Awesome, I have been wishing for them to make some pollinator or butterfly stamps for years. The last ones they had that I really liked were the reptiles and amphibians, which a saved several sheets of. I will probably stock up on the pollinator stamps once they are issued. It looks they will only be available for a short time. Please post a reminder on here if you can, I would hate to miss out on this.

Hi Sylvia, Good plan to separate them. Hopefully the other two will make it! As far as the sick one goes, might be bacteria or polyhedrosis virus - I believe I had the same issue earlier in the season. Tdogmom (CalSherry) knows much more about monarch issue - hopefully she will post! In the meantime, here's a blurb from "Butterflybreeders.org" I do not know how true the scientific bits are, but they do have a great, easy-to-read list of cat/pupa symptoms, probable causes, and treatments - if any: "Malnutrition and / or toxic poisoning (pesticides, etc.): Symptoms shown by the caterpillars: - High casualty rate during 1st and 2nd instar. - Caterpillars may tend to walk of the plants in search for better food. - 3rd  5th instar caterpillars may be found lying on the bottom of your container or pot in a semi-curled position (not their defensive fully curled position). Usually, they will die shortly. Sometimes they will be wiggling on the ground and expelling green fluid out of both ends. - The caterpillar may not be able to fully pupate, can only push halfway through it's skin. - The chrysalis may be slightly deformed or have a bumpy texture rather than it's normal smooth shell. Treatment: The first three points above are likely caused by pesticides, bleach residue, or some form of toxic poising. The best thing to do is to fully rinse your plants to ensure all residues are removed. If this does not work and symptoms prevail, it may be possible that the plant has a systemic pesticide. At this point, it would be necessary to change your milkweed source. See Appendix B for a picture of our plant rinsing station. The second two points are likely caused by malnutrition. I would recommend trying to get a hold of a fresher source of milkweed. Usually, the above final two symptoms are found when feeding late season wild milkweed that is somewhat dried and lacking in nutrients. It may not be possible to try a new milkweed source, but it is highly recommended as this is likely your problem." Below is the link where this came from. Lots more on disease/virus stuff, including OE and polyhedrosis, etc. Hope this helps - Sandy :) Here is a link that might be useful: Caterpillar Disease/Viruses

Runmede, Thanks for sharing this information, and thanks for all the hours you've contributed to getting the word out and working to develop habitat to support the Monarchs. If we each could educate just a few close friends or colleagues and encourage them to mention these issues among their aquaintences, then a general consciousness of the problem would grow. Already, we've seen the growth of native plant businesses and the increased use of native plants in the traditional gardens. We just need to expand on the progress that has been made and keep building up momentum. Projects like yours will help immensely. Many of us don't have as many hours to devote as you do, but we can still help. I mentioned the Monarch plight during devotions at the start of our weekly business meeting. I also gave a brief explanation of how/why I garden the way I do at my office party, for a few folk who were hanging around by me. I get a chance to talk to patients and families on a daily basis, and once in awhile we get on to the subject of gardening or scary environmental changes--especially with cancer patients. Of course, I deal with whatever the patient needs, but if an obvious opening occurs in a conversation, I mention it as casual conversation. I have learned that broaching these issues needs to be done with extreme caution and sensitivity. The last thing we need to do is come across as superior and judgmental. I find the easiest way to be gentle is to just describe how I started gardening and reading on line and discovered how fun it is to observe the increase in the diversity of bugs and birds I saw in my garden in a short time. And mention how relatively carefree native plants are, since they evolved to exist in each region without the support of humans and irrigation or fertilizers. Depending on the audience, then you can observe how much less expensive it is to maintain a native garden patch than it is a manicured lawn--no watering, mowing, or weed killers. Plus, you get butterflies and hummingbirds! I should stop wandering. This is just how I'm treating myself Christmas morning. I'm procrastinating getting work done, which is due by the 31st. But, this feels at least as important, from a global sense. And I've already accomplished much of what work needs. Hope I've provided a bit of inspiration for some of you. I'm off to check in with the rest of my favorite forums. Martha

They have to be dead for them to send them in and receive their money. Yes, they are paid $5 per tag, which for the poor locals, is a lot of money. As far as I know, they don't kill them, they collect the dead ones that litter the forest floor. The Monarchs are not flying around much in the forest. They only come down from the trees for a rare drink of water and then back up they go. I doubt if there is much "killing" going on. You can, however, check out Journey North, which posts the migration, both north and south. The migration is underway and latest reports reflect Monarchs are at the Red River, which borders northern Texas and southern Oklahoma. I live in central Oklahoma, so I can barely wait! Tagging is done gently and easily, and usually right when the butterfly ecloses. They rest until their wings are dry and they warm up enough to fly. This takes anywhere from 1 to several hours. The tiny little "dot" sticker tag is just gently applied to the outside of the upper wing. Even children are doing it at Monarch Waystations elementary schools. I plan to do it this summer myself. It's important information that Monarch Watch is gathering in regard to these migrating butterflies. It is a personal decision, but I don't mind helping out the hispanic population IN Mexico. BTW, Edna frequents the Butterfly Forum and I believe it was her that suggested I check out the Cottage Garden forum, too. Susan