Is this the plant you are talking about?
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I googled Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar and the photo looks like the caterpilars which decimate my Purple Fennel plants every year but the plants always survive and refoliate (is that a word?). I just "let it be"...they don't seem to bother anything else.

I'm tickled to imagine you walking up to a neighbor's house and offering them a caterpillar...any takers?

josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar

Here are some cats from last year on my dill.
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I grew those a couple of years ago. It was fun watching the caterpillars pig out on the leaves. We have the native Asclepias butterfly weed growing wild in my area -- not blooming yet that I have noticed!

Yes, That is the plant. The cats on the dill are not Monarch's. Monarchs have black yellow and green stripes, but no dots. They will only eat Milk Weed. Each summer in Michigan,our grand daughters and I raise a couple of monarchs in a screened covered jar. BUT we also have gobs of wild milkweed. Seems as if I am the only one in our park that has this plant, but we noticed tonight that three of the cats have started their next phase, so the new plant should be food enough for the other three.I have hopes that my plants will grow new leaves, and maybe a new family of monarchs..

I have fennel and parsley for them too. I have so enjoyed enticing the butterflies to my back yard. Teaching my grandchildren about them and they in turn teaching their friends has been a wonderful expeience.

The cats in mimidi's pic are the ones of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Papilio glaucus ;-)

I have one just like the picture above of the reddish orange plant. Last year no caterpillars on it. I propagated one offshoot and they are both blooming now. No cats. Over in the butterfly forum someone posted that some butterfly weed or something is too 'tough' for the butterflies and there is a preferable one. What is the scientific name of the good one? I have very dry sandy yard, so the swamp milkweed would not work for me here.

Hey ya'll,
I've already had cats in my yard also. Had to pick up
the little buggers and move them to other butterfly
weed plants in the yard. They eat every leaf in site.
A couple have formed pupa's. The rest may be to well
hidden for me to find. Every year I plant more
butterfly weed to keep them comming back. Ya'll have
a wonderful weekend and Happy Mothers Day to all
the Mom's on the board.

Brenda
Harvey, LA

Here is a link that might be useful: Community Webshots

Hey Deep South Gardener
Do the cats kill your plants or do they grow back from the roots? One thing for sure you NEED milk weed to get Monarchs. There are quite a few seed pods on my plants so maybe they will reseed themselves.

just some extra info.
mimid's plant is aesclepias curassavica(scarlet milkweed), an introduction that has naturalized but apparently any old milkweed will do for them! *lol*
it is different in color from those in the fields of milkweed that i remember from childhood that were all orange (aesclepias tuberosa).
in fact, i got a plant of a. curassavica from a fellow gardenweb member last year but it was probably too late in the season for the butterflies.

Here is a link that might be useful: scarlet milkweed

Jeff I have added aesclepias tuberosa this year. Amazing so many plants that I was told were weeds growing up are now finding there way into my flowerbeds. If someone tells me a plant is liked or needed by hummingibrds or butterflies I do my best to find and buy it.

I am missing my hummingbirds right now because of all the Japanese honeysuckle that is blooming on our road. But what a wonderful scent when you go out in the early morning or late afternoon. Brings back so many good memories of my childhoon.

Today we saw four nice Monarchs flitting around in the garden. I'm thinking they are the end result of my strayed away "Cats". Those little Milk Weed plants are bursting with seeds. No leaves, but lots of pods and seeds. Next year I will likely be writing y'all asking how do I get rid of all these Milk Weed. :-)