Hooray!! Maybe it's an ELF:)

That's great, Rick! Maybe they're heading south and some will pass my way - I've got some milkweed.

You can't believe how much the pipevine swallowtail cats have grown in so little time!

Sherry

hope you she left you some eggs:-)

I didn't find any eggs, maybe I'll get another visit tomorrow.

My Pipevine cats are growing too. I can see where they could devour my 4 potted plants in no time.

My son brought me about 20 Gulf Fritillary cats, they have reduced the Passion Vine I gave him to sticks. He has 5 chrysalis in a cage and 21 hanging on his house.

It's official, it was a female. She was back today and left eggs.

That's cool! I've never seen one here. Where in LA (lower Ala, for those not familiar... LOL!) are you? I'm in Opp, obviously. Expecting more milkweed seeds in the mail today. Hope these sprout!!

I'm just west of Mobile, south of I-10. I had a visitor in the spring and this one is the first this summer. I rounded up some eggs so hopefully I can raise a few Monarchs.

If your not growing Tropical Milkweed, give it a try; it lived thru the winter for me.

Yay! Congrats on the eggs!! Wonderful news. I am always growing Tropical MW in pots here. I never know if I will get any Monarchs, but I try to be prepared for it anyway. I also grow Common MW and Butterfly Weed out in the yard. Then, if I find cats, I can bring them into my tents and raise them on the more tender Tropical MW. There have been years when I had a LOT of Milkweed ready and not one Monarch cat to raise. This pic was taken during one of those years.
Angie

I've gotten seeds of different kinds a few times, but haven't managed to turn them into plants yet. Once they looked squished, not in a bubble envelope or box. These will be in a box, I sent a much bigger box of house plant cuttings in return because of my strange request.

One could buy milkweed plants readily when I lived in OH, man, what I've been through trying to grow this simple native plant in this yard! There was always A. tuberosa (though known for not overwintering reliably where I was) for sale about anywhere, and often A. incarnata, A. syriaca.

Congrats, Rick!

Sherry

Purpleinopp,
I'm surprised you've had so much trouble with milkweed. If there is anything I can do to help, let me know. I'd be more than happy to send you extra seeds to try various methods or locations. I should have A. tuberosa, A. incarnata, and A. syriaca. Plus, I purchased A. Verticillata and they sent two packages. I don't know which are native to Alabama, or which might survive. I know the common and tuberosa are more heat and drought tolerant. Let me know if you would like any seeds.

Martha

Thanks, Martha! I appreciate the info and your kind, generous offer. I'd like to blame the seeds, but who knows what's happened the few times I've been mailed some, besides the ones that looked crushed. Once I got a still-green pod. I may have 'planted' them wrong, eaten by birds, IDK. I adore anyone's attempts to be generous and helpful, so not still upset (and never was,) just don't have any plants yet. Seeds aren't really my thing, especially the planning/timing, I'm much better with plants, but I will do this, eventually, I will! The seeds I got in the mail a few days ago look great. In the interest of not biting off more than I can chew and having those available for another person's yard to try, I will say not this year but maybe next if still in need, if that's OK with you?

So I guess it would be good to ask, what should I do with them? I'm told they've been chilled already. Likely more than 2 months until we have a frost... sow now or wait? If wait, store in the house or unheated shed? Really want success this time. Thanks!

Are they still dry? Chilling them won't do anything to them without moisture. If they've been moist chilled for two months, then they need to be kept cool until it's time to sprout next spring. I would wintersow them after the first of the year and keep them in the fridge until then, if they're moist.

I have a few tiny sprouts of A incarnata that volunteered. I could send them to you wrapped in moist paper towel and you could stick them in the ground now. They like more moisture than other types, but I think they can still tolerate sun and heat. They are a favorite here for Monarchs to lay eggs because the leaves are more tender than Common or Butterfly Weed. Let me know.

Martha

Thanks, Martha, I appreciate the info, and generous thoughtful offer. There's no end in sight to 90+ degrees here though. If memory serves, these plants are quite prone to wilting upon disturbance. I wonder if there's an appropriate window where it's still warm enough for you to send and cool enough to ride around in a truck here? If it's OK with you, when conditions permit at this end, I'll shoot you a note and see what the status is at your end?

That's exactly how I send plants in the mail though. Tape a sandwich bag over the towel, then slide into paper towel or toilet paper roll (depending on size) or rolled in newspaper if too "fat." No reports of anything arriving damaged yet. Happy to receive for reimbursed postage, or send something in return. Do you do house plants? I have some 'standards' listed on my exchange page, and a few others that need a home before frost comes. One only needs to keep so many copies of a same thing over winter... Most of those travel much more easily if I have anything you 'need.'

It sounds like I should definitely accept the seed offer. I was hoping to report that I'd picked up more seeds at a swap I went to yesterday, but didn't see any kinds of Ascl. seeds. Made me want to devote enough space to more of these plants, so hopefully I will have seeds to share next year.

They're welcome to have a lot of ground space, the decorative stuff is much more visible like this anyway!

Purple,
I have plenty of coleus to bring in for the winter. I'm going to try Lantana and Tropical Milkweed, too. The only other indoor plants I have are an African Violet and a Christmas Cactus. That's plenty for me. My cat used to chew on them, but seems to have outgrown that habit. I'm sure we can find a time for me to get these Incarnata to you, though I just read someone's comment that they like a cold winter. Let me look at their range.

Martha

I picked up several eggs last week and have at least 12 cats in cages. They're growing like crazy and eating lots of milkweed. I found another cat today and sent it home with my granddaughter, she's an excited little girl.

I looked up the range for A. Incarnata and they're almost every where in the US except the far west. Send me your address and I'll stick them in the mail when you tell me it's cooling down near you.

Martha

Rick, that's cool! That's what my passion vine looks like, only with gulf fritillary caterpillars. Took this pic on the 4th, the vine is much more 'gone' now. I'm worried it won't be enough...! There are at least 100 caterpillars out there, starting to see some cocoons.

Thanks, Martha - done!

The first Monarch cat made it to a chrysalis today and another is hanging in a J. There are 8-10 large cats in the cage and a few have escaped. I found a couple of small ones on the outside plants that will in the cage tomorrow.

{{!gwi}}

My photo didn't make it, trying again

Rickinia,
There is nothing more beautiful than a Monarch chrysalis. It's like living jade sprinkled with gold. Each time I see one I think it would be fun to have earrings that looked like them and a necklace strung with a bunch of them.

Thanks for the picture.

Martha

Agreed - that's what got me interested in butterflies, when I found one of those hanging from the rim of a potted plant. When I learned what it was, I was instantly hooked!

How did you get him to pupate horizontally?? Hehehe

It's vertical on my phone, maybe the Internet turns sideways as it travels north. Anyway, there are 5 chrysalis now with 2 more within a day or 2, and I found 2 more outside this morning. They are eating machines.

All we're getting here lately are "Tankers", nectaring up on whatever they can for the long trip South. No ELFs, the Milkweed is now too tough to eat and in seed mode. They are mostly on my Tithonias and Buddhlea; before it was all about the Liatris lingulistylis.
I have just recently released 11 fifth instar BST cats onto outdoor carrot plants and the last one is due to crawl off any time now:)