Tiffy,

All the eggs that the BFs are laying will not hatch if left outside. Predators will take care of some of them. You may come back to stripped plants, but that happens in nature. I don't think planting seeds will alleviate the problem. Your plants won't grow fast enough to be ready for the demand.

Your cats will find places to pupate. They can go a long distance, if need be, to find a suitable place. I have found chrysalides all over the eaves of my house, under window ledges, in door frames, on pots on my patio, on telephone cords, etc. I think CalSherry has found them on her toilet as she raises them in her downstairs bathroom! We help Mother Nature when we raise the caterpillars, but she does a pretty good job on her own.

My thoughts are with you as you anticipate your dad's surgery.

Sandy

Thank-you Sandy.

My intent was not to grow new plants for this year but rather to increase next year's number of Asclepias. I do have about 20 more which I winter sowed this year and are ready to head into the gardens but if I can add to that then I will. I might just try it and see what happens.

Thanks again for your help. Most welcome! :O)

Sorry I misread your post. I have sown seeds in pots in the summer and overwintered them. I haven't direct sown this time of the year as it is so hot and dry. The seeds would probably just shrivel up and die. However, you are in a different zone. You could always try a few and save the others. You also could take some cuttings and start them.

Your incarnata is so beautiful. I saw the pictures on your other post about the fritillaries. You have an incredible garden. If you have 20 more plants ready to go out, that should feed quite a few BFs. I fed 45 caterpillars leaves from my tropical milkweed. I have about 12 plants. I have some more plants coming up where it reseeded itself from last year. I also have incarnata and tuberosa that I use as backups.

Can you grow curassavica where you are? I always start mine in early February so I can put it out in April. It grows as an annual here. I like it because it regrows leaves and stems fairly quickly. It also will root easily in water, even the cuttings used to feed the caterpillars. If you need seed, I will have an abundance this fall. Most people on the BF forum grow curassavica and quite a few have seed to share.

HTH,

Sandy

Sandy,

I am trying Curassavica for the first time this year but they are only about 3 inches tall at this time. I winter sowed them so this may be one of those plants that if started outside in my zone may not have time to reach it's full potential. No greenhouse and no lights in the basement. Might try borrowing space from a friend's greenhouse next year. She has offered.

My oldest plants are the Incarnatas which you saw in the photos. They are four years old. I also have two year old Tuberosas which the Monarchs haven't laid eggs on yet, and this year there are more Incarnatas (whites) going in the gardens as well as Syriaca from this past winter's sowings.

The number of Monarchs has increased greatly in our neighbourhood in the last couple of years. We used to see one every once in a while, but now they are daily visitors and other gardeners in the area are starting to pay attention since I've been raising them. They are truly beautiful!

Your friend's greenhouse would be great. You might even plant the curassavica in the early winter to give it a good start. My plants are about 3 inches tall when I put them in the ground. They shoot up rapidly in the heat.

I don't have a greenhouse so I set up a bookshelf--open front and back--with grow lights attached to each shelf. I used the industrial type velcro. I also invested in a heat mat to start seeds. This helped to get my plants up and going. Total investment was about $100. Biggest expense was the heat mat. I already had the book shelf. The shelves are laminate, so I don't worry about water spills, etc.

I love the heat mat as it gets everything going quickly, including Tithonia which everyone says is hard to grow. My Tithonia had about 95% germination rate in a matter of days. I figure that I can recoup my investment in a couple of years. Now I just need a little fridge for stratifying seeds! And, oh yes, a room to keep all my growing equipment in. Maybe a greenhouse! LOL

Sandy