Those amazing Monarchs...

15 years ago

There are two things I remember from 2nd grade elementary school. One of them was peeing in my pants. And the other...was gazing at the huge Passion Flower patch outside my school's mini library, with hundreds of Monarch's chrysalides hanging from every window ledge.

One of those things I still do to this day.

I just brought out some 1 gal cuttings from inside the greenhouse...to the outside of the structure, hoping they'll climb over it, creating some natural shade cloth for the hot-hot house. I wiggled some wire trellising for the Passy's tendrils.

But it was not 20 minutes before the first Monarch came by to lay some eggs. How do they find 2 foot-high transplants among all the other flora ?? One week later I now have tiny dark munchers.

I'll let them feast, for I know the Monarch needs a birthing pit-stop to complete it's .....amazing journey.

=FB=

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Comments (8)

karyn1
15 years ago
Are you sure you don't mean the Gulf Fritillary? Monarchs don't lay eggs on anything but asclepias. That's the only plant the caterpillars feed on. The adult monarch butterflies do nectar on passiflora blooms. I love watching the butterflies and cats and have a garden full of host & nectar plants.
Karyn
kiwinut
15 years ago
Too much information! LOL.

See picture below for comparison to your "Monarchs".

Here is a link that might be useful: Gulf Frit
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freq_band
Original Author
15 years ago
Those Amazing Fritillaries !!

(silly me)
karyn1
15 years ago
FB why don't you send some of the Gulf Fritts up my way and I'll send some Monarchs down your way. I planted passies several years ago with the hopes of attracting Gulf Fritillary butterflies. Well many years and over 20 passion vine varieties not a single GF. On the positive side it did spark an interest in passifloras and my vines haven't been eaten. lol I do have loads of Monarchs though.
Karyn
freq_band
Original Author
15 years ago
"" FB why don't you send some of the Gulf Fritts up my way..""

It's a deal. I'll post a tiny sign near my plants so they can read it, along with some tiny maps to take with them.

=FB=
karyn1
15 years ago
Maybe they can use my GPS. lol
Karyn
passionflow
15 years ago
Hi Folks
More info on Fritts (Agraulis vanillae) and other butterflies at link below.
Myles

Here is a link that might be useful: Passiflora butterflies
bettyfb
15 years ago
Hi,

I was reading with interest the posts made on this forum. I started a few Passiflora seeds last May that someone gave me. The plants are still very small and in pots. A GF decided to lay 30 eggs on the passifloras last Saturday. I brought all the eggs inside and put them in a container. Nearly all of the eggs have now hatched and I have called all the nurseries locally and still do not have enough passifloras to feed 30 cats. I did order 6 passifloras from Mail Order Natives in Florida. They have not arrived and I doubt they will be big enough to feed this many cats. Here is a picture of Momma GF laying eggs on my small small passifloras last Saturday.

{{gwi:524104}}