In our community gardens, a wide variety of milkweeds are offered to the Monarchs. Every year they are covered with cats during different times of the year. It's very common to find a chrysalis hanging from a garden border 2x6 or from horizontal vine supports or any number of different plant stems. It is extremely rare to find any of them on the host plants though, as the little cats seem to want to wander off to do their magic. I'm sure there are predations, but I've photographed any of the beautiful little encasinga and even had the privilege of watching the last instar unzip into the bright green chrysalis. Up until that point I wasn't sure exactly how it happened and it was amazing and surprisingly quick! It takes me a bit of searching to find them at this point because they are so well camouflaged.

lunamoon, no sweat, I have been there, and it is NO FUN. my first child was 3 mo. old when he got sick, and he did not get better til he was 8 mo. old, I was going from doctor to doctor, first one said it was pnemonia (sp) second one said he had RSV, FINALLY a doctor asked me if we had any cats in the house, yeah a long haired tortise shell siamese mix and a persian mix, had to give my cats away and about a month later when I was hopping mad at the doc for mis diagnosing him again and making me get rid of my pets, he got better! All the dander had to be removed from the house as well, and duh I didn't think about that! He now has no allergies to cats, he out grew it, but he was one sick baby for a long time! michelle

Daucus carota ~ Wild Carrot Dactylis glomerata ~ orchard-grass Datura ssp. ~ thorn-apple Datura stramonium ~ jimsonweed Daucus carota ~ wild carrot Descurainia incana ~ Richardson tansy-mustard Descurainia sophia ~ flixweed Dichrostachys cinerea ~ marabu Digitaria abyssinica ~ bottomless crabgrass Digitaria ischaemum ~ smooth crabgrass Digitaria sanguinalis ~ large crabgrass Digitaria velutina ~ velvety crabgrass Dioscorea alata ~ white yam Dioscorea bulbifera ~ air potato Dipsacus fullonum ~ common teasel Dracocephalum parviflorum ~ American dragonhead Drymeria arenarioides ~ sandy drymeria

Tribulus terrestris ~ puncturevine Taeniatherum caput-medusae ~ Medusa-head Tagetes minuta ~ wild marigold Tamarix parviflora ~ saltcedar Tamarix ramosissima ~ saltcedar Tamarix ssp. ~ saltcedar complex Tanacetum vulgare ~ common tansy Taraxacum spp. ~ dandelion Thlaspi arvense ~ fanweed Thymelaea passerina ~ mezereon Tibouchina spp. ~ glory tree Torilis arvensis ~ field hedge parsley Toxicodendron radicans ~ poison ivy Tragopogon pratensis ~ meadow salsify Tragopogon spp. ~ goat's-beard Trapa natans ~ water chestnut Trapa spp. ~ water chestnut Tribulus terrestris ~ puncture-vine Tridax procumbens ~ coat buttons Triumfetta rhoboidea ~ paroquet bur Triumphetta semitriloba ~ Sacramento bur Tussilago farfara ~ coltsfoot