Hoorah,, Randy, cuz I have seen a lot of Monarchs and I still have GFs laying eggs on the passion vine. Do you have any P. incarnaata growing wild around you?

My milkweed was completely eaten down this year and while I cut it back in hopes of regrowth, it has been stymied probably because of our cool temps??

I know the Monarchs are supposed to be east and west of us, but I've had more than last 2 years, so perhaps they have been filling in the gap lately.

Susan

Susan,

There are no host plants nearby I'm aware of. But adults like to nectar on my lantana and bougainvillea.

This year was the first year I had monarchs stay on the property all season long.

randy

Here too, in Cushing, I saw five yesterday, but I have so much to tell I'll start another thing rather than hijack this one.

I did not know they would use Bougainvilla as a nectar source since they have such tiny flowers (the bracts turn color, right?). I used to grow some for a couple years, and don't recall them using it or not. Wow, I learn something everyday,

We have had quite a few Monarchs stick around this year. Not sure, but the cooler temps up north this summer could have had something to do with that. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to have another great butterfly year like we did a couple of years ago when we had all that rain, but I started getting Monarchs laying eggs on my small milkweeds early this year (April) and I've never had them that early before.

It's been a fantastic year for us.

Susan

Here in CT, we had many more Monarchs flying in August than now. But on a labor day walk, we found many eggs on milkweed.

Just yesterday, all my remaining Monarch cats finished pupating so I cleaned out the bottom of the cage. I went outside and on my potted milkweed, I found four more mid-late instar cats.

Today, I saw a worn male trying desperately to mate with an uncooperative female.

I think the east coast migration is still happening and more Monarchs will eclose in the next week or so. The question is, "Is it too late?"

Maryann

On Tuesday I saw more monarchs in one day than I ever had before. Everywhere I looked in the pasture they were working the sunflower blooms. On average 10 a minute were leaving the pasture and flying by my work area heading south.

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randy

As of Sept. 24th, a local article (well S. NJ) stated how the Monarch migration was off to a slow start.
I had 5 eclose on Sept 27th during dd's 9th birthday party. Some of my guests were amazed; a 30yo niece couldn't stop watching. I had the other 5 pupate on the 28th, 29th, & 30th. All of my monarchs have flown the coupe. A coworker still has 2 chrysalids. Our monarch rearing ran late this year. Luckily we both had no black deaths, unlike last year. I'm still checking my milkweeds but haven't found anything in weeks. Most of them are going dormant anways, but my curassavica's look fantastic (just in time to get hit by frost, probably soon). Screwy year...

Link, if anyone is interested:
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/cape_may/article_6dc26c14-a97f-11de-8a7b-001cc4c03286.html

Wow I am so jealous. Monarchs are down here in N. Ca. My friend gave me some eggs as they seem more eager to mate than in my garden. I had one perfect male nectaring and I hoped he might find a mate. Next year more milkweed!!!

Randy, does the Texas milkweed overwinter as dormant or keep growing. I have several plants from the seed I got from you on ebay.

Penny

Saw three Monarch caterpillars on my Butterfly Weed chomping away yesterday (S Texas)

Hi Penny,

The A. viridis dies back to the ground every year here. I have no idea what it might do in warmer climates. Because we've been so wet the later part of the summer there still is a few plants growing in the pasture.

randy

Randy, I harvested seed from some local fields of the A. viridis here in North Texas this spring & scattered it in my wild flower area across the back of my property. I also dug up a few plants that I found to be almost impossible until I got out my sharp shooter shovel...the plants have a very deep tap root & were in very rocky, hard, dry soil. I was able to start about 3 or 4 plants & planted them out in my wild flower area, also. They disappeared during the heat of the summer here but have resprouted now that the temps have come down & the rains have been happening. I have a lot of annual tropical milkweed growing as well. I had only a few plants of it make it through our winter here even though I mulch all of them with leaves to protect them. It has been raining so much since I got back from Colorado that I haven't seen any migrating Monarchs yet. I think this is the week that they usually come through here & especially in Fort Worth, I've seen thousands in trees during the evenings in years past.
I haven't raised any this year as of yet because I have been concentrating on BSTs, GSTs, & PVSTs. I have a few cats out on my milkweed right now & am planning to bring in some this month to raise protected. Not many make it to pupate here if I don't.