I planted milkweed in my garden for the first time this year after reading that it attracts butterflies. While looking for more videos on butterflies I came across your Monarch videos. They are SO GOOD!! I decided to raise a monarch. I now have one very healthy caterpillar. Can't wait to meet the beautiful Monarch inside. Next year I plan on filling one whole flower bed with milkweed so I can raise a bunch of Monarchs. Thank you for giving me the information needed to do this successfully.
Thanks for showing some of the different variations there are in poison ivy! We have been cautious when working in the forest area of our property. So far we have been lucky that most of the leaves of 3 have been raspberries. We have watched many videos & read articles online and the one thing that we make sure we have with us is Dawn dish soap. It is a degreaser, so it will help cut through the oil and still be gentle on the skin. One of the most important things to remember when using it, is to scrub good and then rinse it well! Good luck with your young'ns! OH & something VERY IMPORTANT to remember is NEVER EVER try to burn the poison ivy to eradicate it! The burning oil of the plant will can be fatal if it is inhaled! Also do not burn the wood from a tree that has had the vines growing on it, for a few years after it has been cut down & the ivy has been killed. The best way to get rid of poison ivy and other invasive plants, is actually goats! It takes a few times but eventually the stem/roots die off because the goats eat the leaves & without them (as you know), the necessary process of photosynthesis can not take place. YAY GOATS!
Yep, Dawn dish soap, being able to remove oil from ducklings should do well for removing poison ivy oils. I use the rubbing alcohol in the field partially because it's able to do the job, and any that is in excess is able to evaporate and thus, minimizes its environmental effect wherever I'm using it (as it's likely to evaporate before causing plants it touches to absorb it). Once home, though, it just can't be overstated, rinsing more than you think you need to is key. There was more I was going to put into this video, but 12 minutes was already enough. It didn't make the final cut, but I spoke of a time where I didn't notice until it was "too late" that I had placed my hand all over some young poison ivy leaves while examining a milkweed plant. I quickly used the rubbing alcohol and wiped my whole hand down twice. Then, went home and washed with soap and water. I still got some small bumps, but hardly anything compared to what I should have had on my hand if I hadn't treated it immediately. And, I'd heard about the goat thing before too. Apparently, there's some out there who are willing to rent out their goats to certain yards to have the goats graze the poison ivy. Huh. Not sure if that's a permanent fix, or, if it's just a way to make some cash with goats and that you'd really need several "goat sessions", but it is interesting to know that there are people out there providing that service! Mowing and weed whacking is also very much a bad idea, as even those removal procedures cause the oils to become airborne. I'm glad people are finding this video useful. As it has the least to do with actual Monarchs, I wasn't sure how it'd be taken!
This information is the best. I got PI the spring and it blistered significantly. Looked for internet information then and it was sketchy at best. Yours is in-depth and excellent. This is my first monarch Summer, so I hadn't even thought about PI in relationship to that search. Thank you for the heads up. The information you provide is life-saving for our monarchs, thank you for such a detailed series.
I’m not sure where I commented before about transplanting milkweed but I wanted to give you an update. I had 1 survive! Definitely not trying it ever again though. Planting seeds is the way to go. 😊
Congrats! You're officially better at it than I was! Yeah, I learned after trying and failing a few times, I'm sticking with seeds. It's not the immediate result you might want, as it takes a year before they are likely large enough to produce worthy leaves for feeding, and two years before the leaves are even a decent size, but their success rate, from my experience, is awesome. I'm very glad that I planted seeds when I did.
MrLundScience No, not better at all. Just lucky in this instance. I didn’t realize the 2 year grow information, thank you! I cannot wait to get some seeds to plant. I’m hoping to catch the wild common milkweed around me when it goes to seed. 🤞🏻
MrLundScience I checked the transplanted milkweed that survived today and there is a baby caterpillar 🐛 there!!!!! I’m afraid to bring it in and do something wrong but I think it’s survival odds are much better if I do!
