of plants and people. I still have to plant a few but I am trying to wait until fall to do a lot of them. The A. variegata is just "hanging in" there for now, but this heat has intercepted any significant growth on a lot of my plants, except for the tropicals I am raising. Finally getting my first blooms on Night Blooming Jessimine (Cestrum nocturnum), which is said to attract the sphinx moths in droves. We'll see.

Eric, I am also growing the tropical A. physocarpa, aka Oscar, aka Family Jewels, etc., and usually it attracts as well if not better than the A. curassavica. So, I was kinda surprised they hit the Tropical first. Ya just never know. :)

I don't know, Sandy, about the drove of Monarchs. I just haven't seen it yet. But perhaps. I saw the biggest Red Admiral this morning I've ever seen. She had to be almost equal in size to a large QM. She's probably gonna lay eggs on the Boehmeria cylindrica.

The early heat in May and the rain we've had seems to have caused an explosion in the insect population, too. Lots of predators out there, and the wasps are numerous. Are you experiencing the same thing?

Susan

Good to hear from you Susan.

Sounds like you are having a good butterfly year like the rest of us. Let us know how the tomatoes go. I gave up. I never have sucess with them. Not enough sun in my yard.

Cheers,
Elisabeth

This is my last year for tomatoes or any veggies for that matter, too, Elisabeth - the trees all around the garden have grown too much to let enough sunlight in for tomatoes and such.
It's good to hear you're having a good butterfly year, Susan, and I sympathize with your heat and humidity - heat and high humidity are unrelenting here all summer long.
I, too, have lots of other things going besides raising caterpillars and gardening for butterflies this year. My youngest (40!) daughter has moved in with us with her two dogs, two of my old springer spaniels have died, the other is on her last leg - I'd never heard of the genetic condition common in springers called autoimmune hemolytic anemia until now. I've been raising two new puppies, both cavalier king charles spaniels - they're adorable, but the younger one wakes up at night several times needing to go out, you know how it is with puppies!
The youngest puppy, Dixie, is 2 1/2 months old, and she's growing so fast, this picture is already out-dated -
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And here's a picture, also out-dated of Dixie and Sookie Jane -
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My giant swallowtails have been emerging every day, plus some red-spotted purples and two black swallowtails, both males. Here's a picture of the underside of one of them -
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Sherry