Congrats Martha! I envy you as I haven't seen a monarch in my garden for years except for the random migrator.

Rhonda

Congrats, Martha. My Liatris is long gone but I remember from years past how much the butterflies adore the blooms.

I've been away this summer so didn't expect much when I got home but I'm discovering various sized Monarch cats throughout my 'what is now' a very wild butterfly garden! I've brought some in to raise and now have 4 fresh eggs I was able to locate after recently watching mama Monarch lay eggs. I have plenty of milkweed to use for food, thanks to Tom. Most of the native milkweed here is pretty much gone. I hope the little guys that had an early start in the garden are healthy. It just breaks my heart when they eclose with deformed wings or have those horrid fly eggs. But at least they will have a better chance of maturing into a healthy butterfly when they are protected from the predators.

Mary

So happy for you, Martha. I know you have been looking for them. Let's hope they have time to grow and fly away. It's starting to get a bit chilly at night in zone 5, isn't it?

We just started to have nights in the upper fifties this week. Daytime is still in the seventies and eighties. We finally have had almost too much rain. It has been downright sopping for the last three weeks, but before that, my swamp milkweeds got so dry their flower buds dried and shriveled up without ever blooming. The yarrow got fried right to death. Fortunately, everything else seems to have bounced back. I think the Monarchs I saw might have been the beginning of the return migration. They didn't seem to have any interest in mating or ovipositing. Just eating.

Martha

I was out doing early fall clean up, weeding and moving plants to where I want them. I found two more Monarch cats on my A. tuberosa. They are usually the least favorite for laying eggs, but each year is different. So, now I have two more to raise. Hopefully, they haven't been parasitized or anything.

Martha

Isn't it a bit more of a challenge taking them as eggs rather than as small caterpillars? You guys must be very good at raising them. I currently have a bunch of small black swallowtails that I have in a mesh cage. I'm hoping I can bring them to maturity. I have had mixed success in the past.

Great work! I've installed another butterfly garden in my back yard. So, I'm hoping for more butterflies next year. I need to remember to plant dill and more parsley. I have parsley and fennel, but haven't seen BSTs at this house at all.

Martha