It climbed up my common milkweeds. I didn’t realize what it was until I needed a medrol pack. Now that I know what it is, I need to be vigilant with my electric grass shears
Very interesting. I love poison ivy. Feels great on my skin. It's very interesting hearing stories of people who are deathly allergic to a fairly innocuous looking plant. I also have heard stories from people I know. I haven't seen these particular varieties you showed. You're on point about learning the many varieties. I haven't seen any in this area since it's fairly urbanized, and they probably eradicate it immediately. Poison ivy is a potent healing plant, which is quite a shame for city folk. It's probably too dry out here as well, since we don't really have forests in this area being zone 10A and all, lol. Very useful info about the alcohol. I think I've heard of that before. Knowing that it's the oil that causes the reaction is key 🍃🍵🙏
And for me, this is an early start! The next day after shooting this video, a female did an egg dump in my yard and left me 19 eggs. Since then, I've been finding others and am up to 35 currently under my care. The season is in full swing for me now!
It goes that way sometimes. I have a friend who has a large patch of milkweed on her property. LARGE. And most years, she's able to find easily the 20 or so eggs she chooses to care for. She knows there's more, but limits herself to 20. One year, a few years back, I was finding MANY eggs around my stomping grounds, and she never found a single egg on her patch. It can be quite variable from year to year whether or not a specific patch of milkweed gets hit with many eggs, just a few, or none. Planting the milkweed helps regardless, but sometimes you might need to venture to natural areas where it's growing if you really want some eggs now, and if that's an easy option.
I have been going threw woods when in the army and I have seen 10ft tall bushes as far as the eye could see of poison ivy and everyone got rashes but me. I'm resistant to the effects of ivy. Also just touching the leaves will not harm you, the leaves or stems have to be broken to release the Urushiol oil. We used a product called Tecnu to wash off the oils on your skin and gear.
Greetings Weekend Warrior (and thank you for your service on this Independence week)! As the urushiol is in the sap of the plant, what you say is totally correct. However, with poison ivy and most of the other urushiol containing plants, the urushiol is in between the plant cells (and many other places) of the leaves, and only the most outer layer skin of the leaf is between it and what might touch the leaf. It takes very little pressure to damage this outer layer, and so "just touching" the leaves can mean different potentials for adverse effects, depending upon how the leaf was touched. A gentle brushing up against it with an exposed ankle might not cause the leaf any damage, while stepping on the plant with a bare foot almost certainly will. As the video was already 12 minutes long, I thought I'd leave these details out and go with the best general rule - just stay away from it altogether. But most definitely, you are correct. I have not heard of Tecnu, but will be looking that up for sure! If I could have that with me in the field and it's better than rubbing alcohol, I'm sold! Thanks for the tip!
I just sent couple questions and thought of one more. (Sorry) How long does it take from egg to nstar 1.? Thanks for all your great videos. Am sure this poison ivy one will be good too.
Hi Mr.Lund! ok so... I realised I could do nothing about my caterpillars so... I released them outside... I hope this would help them eat tho.... I do not know but yeah I put them outside hoping there would be a better future for them.. and well I've got more problems.... So I told you that one of my caterpillar pupae but then... it hatched like an hour ago looks healthy and all but there is on problem.... my butterfly is alive and with wrinkled wings, unable to fly... and its been on hour and it still has it wings wrinkled and they look like a pair of dried leafs.... I never touched this little guy (its a male) and only observed him... pleased tell what should I do.. it hurts me to see this poor little creature suffer.... unable to fly... please help :(
Was this a chrysalis that was of a caterpillar that you kept with the others? With the wings, for whatever reason, it was either not able to pump them full of fluid, or, they were already deformed, or, the Monarch was disturbed during the time when it tries to pump its wings full of fluid. It's possible that if deformed, there may be an infection that has occurred while caring for your Monarchs. That could possibly explain why this deformity happened, and also why your caterpillars stopped eating. It's pretty hard to diagnose things without all of the details, and even then, through just a computer screen without actually being able to see the Monarch. If it has crumpled wings, I'm sorry, but they won't be straightening out anytime soon. If in this situation, you have a few options, but none of which are likely what you want to hear: 1) You could euthanize the Monarch. This prevents it from having to starve to death. It involves placing the Monarch in the freezer. The Monarch slows down, and eventually, it's the equivalent of going to sleep. 2) You could leave the Monarch on nectaring flowers. I've opted for this before. It's heart breaking, yes. But, there is a chance that a bird or other predator might eat it, and learn based upon the coloration, not to eat Monarchs. That, then, still benefits the species. While some birds might have an instinct to stay away from the coloration, most ornithologists that I've been able to ask this to agree that birds need to learn what to eat and what to avoid when it comes to Monarchs and other insects. This option also allows the Monarch to experience sensations, nature, smells, and if on a nectaring flower, feeding. 3) You could attempt to keep it on your own, and feed it honey water solution. This can allow it to receive some pleasure in its life, assuming feeding is pleasurable. However, understand that this would need to be often each day, and eventually, people who have tried this realize that they don't really have the time to keep feeding a Monarch several times a day. Many who do #3 eventually then switch to #2. I'm sorry that this happened, and I'm sorry that I don't have better advice that you'd prefer hearing.
