skip to main content

Butterfly Garden

I've Got Monarch Eggs!! Off and running.....

13 years ago

On my itty bitty milkweed. We'll see how that goes.

Susan

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (16)

butterflymomok
13 years ago
Me too! On my itty bitty milkweed! Seeing quite a few Monarchs this year, and seeing them on a daily basis. Looks to be a good year.

Sandy
MissSherry
13 years ago
Well, congratulations, I guess! :)
Maybe you can find some bigger milkweed roadside, or your little MWs will do some big time growing!
Sherry
Related Discussions
I've got RA cats!
Q
Comments (11)
Congrats, Paul! It sounds like you're getting underway with a nice start there! I had Monarchs here last year, but no Red Admirals. Of course, it would help if I planted some nettle, but I've already gone wild this year with the plants. That one will have to wait for maybe next year. Have fun with all those cats, and I'm sure there will be more in your future. :) Cathy
...See More
I've Got Sulphur Eggs!
Q
Comments (5)
Thanks for the tip, Elisabeth. I need more potting soil, too, so I can check them out. Oh, MissSherry, I've seen those wasps carry off full size caterpillars, too! The sulphur female was back again, but I didn't see if she was ovipositing or not. At the time, she was nectaring on the Nicotiana I picked up recently - white with a pink tint to the base and calyxes of the flowers. I'm kinda worn slick tonight. Kenna was here today and we had a good time. We have a new stray cat, Lady George (cuz she looks identical to my indoor cat, George) that is very friendly and was obviously feeding wee cats somewhere. She decided she wanted us to try to find them, so we hunted high and low, and she finally found them in a basement next door! She was thrilled and now has in mind to ween and tame them. Oh, my..... I did get to pot up some seedlings of Asclepias viridis and Salvia 'Forest Fire'. I think I'm really going to like this Salvia. It is fire engine red with black calyces - sounds stunning! I've got so many seedlings to pot up, and I'm not going to do this any more in the future, so I'm feeling very obligated to pot up as many of my seedlings as possible, and either give them away to a couple friends here, and probably to Sandy if she wants some, too. I am growing the red flowering Tecoma for the first time, and I think it will look very pretty, too. The Flame Acanthus that I didn't think would come up w/o stratification is coming up well. Note to self: Don't believe everything you read! Have lots of Silene regia (might be good for your meadow, if native in MS as well) to pot up. Lots to keep me busy for a good while anyway. Sorry to ramble on.... Susan
...See More
32 additional monarch eggs and baby cats plus an unknown egg
Q
Comments (10)
Cghpnd, I'm so sorry you're having bad luck. Did they seem OK when you found them? Are there more cats still living? If so, make sure you separate the eggs from them. You probably want to have multiple containers that you can move the cats and eggs to as they grow, and clean the alternate containers with bleach each time you switch them out. There are nasty diseases that Monarchs can carry and pass on to one another. Some people who raise Monarchs insist that each cat should be kept in an individual container. It certainly makes sense to keep small groups separate, so if one container is infected, at least the other groups have a chance to avoid infection. And wash hands and milkweed carefully. Again, some people soak their milkweed in a weak bleach solution and then rinse it thoroughly before giving it to their cats, in case sick cats have crawled over the leaves before they collected them. Sorry to be a bit of a wet blanket, but there is obviously something seriously wrong, and I want the rest of your experience to be positive. Martha
...See More
Week 28: I've run out of steam & (probably) need help...
Q
Comments (46)
Emmers! Welcome. I cannot imagine moving my 5 cats without serious trauma .. for ME! Good luck with this new home, new place, new people, new everything! It's a wild ride!! Shicksal, what happened with the builder and his estimate? Did you have conversation? I still have a feeling, as someone else mentioned, that the house will be a wreck before anything's done, then what the city will do? require? Who knows. I, too, like MTDoug's philosophy. I am also one of getting rid of crap. ' Texas_Gem, that's wild. I'm willing to bet this weekend you'll be showing us the entire place closed in and ready for insulation! Unfortunately it quickly packs up with new crap. The difficult thing is, too, that I have purpose for the crap. In the last month, I've made several things out of crap, without having to buy anything. Well, the raised garden bed was a bale of hay ($6.00), the potting bench a piece of corner bead ($8.00) and today, inside, my apothecary drawers. I find these spice/apothecary drawers to be the most useless pieces of crap in the world. Almost as useless as base, reach-in cabinets or 12" wall cabinets. However, on a 16' run, they give the eye a break. Plus, I have 4 sets of them. Don't ask. But, I'd already bought the corbels from a true artist on Etsy. Absolutely lovely. No idea what I was going to do with them. I've used primer I have, I'm going to use a SW sample paint for the bottoms, sealing it with the dark, paint base I already have. So, crap already here. I also came to a roadblock with the lovely oak I've been planing. It's dimensional, with live edges. I mean, BARK on the edges!! What can I build to showcase that, since it's incredible? I was planning cabinet doors, probably, but I'd have to joint that off. Noooooooo... Ideas? Hmmm... No phone. Pizza and Martinis? I'll take the latter. YEAH! Martinis and pizza!! What could be better, except talking on the phone with someone about how great it is. Sorry for the inconvenience. I hope all is uploaded somewhere. Shicksal, the reason for stealing the phone isn't to use it, it's to sell it. With a SIM card, anything's possible. Interestingly enough, many phones now have GPSs or programs to shut them down, so even that lucrative activity is slowly thwarted. In the meanwhile, Crap of a different sort. Ok. Off to sand and paint. What can I make with that gorgeous oak? We're talking 6-8' boards. 9-11 3/4" wide.... I have hung 90" of upper cabinets in the last 2 days, though. Gotta put the doors on, but oh, so pretty. And OFF the counter. Cal_quail, I'm so relieved for you. I was holding my breath.
...See More
angie83
13 years ago
First Monarch today and she was very weathered but she left me some eggs her wings were frayed but I sure was glad to see her. Angie
caterwallin
13 years ago
Congratulations, Susan! I hope you have enough milkweed to feed them.
Cathy
susanlynne48
Original Author
13 years ago
Me, too, Cathy! I lost my biggest A. incarnata this year. She layed eggs on the smaller one. I have planted milkweed seeds and I planted 2 other A. speciosa seedlings this morning, for a total now of 3. I noticed today that the Cynanchum laeve is coming up, so maybe I'll have enough if she doesn't lay any more eggs for now.

