@Perennialfan: If the smaller red bugs look like those in the second picture down on the right-hand side of the link I posted, they are immature milkweed bugs. MBs have an incomplete metamorphosis (meaning that the young look very much like the adults). @Ken: Milkweed bugs are in the order hemiptera, all of which have sucking mouthparts. This order of insects are commonly referred to as "true bugs" and includes such insects as aphids, woolly adelgids, leafhoppers, planthoppers, cicadas, stinkbugs and tens of thousands of others. I don't know whether they're called "true bugs" so as to distinguish them from the term "bug" to describe any insect, or whether there's another reason ... but I'm sure it's a lot easier for most people to handle than "hemiptera" (which really isn't so difficult, once you get used to it). Considering their apparent promiscuity, I don't know if any bugs are really true ;-) @Echinaceamaniac: You've sure got that right! I've seen the milkweed in our park take a lot of abuse from nature ... and still it thrives!

I have A. incarnata white and light pink (Swamp milkweed) and A. tuberosa - Butterfly weed. No sign of life yet with either one. They are definitely late risers. BUT I just got my first Asclepias sprouts today!! A. incarnata (darker pink) and A. purpurascens - Purple milkweed Vera, did you wintersow you A. speciosa? I winter sowed A. variegata too, and read somewhere that it takes 3 years to see flowers on that one.

Sit and watch a milkweed plant for a while and you will see bees struggling to get away. I believe it has something to do with the pollen. The first time I saw it, a bees was going in circles and after taking a close look, it was trying to free it's leg. I've seen it happen many times since

Wow! Thank you. Usually when I post on this site, one or more people have to make me feel so small for knowing so little. I'm both thrilled and humbled by how kind and helpful all the responses are. Seriously! Thanks. I actually just went out back to count milkweed plants - 9-10 and all aphid infested to some degree. (Some can be seen from across the yard, some have to be seen close up.) Was surprised to find an oriental one, hidden among the much taller ones. Definitely can't cut down the infested ones, though. lol On the other hand, I forgot some people can actually still see 1/32nd of an inch. That blew me away. I'm impressed. I'm going with, as long as the aphids don't eat butterfly eggs, if I got an egg, eventually, I might see a caterpillar. If I see a caterpillar, the little critter (without touching - bugs give me the hee bee gee bees when they touch me lol) onto the parsley, and hope he doesn't need as much has hubby wants. (Three well-leafed parsleys, so there should be enough for the caterpillar and us. lol) As for seeing monarchs in my garden - nope, not yet. BUT, then again, I actually didn't think there were any butterflies in the city, until the bufferfly bush brought my first Admiral. (Spent five hours online looking up what it was. never saw a red butterfly before - just yellow and orage swallowtails.)If I keep growing the milkweed, sooner or later, a monarch will wander by - maybe. One thing for sure, I've always wanted some ladybugs (found one on one of the milkweeds early on), but didn't think I had enough aphids to feed them. I've since learned how to make a ladybug house, and am working towards gathering the ingredients. I now know I have enough aphids. lol I definitely have parasitic wasp. They like finding cabbage moths on my lavander later in the year. As for hydrating. God's been doing a fine job watering my garden, so far. (I think Philadelphia is getting Settle's rainfall the last couple of months.) Since I'm also growing tomatoes and other produce, I (or God) make sure they get watered daily. Probably why the aphids love them so much. lol So, should my dill get closer to the rest of the butterfly attracting plants? I'm not growing fennel or zinnias. (Am curious which kind of fennel though. I also am getting addicted to herbs. lol) Also, I stumbled upon the offer of milkweed on our local FreeCycle Network, so, like I said, I didn't even know there was such a wide variety. I don't have any more space in my yard to grow more this year, but when do I sow the tropical seeds? I think leaving that container alone last year, allowed the seeds I had to over-winter and sprout naturally. Then again, obviously not tropical. Thanks again for the help. Oh, and since I just looked up tropical milkweed, found an offer for milkweed seeds. They say "free," but they're trying to bring back the monarch after a freeze killed off a whole bunch in Mexico, so let's just say "reasonably priced." The link is below. Here is a link that might be useful: Reasonably priced milkweed seeds