I had a giant milk weed come up in my yard a few years ago and I mowed around it so the butterflies would lay on it but they never did. But they love my yellow milk weed.

I never had luck with the giant milkweed either, but my friend had caterpillars all over hers. I even tried moving small cats to it from the regular milkweed, but no go. I think maybe the leaves are too tough for them.

Thanks for the reply, Glenn. Last year I got ambitious and studied milkweeds that would grow in Florida. I got as many of those that Prairie Moon Nursery sold and was a little surprised that they instruct to cold stratify. Mmmm weird. But I took the time to do that with each pack. I ended up with hundreds of seedlings.

The monarchs found the baby plants and waited til I wasn't looking and laid eggs. I had to relocate the tiny cats to mature Milkweed in the garden in order to save those poor seedlings that were almost naked by the time I discovered my dilemma.

So I built a covered "porch" over the nursery so the mama monarchs couldn't get in. I spent hours and hours nurturing my new Milkweed plants with visions of their flowers covering every square inch of my tiny yard.

Well, you guessed it.......not a one made it through the summer.

And that's why I am so interested in what other people have had success with for their monarch cats.

I think you're right, Deb, about the small cats not liking the thick rough leaves.

A couple of years ago when I was collecting all the cats in the yard in prep for Hurricane Matthew, I had to go to my friend's yard to cut back her Giant Milkweed leaves to feed the cats in captivity (which is how I got my cutting that I rooted). There was nothing else to eat, I guess, so they survived. But I remember the bigger cats took to it and munched happily.

So now I have several Hairy Balls plants near my Giant Milkweed and I hope the little cats have been making their way to them to finish out their lives.

At any rate, I've pretty much stopped "raising" Monarch cats like I used to, since I had gotten completely addicted to the task. And even though I have way less butterflies in the yard, I am trusting that they can take care of themselves.

I will keep trying to raise the native milkweeds as I get ahold of the seeds. though.

I have had a giant milkweed for several years. The monarchs do lay eggs on it and sometimes there are cats. But very few make it to maturity. This plant has one major defect. It is easy for predators to spot the eggs and the cats. The large, semi-flat leaves don't give the cats or the eggs much visible protection. For me, it's mostly the wasps that get the eggs and cats.

I think the leaves would work if they were put in cages for the cats to eat or the eggs to survive. It is a milkweed.

Hi Tom and thanks! (Your reply went to my spam so I didn't see it til just now)

Wasps are the Enemy of the Year for me here too and I guess putting cats on Giant leaves is like setting out the smorgasbord. I'm not doing that anymore!

Do you grow any other kind of milkweed?

Susie

Hi, Susie, I grow the normal tropical milkweed, yellow and orange. The monarchs love them and they are easy to grow. It's difficult for me to have enough of them. They are devoured by the cats.

For those who try to help monarchs, interesting article on NPR the other day, in case you missed it:

https://www.npr.org/2019/06/24/735389108/monarch-butterflies-born-in-captivity-have-trouble-migrating-south-study-says

ETA Oops, I see you already posted this, DG. Sorry.