Oksy thank you.... but I swear to god I am terrible at this I am not doing this again... I am very sorry but I am terrible at raising monarchs... now because of they suffered....I quit..... I was wishing I could raise monarchs successfully but I am a failure... so I should stop before I make the extinction problem even worse...
Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. Stop for a second, please. If you feel that raising Monarchs is not for you, hey, that's perfectly fine, and it's understandable. Some things aren't for everyone. (I tried learning how to play guitar for a good 4 months, but it just wasn't happening.) So, that's okay. And I can understand that after having some bumps as you did, not wanting to continue. That's totally cool, and cool with me. But, here's the "whoa whoa whoa" part: You are *not* a failure. Nope. Don't call yourself that, and don't *ever* let anyone else call you that either. Don't think it. Don't think 10% of it. Don't think 1% of it. You were and are concerned with the environment = NOT a failure. You decided to take a risk and try something new = NOT a failure. When you needed help, you were brave and intelligent enough to reach out for it = NOT a failure. You gained something from your experience, paid attention to it, and learned from it = NOT a failure. When mistakes happened, you kept going. You stayed determined and saw it through = NOT a failure. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone has set backs. It's part of life now, and it'll be part of life tomorrow. The most successful people I know are also the ones I know to have made the most mistakes. Thing is, they learned from each one. Keep that in mind. Maybe raising Monarchs isn't your thing, but you definitely gained something from it. Hold your head up high, and welcome the next challenge life either throws at you, or you decide to throw yourself into. I think you're awesome. I want you to think so too!
Well.... :) ok I will continue! Thank you for those wonderful words! You encouraged me to continue! And well... I will try my best to make better things for my future caterpillars that I have! :D thanks! And I changed my mind... I won't quit! :) Edit: how do I cure the bacteria problem?
Hey, again, if you choose to continue, or if you choose not to, you still have my respect either way. It's okay to decide not to do something. There's nothing ever wrong with that. If you do continue, though, and you wish to solve bacterial situations, the solution is, literally, a solution. A bleach solution. However, I'm not sure what your age is. Understand that mixing of bleach solutions can be tricky, and definitely adults should be involved. With that said, I have two videos, one on how to bleach treat eggs, and one on how to bleach treat leaves. These treatments will take care of not only bacterial infections, but the OE parasite and the NPV virus, both of which can also harm the Monarchs. But, they must be done correctly, or there can be harm to the eggs. Here are the two videos, and make sure that instructions are followed. If so, you should have good results. Many have said that they have been using this and it has solved many of their OE problems. Bleach treating eggs: ruclips.net/video/oZYzzcGiZRA/видео.html Bleach treating leaves: ruclips.net/video/2FE9646Z9xs/видео.html
Idea for a video. How to move catipiliers when cleaning and for new milkweed. It might seem minor but it takes me awhile to move the 25 I have. Thought maybe you would have the best way.
You got it. I'm making a sanitation video soon. Showing how to clean out the containers, as some have asked for that. I'll be able to easily incorporate this idea into that video. So, coming right up!
