Yippee - congrats on your babies! I am just now seeing them, too, after I finally figured out where the GFs are laying their eggs. I brought the eggs in and keep putting fresh PV in the cages. If I don't the predators will get the eggs or the tiny cats as soon as they hatch. I was tired of finding nothing when I knew the BFs were hard at it laying eggs.

I also have 5 Monarch cats - 2 are in Chrysalis now. Mama BST layed lots of eggs yesterday on the Fennel. I keep my Fennel in Shade - both green and bronze. It's the only way they will make it thru the heat here in summer. I water it well. I just cut a bunch way back and it's putting up new growth now. I still have lots of flowers coming on.

I wish the Queens would move North. I used to get them every summer, but haven't had any for about 4 summers now.

Also would love to see Texan Crescents - I have plenty of Flame Acanthus - and Bordered Patches - have plenty of Golden Crownbeard, too.

Maybe I'll get lucky this month......

Susan

My rue has been putting out some new foliage but my Bronze Fennel just wants to go to seed. It gets flowers but no new foliage. It's very determined and I already have 10 times more than I need. The Black Swallowtails will just have to use my rue because I keep deadheading my Bronze Fennel.
I released a couple female Black Swallowtails recently but I don't think they hung around to leave me any eggs.

Susan, I was thinking the same thing...I have a ton of Golden Crownbeard/Cowpen Daisies but haven't seen a Bordered Patch all year here either! I did see some Phaon Crescents flitting around my native frogfruit today! I have Flame Acanthus that is putting out seed & lots of flowers but have never seen a Texan Crescent! I planted the Flame Acanthus in 2 areas in my yard but no BFs or cats that I've ever seen! Maybe we'll both get lucky & get some soon! The most numerous BFs in the yard right now are the Queens & the Cloudless Sulphurs for me! I do have at least 4-6 monarchs hanging around so maybe some of the eggs are their's...I hope!
I have tried Bronze Fennel in 2 different locations but I guess I'll have to try total shade! It died at the beginning of August for me. I lost half of my Rue even in part shade as well!
We are back in the 100s all week here! It was so nice having cooler weather the last week or so...but summer isn't over yet! I should have the most BFs here the next couple of months! October & even into November can bring a lot of them! I especially love being out when it isn't so hot! I melted today when I was out looking for more eggs & cats! I only found 3 eggs on milkweed & a few more BST eggs as well on the rue but didn't look on the sennas for more Sulphurs!
Here are pictures of the BSTs I released...it wouldn't let me post them on my first post since I posted the picture of the rue with eggs!
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Glad to hear your activity is picking up! Hope your babies make it too. Are you sure the parsley doesn't have any pesticides on it?

Just the opposite here, things are winding down. No more Monarch eggs in the garden the past week or so. There might be some down at the milkweed field, but now we're having rainy weather, so I doubt there will be much activity down there either. I am going to miss the Monarchs, but it's been super busy taking care of cats the last few weeks, and I have tons of other crap to do (would rather be tending leps though).

Last week I collected about 10 Black Swallowtails (1 5th instar and 9 eggs) off the Rue and Bronze fennel and they are doing okay.

Yeah, I am just not seeing a wide range of butterflies here this year. The best year I ever had was 2007.

I did have 2 visits from Bordered Patches, but just a few hours in the garden and they were gone. A friend on another forum told me that the native Croton is growing like crazy in Southern Oklahoma, so maybe there will be tons of Goatweed Leafwings.

Haven't seen Cloudless Sulphurs either, nor Pipevine STs, Giant STs, or Sleepy Oranges. I had grest numbers of Variegated Frits and Clouded Sulphurs in the spring, but haven't seen them for months either.

I hope I see more as we get further into fall. Gorgeous male and female BST!

Susan

Terrene...the plants I bought were from a garden center that is part of the farmers market in Weatherford & that was the first thing I asked! The plants were left over from early spring & looked almost dead. I repotted them & they immediately put all new growth on. I won't use them unless I run out of rue! I was wanting to save the rue for GSTs but these 2 eggs are all I've seen here. I have several new trees(sprouts that is)of Hop Ash & even dug up a local prickly ash to transplant into my yard but the GSTs haven't been around much at all this year.
I still haven't seen a single Tiger & they are one of my favorites!
Still seeing lots of GFs here but the cats are falling pray to the predators as well...I saw one in the mouth of a spider yesterday!
PVSTs have had at least 3-4 generations here & the A.fimbriata has rebounded & is even putting on seeds if I can actually harvest some before the cats start back up! I have seen a female nectaring the last few days so I'm sure I'll see at least one more generation here! They are another one of my favorites! Here is a picture I took yesterday but I couldn't get her to slow down enough to get a clear one! ;o)
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Oh, so happy to read about everyone seeing some activity this fall. The only eggs I've found this summer were some Monarch eggs and they are almost all grown and gone. There are two Monarchs out there this morning, leaving lots of eggs and busy feeding. I don't know if they are some that I raised or are new to the area. Both appear to be very strong and healthy. I have lots of Rue but haven't yet found any eggs on it. It was so blamed hot and dry again this summer. Recently, we had a week or so of more normal temps but now back up into double digits again.

