The only dealings I've had with tachinid flies, Jmcat, is when I raised some tobacco hornworms. I got most of them off my tomato plants when they were real small, and I didn't see any white cocoons on them, so I thought everything was okay. I never saw anything that looked like pupae. I fixed them a place to pupate when the first one emptied its bowels - clean dirt and leaves - and they went underground as usual. Then a couple of weeks later, a healthy adult Carolina sphinx emerged, but a few days later, I found flies all over their cage. I squished as many of them as I could, but some of them flew out. Then a few days later, the same thing happened, so I dumped the dirt and leaves in the woods, so whatever else was in there could emerge away from my porch - it was beginning to look like most of them were parasitized. I never saw any evidence of flies until I saw the adults, so I doubt that your cat has been parasitized, however, I don't know anything about the life cycle of these disgusting flies. I can only suggest that you Google tachinid flies or go to your library and look it up. It may just be that your cat is sick or taking a long time to molt, I don't know. Good luck! Sherry

I do think that folks further south than we are (in Florida, along the gulf coast through Texas, and in California) wash their milkweed leaves because OE is more prevalent there on tropical milkweed (A. curassavica). It is recommended that they cut their plants in half by mid-summer to allow new, uninfected growth on them as well. However, that said, I still rinse off my milkweed leaves, and I try to get enough so when I do it, I can refrigerate some of them and they'll stay fresh until the next day's feeding. It's a pain, but I didn't have any OE last year at all. We CAN have it develop on plants, but it is less likely here than in the deep south. That's from everything I have read about it. If I'm in a big hurry, though, I will just throw some leaves in the containers after cleaning out the dirty paper towels and frass. So far, so good. I did have about 5 that for some reason died as caterpillars or died in the process of forming the chrysalis, or didn't emerge at all (but then, nothing emerged, so it wasn't tachnid flies or anything else). Out of approx. 100 Monarchs, that's not too bad. I always tried to wash them to get rid of the oleander aphids, too. But, now I hear it is okay for them to consume the aphids, because the aphids are eating milkweed and consuming the cardiac glycosides they are deriving from the plant as well. So, I may try some without washing this summer, and with aphids, just to see if that works. A. curassavica is higher in cardiac glycosides than other milkweeds, and I personally believe that is one reason the Monarchs prefer it over the other perennials. Yet, I am also providing perennial milkweeds as well, including cynanchum laeve (milkweed vine), because as a "last gasp" food for the Monarchs, they will eat it for lack of nothing better. It is one of the milkweeds with the lowest concentration of cardiac glycosides. I have noticed lately that the aphids are fewer and further between, since the relentless rains have moved on from our state, and it is hotter here now, too. Oh, yes, I still have them, but for a while, I thought my milkweeds had been painted, painted orange! LOL! Susan

Well, thanks for all the nice comments and new info. Sherry, so pleased to hear some came up! To combine a few answers: The patch is alongside my "driveway", I never planted a single seed or rootstock...Mother Nature did all the work, after I burned the brush out. I do alternately cut or burn it once a year..in late winter/early spring. I do this in several other areas as well, resulting in wide variations of flowers/grass/brush due to slope, moisture levels, soil type etc., but all patches lure butterflies and various pollinators. Due to limited success with purchased/planted stuff, this has become my "minimal effort" volunteer B-fly gardening technique... ; -) I adopted this method after Katrina and a minimal tornado opened up large gaps in the tree canopy...otherwise known as "making lemonade," it works for me in large part because I can burn "out there" Going offshore for two weeks...till next time.

Sorie, I'm sorry to hear you have whiteflies. My best guess about the reason they are so bad in so many parts of Oklahoma this year is because the winter was so very mild that they were able to overwinter in larger numbers than usual. I haven't seen any in my garden yet, but other people near me have them, so I imagine it is just a matter of time. I'm glad to hear how well your plants are doing this year. I have been cutting back Laura Bush petunias regularly too. I love them, but they will do their best to outgrow any and every area in which they are growing. It is so refreshing to have petunias that are so determined to grow and bloom no matter what the weather is doing. They do just as well for me in the excessively rainy years as in the hot, drought type years. Oklahoma is a great place to garden since we can grow somethings almost year-round. I usually have flowers of some sort in bloom even in December, January and February, and of course, the veggie and herb season is almost as long. Actually, you can grow some winter veggies throughout the winter too, but I don't always do that. Often, by the time autumn rolls around, I'm exhausted from garden maintenance and food preservation and don't want to grow winter vegetables. Sometimes even an avid gardener needs a break from the work involved in gardening. Dawn