That depends upon the level of commitment you wish to provide. Understand that in nature, eggs have only a 3% to 10% (depending upon the study) chance of making it to adulthood, and while in your garden, it is still in nature, meaning subject to the whims of Mother Nature. This includes predators and infections. Mother Nature is not at all kind to caterpillars. If you want to make sure it survives, and especially since it's just one, I'd take it in and give it a nice, predator free environment. If you haven't yet, check out the "core" of this series, Parts 1 - 5. It shows how to take them in and care for them at each stage of development. Good luck!
I'm growing 2 monarch butterflies. Mi problem is that it attached too close to the side of the net. Is that going to be problematic when the wings come out? Can you please help me out. Thanks
are the monarchs late this year? i've been looking at my milkweed everyday around noon and late evening and i still haven't seen any eggs. i'm in ny btw so i don't remember if it's normal for them to be this late. good videos btw sir! i've watched all of your monarch videos multiple times XD
I don't know that they're late, but don't be discouraged. I've had a few Junes where others in northern Michigan (north of me) were telling me of their multiple eggs that they had found, while I still hadn't found any. Usually, I don't even give a real college try at looking until after the 4th of July, as there's times I've come back from a late June egg hunt empty handed. But, in early July, I almost always find some. This year is not normal for me, and I'm already up to 39 now in my care. Don't be discouraged...there's just some years where you don't find them as soon as others. They're out there.
Over the internet, where dark realms linger behind every corner, and dusky back alleys exist...I only like to say that I'm in the Lansing area of Michigan. ;-)
I have poison ivy in the flower bed with my milkweed 😩 it’s more a vine and I have no idea the best way to rid it where I won’t hurt the plants around it! Any advice??
Oh yes... I had some poison ivy show up in my milkweed area this year as well. It was directly under a bird house in my yard. Like, directly. Some birds make a meal of the poison ivy's berries, and poo out the seeds. I'm almost certain that this is how it got into my yard in the first place. I'm extremely glad that I noticed it early. This stuff will spread pretty fast if it is left to its own devices. You absolutely want this out of your yard, and while you may have spent plenty of time (and money) on your flower bed, I would say that anything nearby its root system should be seen as expendable. You ABSOLUTELY want to take it out at the roots, and *all* of the roots, or it's going to come back and cause you future nightmares. What I did to remove mine: 1) Get protective gear. Wear long sleeves and long pants. Fully covered shoes...no flip flops. Act like you're about to work with a hazardous chemical, because really with that oil, you are. Get gloves, preferably non-porous ones, so not cloth, but doctor's office style nitrile gloves or latex. Also, if you want to really be safe, one of those disposable breathing face masks (I thought about using one, but as they were more pricey than expected, I rolled the dice without one.) 2) Do your best NOT to damage the plant. That is what exposes the sap and oil which can cause the problem in the first place. Your goal will be to remove all of the plant, including and especially the root system, with as little harm to the actual plant as you can. 3) Get a shovel. A hand shovel might be required if it's in a tough spot, but a large spade shovel is better, as you will be able to dig it up more easily, and can keep your hands and face away from it much easier. If it's early on, the root system hasn't gotten far. If there is only one plant of it sprouting up, you might be dealing with a root system that is relatively close to the plant. The height of the plant, then, could be assumed to be the radius of the root system around the plant, plus a little extra to be on the safe side. The roots tend to be shallow, so dig around the plant to lift up hopefully all of it at once. When you dig, try to do it gently so that damage to the roots is minimized. 4) Another option would be to do what I had to do, because mine was in a tight spot. I had to use a hand shovel. I dug slightly under the plant, "feeling" with the shovel where the roots were so as not to break them with the shovel. I was able to expose enough of the root to then give the plant a pull, and it was able to all come out (from what I could tell). If I was dealing with not just one place it sprouted, but saw others sprouting near it, I could assume it was the same plant and would want to do this hand shovel method as well. I would "follow" roots from one plant to the other, slowly digging along to expose it, but not damage it, leading me to the next sprout. I'd do this for each sprout, until I was confident that I saw how the root system connected every sprout, and then proceed to start from the outside sprouts, pull them up roots intact (using the shovel as needed to make it easy and not break any roots) and work inwards from there. 5) Once removed, it can go in a plastic trash bag and be disposed of. 6) From that point on, I'd very carefully monitor that area for the next two weeks to see if anything new sprouts up. 7) I would then continue periodically monitoring here and there, just to be on the safe side. That includes next spring. I don't know much about plants, but I do know that sometimes root systems can be dormant if it's later in the season, and come back just fine in the spring. 8) If this sounds difficult or complicated, or if the plant size is large enough to where this sounds like a pretty tough job to do, I'd definitely call in some professional help. You absolutely do not want this plant in your yard, as a little now can be a very large (and expensive) problem later. I truly wish you as much luck as wishing luck over the internet can provide!