I am so impressed with the performance of "Family Jewels / Hairy Balls" plants in my area that I've already started seed to be over wintered for next year's growth. Mama Monarch is out there this morning laying eggs on the leaves and feeding on the blooms (she also left eggs on the Butterfly weed and the tropical MW). I wish I had enough MW to feed all but there never seems to be enough. The 'Family Jewels' is blooming heavily and at a good time here to help feed the migrating Monarchs. The leaves are so fresh looking and are now also feeding the second set of Monarch babies I'm raising. They love to eat the blooms, too. A plus all the way around.

I'm going to re do my small garden beds this fall and only plan to grow what does well here next season. I've enjoyed trying new plants but getting too old to tend to ones that require a lot of attention and don't produce much over the long haul. LOL ... I need blooms for nectar and leaves for food!

Mary

I can certainly see your point, Mary, about only growing the plants that do well in your location. I get tired of "coddling" a plant if it's a) not growing well or b) needs extra attention to put on just a few leaves.

The migrating Monarch population, as reported on Journey North this week, is low, so doing what we can for those that have survived, will help out a lot. When I looked at the map, so far, most of them are following the Eastern Seaboard, where the drought hasn't had much effect on them. Wise butterflies! Still, for those that may straggle thru the Central Pathway to Mexico, we have food and nectar.

Always good to hear from you, Mary!

Susan

Hi Susan,

It's nice to hear from you, too, and I'm so happy to learn many of the Monarchs are staying near the east coast during their Fall migration. I'm afraid there's not much in my local area for them to feed on, much less Milkweed for egg laying. I'll bet it's the same over a wide range of mid USA this year. I've been trying to give special attention to the milkweed that's left here, hoping to encourage as much leaf growth as I can. I'm clipping non blooming MW first to feed to the newest babies.

Mary

I don't know if this is one of my recent releases or a new visitor ... photo was taken this morning on the deck ...

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Very pretty A. curassavica, Mary - is it Silky Gold? The Monarch is a cutie, too.

I didn't grow any Mexican this year - just a bit of Family Jewels, A. physocarpa. I am getting seedpods on it but I don't know if they will have sufficient time to mature this fall.

I also have A. speciosa, spreading around, and Cynanchum laeve.

I didn't get many eggs and larva this year - well, I did, but I had an overwhelming number of predators that quickly depleted the numbers.

Susan

Mary, great picture!!! I really like the gold better than the red...it doesn't seem to get as infested with aphids here!
I currently have a ton of both colors of tropical milkweed just waiting for the migration! I hope the predators move on out before they arrive in numbers! I have a plant of what the Texas Discovery Gardens sold as Swan Flower... not sure if it is the same as A.physocarpa but this is the second year to grow it with no flowers! The queens have ignored it as well as the swamp milkweed I have planted. No flowers on it either! The foliage is tall & green but I haven't seen any interest in it by monarchs, queens or even any predators on it as well!
I also have some common & some showy out in my BF bed that is in full sun that looks totally bedraggled because of the sun & heat! I think I will cut it back to see if it will put out some new growth for fall...the leaves are all yellowed & dry!!! I didn't realize that showy & common both put out runners & small plants are coming up all over the large bed! I don't mind but it is really invasive! I had dug up some A.viridis last year & planted it out in another bed that is covered with Cowpen Daisies that I occasionally water & there is new growth & one plant has a large flower on it! I have been trying to wash all the plants to keep the aphids down & squishing any Milkweed bugs I see!
I have gotten a ton of both Yellow & Red Tropical seeds if anyone wants some as well as seeds for A.asperula & viridis from earlier this summer!!!???

Lila, I cut my Showy Milkweed back last year because it became pretty nasty looking, too. It did not put out any new growth. I think it was about this time of year that I did it and I guess it was too late for it to rebound. Mine is putting out new foliage above the ratty looking leaves. Does yours tend to bend over and lie on the ground? It's a very "floppy" plant for me. I notice that it is putting on new growth from the older leaf nodes. Yes, it is spreading around a lot, but that's okay with me.

Susan