My monarch invasion started in my yard about 2 weeks ago. Laying eggs like crazy on the milkweeds. So far I have collected about 40 cats and put them in my butterfly cage. 4 have pupated, 3 are jays and half of the rest are thinking about it. The rest are still little - 2nd or 3rd instar.

Haven't seen any monarch cats yet, but there is one fat sulphur cat hanging onto a cassia flower for dear life in all this wind. I had two sulphur cats, but one either got blown off in the windstorm, or eaten by something. I'm hoping for more, since the sulphur mama was laying eggs like crazy a few days ago.

Speaking of butterflies, I saw two medium-sized black butterflies hiding inside a variegated privet on the property the other day. I was in a hurry, so I couldn't get close enough to get a good look. Are there any butterflies that breed on privet here in Florida? ETA: It may have been a moth that was just resting during the day. It definitely was too small for a black swallowtail and wings were not like a sphinx moth. Maybe a duskywing skipper?

I have numerous sulphurs in my yard every year but no Cassias. I guess I better get one.

Bea, if you wait, I'll root you some cuttings. Mine bloomed the first year, even though it was very small. I was going to root some cuttings anyway, so I can just add them to the others I was saving for you.

My sulphur cat has disappeared, so hopefully, he's gone off to pupate. He was such a nice, fat baby, but yesterday there was a parasitic wasp hovering around him. :(

I found one "hatched" monarch chrysalis on a brugmansia leaf, so at least one survived.

I know it's a numbers game. You just plant as much of each larval plant as you can and hope for the best.

My yard is full of sulphurs and monarchs today! One monarch is laying on the courtyard plants, so I'm excited about that. Hopefully, there will soon be larvae! Two sulfurs were busily laying eggs on the Christmas Cassia. I'm so glad I planted that. It's so beautiful, but I don't understand why we never get seeds on them up here. I know they're getting pollinated, but no seeds. Maybe a sterile variety? I don't have any asclepias seeds yet either. On the upside, I saw a honey bee on the tomato bush yesterday, and I've seen NONE since early spring.

I have another monarch flitting around the yard, but not sure if it's looking to lay eggs or looking for flowers. My milkweed just isn't blooming like it should be. Still, maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get more cats and maybe a few will survive the critters.

The granddaughters latest wave of monarch butterflies have all been released, 43 total, best release day was 17 released.

Early plants that the cats ate down were outside and leafed out and more eggs have been laid on them and hatched, currently those cats are in the enclosure happily eating the milkweed. Also have 16 black swallowtail cats on the dill plants in the screen porch.

I wish I had a way to grow them in a shelter, but I have so little space inside and out, there just isn't room, so nature has its way.