This girl wanted badly to get out, I didn't know, and I think that's what attracted the PL's in the first place that day. That's the day I saw a PL trying to fly with a Monarch two times, I think they were influenced by the Monarch 'in distress' in the enclosure. The top of the enclosure is the same aluminum screening as the sides and is see-through like the sides. I let her out after taking photos. I put this enclosure together quickly after my first pupae was killed by a wasp in mid-pupation. I DON'T recommend putting the metal stakes on the inside of the screening as I did. I'll put the stakes on the outside of the mesh next year. The caterpillars like to hang from the metal stakes for some reason, and I had to keep shade over the rails all during the hot summer or they would have fried from the heat of the hot metal.

I agree the best bet would be to grow, grow, and grow milkweed like crazy to be prepared for next year's influx of monarchs. I also have had very poor luck in finding any significant amount in nursery's and it is defiantly late in the season for them to be stocking any. I have heard it takes about 10 plants to attract them into your yard. Although I gave my mom two and she got them the first year I gave them to her. It took me 2 1/2 years of growing them in my yard to get any Monarchs in to my yard. Granted, as I have talked to others near my neighborhood, they had faster luck than I did! It is the right season here in North San Diego county for monarchs. I have many eggs and for the FIRST time I saw mid-air copulation taking place in my garden today! I now commonly have monarch cats as late as Thanksgiving. And actually I was surprised to have them as early as August this year.

That's wonderful, docmom! I've been raising American ladies in captivity for years. I just released another one, there are more chrysalides in the cage, and there are still two more caterpillars. It's messy to raise these yourself, more so than with most caterpillars, because they make those fuzzy nests, but it's worth it to get to release them. Yours will undoubtedly be fine on their own, though, since they've gotten as far as they have. Just keep planting those pussy toes! Sherry

I think Painted Lady is usually refers to this one http://worldofsucculents.com/echeveria-derenbergii-painted-lady/ And that Ash is right, the photo posted here is Echeveria Pulidonis, The E. derenbergii Painted Lady has a soft orange bloom, is smaller, plumper with a sharp peak, but has a red line similar to this, but with a red dot at the peak.