Wow--that is a dramatic decrease! I wonder if Monarch Watch is a good place for you to report or to check for sightings this year. So sorry--know how disappointing it is to have everything up and ready and no takers. Maybe next year or you never know--you may get some still. When I was in NH, I would have some come through in September--migrating though--they loved all of the goldenrods and asters in bloom.

Yea, it sounds like we're all seeing some activity now. Congrats, Sherry. She is a beauty. Christie, Hang in there, it sounds like they're beginning to move south. You asked about where I grow my Swamp MW. The bed where my swamp milkweed is growing is actually on a very gentle slope. I did work in a lot of rotted compost prior to planting and I've watered deeply around the base of the plants about every other day during the unusually high temps this year (sad to say, considering the condition of my old back, I've had to do this for most of my plants). :-) Another thing I did was leave some of the 'Lady in Red' sage that self seeds to grow among the milkweed, just to provide a bit of shade and cooling for the roots. Once they've developed a good root system, I think they'll do just fine in our hot summers. These are second year plants. Last year they were just a single stalk. This year they grew a strong stalk, then put out a wide canopy of growth at the top. Out of six plants, I only had one bloom. I'm hoping next year there will be more blooms. As Bob said earlier, the swamp MW is an aphid magnet. I kept blasting the aphids off for the longest time, then didn't do it for a bit and wouldn't you know it, mama Monarch showed up and laid eggs (not that I'm complaining). Now I'm stuck with those little suckers as I don't want to blast her eggs! :-) Please consider trying this MW again. The leaves are smaller than most milkweed, glossy, thin and very pliable, which will make them easy for the tiny cats to eat. ~Mary

They also love to eat Rue, an old medicinal type herb, with lovely blue-green, lacy foliage. Precure Nursery sells it, as well as very nice Fennel and Dill plants. I know they don't spray the Dill and Fennel because they are considered food plants, but they may spray the Rue on occasion. If the Rue is sitting on the tables with the Fennel and Dill, it is relatively safe to say it has not been sprayed. If, however, it is located on a table some distance from the Dill and Fennel, it has been sprayed. I know one summer they had a problem with mealy bugs on the Rue, so they moved it to the Perennial plant section and sprayed them. Someone purchased the Rue plants unsuspectingly, and when the cats consumed the Rue, they died. That said, I highly recommend Precure because they sell a lot of butterfly host and nectar plants. I have purchased other host plants such as Blue Crown Passion Vine (for the Gulf Fritillarys), Pussytoes (Antennaria, for the American Ladies), Pearly Everlasting (American Ladies), and other things. Their herb plants are usually pretty good sized. I have to go there today to get more Rue and Fennel, so I can let you know the status of their Rue if you would like. The thing I like about Rue is that it is also the food plant for the Giant Swallowtails, so you would have 2 different butterflies using them for larval food. The Black Swallowtail is Oklahoma's state butterfly, too! If you want to, you could hand-raise a couple of the caterpillars so your daughter can see the life cycle up close. Just use a plastic container, with airholes punched in the lid, small enough the larvae cannot get thru them. I put a paper towel in the bottom (change daily cuz caterpillars poop a lot), and add fresh Dill leaves in the morning and evening, removing whatever is left of the old. I use the plastic containers and cut out the inside portion of the top, put a paper towel over the container and put the lid back on (you will have just the rim of the lid left) or you can cover the entire container with a paper towel secured with a rubber band. When they reach the last instar of growth, they will began to wander around the container and empty their guts. If your container is tall enough, you can put some sticks or something wooden, stand them up or lean them against the sides, and they will pupate either on these or on the sides, top of container. When the cat has found a place to pupate, it will spin a "harness" and position itself securely against the stick or side of the container where it will remain motionless. Eventually, they shed their skin for the last time and in its place is a chrysalis, either brown or green. Inside its interior is turning to liquid and then reconstituting as a butterfly. In about 7-10 days, you will see the chrysalis begin to darken. Within a day or so, the butterfly will slide out of the chrysalis and hang to dry. The wings are all crumpled up and damp looking. Don't disturb it. The butterfly will begin to pump fluid into the wings, the wings will extend and dry. After a few hours, the butterfly will be ready to fly. This may sound difficult, but it is not at all. I have used containers like large, plastic pretzel containers from Sam's Club, mesh cages purchased from Educational Science online, butter/margarine containers, etc. I cover them with paper towels held in place with rubber bands. The most important things are keeping the containers clean, and providing fresh food daily, twice daily when they get big. You will notice them growing and eating more and more. Congrats on your big, beautiful caterpillars! Susan Here is a link that might be useful: Black Swallowtail Life Cycle

So sorry for not getting back sooner. Thanks to everyone for posting. I got the info out to Chip at Monarch Watch. The Monarchs are definitely working their way back north. Thanks Dragonladytoo for your report from Lake Arcadia. It's so beautiful around there with all of the trees and wildflowers. Do you enjoy Dragonflies, also- hence your name? G.M., your sighting is very important regardless if you know alot about butterflies or have milkweed. I appreciate your posting about seeing some Monarchs around your yard. Thanks so much. I plan to be coming to Ardmore next Friday for the Annual ODAT Wildflower seminar. I am really looking forward to it! There will be speakers and Native Plant dealors there on Friday. Marilyn Stewart will be there with her native plants for sale. And, Steve Owens from Okla. Gardening will be there will his native plants for sale. They both will both be speaking on Friday. Saturday, will be a native plant tour. Wish I could go, but have a niece graduating in Stillwater that day. Try to come if you can. I believe that there is an admission at the door. Dawn, what a wonderful array of flowers that you have blooming. You are a lil further south, so things have been warmer there. I'm sure that you attract lots of butterflies and hummers. Your native area sounds like to die for!!! I would love to have all of those wildflowers in my yard. I am working on a native area. I have a few paintbrush and bluebonnets. I hope that I can keep the bermuda out,and that they will reseed. Randy, glad that you are enjoying the Monarch cats. They are just pretty darn cuuute. Steffie, so sorry to hear that you live next door to a "Pesticide queen". :( Not good for butterfly cats. Not good for people, either. It's just not fair, is it? They don't realize that their pesticide doesn't just stay in their yard only. Wish that I had a good answer for you. Good luck. Randy, your tropical mw is further along than mine! The cats keep eating my buds off! Here is a link that might be useful: Wildflower Workshop in Ardmore