Angie, are these really your first Monarchs this year? How did they get to Oklahoma so quick and bypass your milkweed? You're in Texas, right?

Susan
linda_tx8
13 years ago
I have 7 Monarch caterpillars! I have 4 plants of Mexican Milkweed, a couple small A. asperula and a few smallish A. texana plants left. Maybe that will do. Some of the foliage on Mexican Milkweed and a whole A. texana plant has been eaten by milkweed beetles already. But of course, there is also roadside A. asperula in the area...that's the source of the 7 eggs! The monarchs haven't skipped Texas entirely, but haven't found my yard yet.
angie83
13 years ago
Yep Im by coast in Texas and Iv had few butterflys this year its so sad nothing but GF and now my first monarch hope she comes back Iv got tons of milkweed for her. My family jewels milkweed is grown like nuts this year I planted it with citric soil this year they died last year from being too wet they hate wet feet . Angie
bandjzmom
13 years ago
Congrats susanlynne! Oh my...your post has got me to thinking. I have officially seen 3 Monarchs in my yard so far this season. I do have lots of Tropical MW plants growing in pots on my porch, and there is Common MW coming up nicely in the yard. I hadn't thought to check it for eggs.~Angie
minrose
13 years ago
This is encouraging to here, I have about 5-6 weeks yet to wait before I see any monarchs.
rjj1
13 years ago
Amber and I have been collecting cats for a few days now. It does look to be a good year for them IF we get some rain soon.

randy
susanlynne48
Original Author
13 years ago
Minrose - they may be there sooner than you think!

Randy, I know you always have a "gaggle" of Monarch eggs and caterpillars at your place!

How's Amber doing, BTW?

Susan
swallowtailgirl
13 years ago
The same thing happened to me. We don't usually see many monarchs until August here in this part of Georgia, but on Sunday a lone, weathered female found the milkweed plant I had pulled out of the green house and spent hours laying eggs. There weren't many leaves on that plant, so I went to the nursery the next day and bought two more plants. I'll have babies soon! Yeah!
rjj1
13 years ago
Susan,

Amber retired from gymnastics at the end of last year. She got tired of always being in pain. Now she's coaching. It's something she has talked about doing for a few years now and she really enjoys it.
susanlynne48
Original Author
13 years ago
Good for her, Randy! I can't imagine that being in pain all the time was very pleasant. This way, she is still involved in her beloved sport.

Congrats everyone on your eggs, too!

Susan
wifey2mikey
13 years ago
I found monarch eggs on my butterfly weed today! YAY! I only see two, but I'll take it!

~Laura
bandjzmom
13 years ago
swallowtailgirl....what part of GA are you in? I am in the upper NW corner, and like you, I don't normally see any Monarchs until August. I am amazed that I am seeing them here in the yard now, and extra amazed that they are laying eggs all over my little bitty milkweed plants.
My Butterfly Weed is just starting to come up now. I do have potted Tropical MW on the porch. Gosh, I hope they don't lay eggs on those little tiny seedlings, but I bet they will.~~Angie

Related Stories

GLAM STYLE We've Got a Golden Ticket

By Charmean Neithart Interiors

Make that 9, actually. These winning rooms use glimmers of gold in designs that may make you gasp in delight

SALVAGE Bike-Chain Chandeliers You've Got to See

By Mitchell Parker

Take a video ride with us to see how an artist creates amazing lighting fixtures solely from bike parts

HOUSEKEEPING Before You Roast Those Chestnuts, Make Sure You've Got a Clean Chimney

By Bonnie McCarthy

Here's how to ensure your chimney is safe for holiday gatherings by the fire

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Be a Butterfly Savior — Garden for the Monarchs

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Keep hope, beauty and kindness alive in the landscape by providing a refuge for these threatened enchanters

FEEL-GOOD HOME 12 Very Useful Things I've Learned From Designers

By Becky Harris

These simple ideas can make life at home more efficient and enjoyable

FALL GARDENING What Monarch Butterflies Taught Me About Garden Design

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Thinking like a butterfly leads to fresh perspectives in the garden and in life

MONTHLY HOME CHECKLISTS Your April Checklist for a Smooth-Running Home

By Laura Gaskill

Shake off the winter blues and spring into action to get your home in the spirit of the new season

HOUSEKEEPING Got a Disastrously Messy Area? Try Triage

By Alison Hodgson

Get your priorities straight when it comes to housekeeping by applying an emergency response system

DECORATING GUIDES The Dumbest Decorating Decisions I’ve Ever Made

Caution: Do not try these at home

FLOWERS AND PLANTS Help Monarchs and Other Butterflies by Planting Common Milkweed

By Pollination Press LLC

Summer-blooming Asclepias syriaca is an important larval host plant for the monarch butterfly and attracts a number of pollinating insects

Sponsored

More Discussions

?what to do with this little guy?

3