MrLundScience thank you for responding!!! I am going to go it tonight and assess the situation. Will the oil be on the surrounding plants? I am desperately trying to clean this bed out.
Can the oil be on other plants? Quick answer: It's certainly possible, and so you should operate as if it is, at least, any plants that were in contact or could have been in contact with the ivy. More detailed answer: Technically, the oil is inside the plant. The plant leaves or stem or roots have to be damaged/punctured in some way for the oil to come to the surface. Now, this could be as simple as a dog stepping on it to puncture the plant, or a foot, or even if an insect was nibbling on it. It's a pretty fragile plant when it comes to this. So, it's not that other plants touching it need to be destroyed, but, I also wouldn't pick flowers from them and wear them in my hair any time soon! And hey, I forgot to mention this: Once finished, thoroughly clean all tools used immediately with large amounts of soap, water, and scrubbing. The oils are persistent, and can still be potent even a year or more later. There are stories (confirmed true ones) where people have rid themselves of poison ivy using gardening tools, put the tools away, used them the next year without gloves, and got a rash from it.
MrLundScience thank you again for all the advice! I’m assuming washing clothes should be separate...and maybe done twice? I’m so worried about getting this on my skin. We actually called TRU green and they won’t even deal with poison ivy. I wish I could show you a picture of the space. It’s completely overgrown. I have many plants in that area I am just digging up and getting rid of. Might just dig up the whole bed and start over, saving plants and rearranging ones I want to keep. Thank you again. I have my first 6 eggs ever in a dish waiting for them to hatch!
The bold truth is...they likely will, especially any eggs. Nature is not kind to eggs and caterpillars. I go over this in a bit more detail in the Pests and Predators video: ruclips.net/video/aae5Tkziex4/видео.html Take a look if you haven't and see if it can help.
it looked like the tree behind you had poison ivy growing on it. i had poison Ivy on me, it was so bad that i had to get a shot from the doctors. how i got poison Ivy was when i went canoeing up north awhile back and the canoe tipped over i went into the water and i climbed out of the water onto this bank, but at the time i didn't see or paid attention to poison ivy at the time. i wouldn't think to get poison ivy for being all wet with clothes on. A few days later i started to feel itchy. i had blisters all over my legs all over my crotch area and arms, i wish i had pictures to show you. it was not pleasant.
Ouch! That's quite an experience with it! Yeah, I saw that tree you mention in the background, and I did take a closer look at it. I can assure you, it wasn't poison ivy. Not sure if you needed this video, or if you learned shortly after your experience what to look for, but definitely the more examples we look at, the better for identifying it!
MrLundScience You opened my eyes a little more about poison Ivy. Could you explain how i even got poison ivy and how serve it was because i was all wet, it spread through the water maybe? Or soaked into my clothes.
Having not been there to witness it and see the details, that's pretty tough to do. All we can know for sure is that if you had the rash, you definitely had the oil on you long enough for it to absorb into your skin.
I planted milkweed in my garden for the first time this year after reading that it attracts butterflies. While looking for more videos on butterflies I came across your Monarch videos. They are SO GOOD!! I decided to raise a monarch. I now have one very healthy caterpillar. Can't wait to meet the beautiful Monarch inside. Next year I plan on filling one whole flower bed with milkweed so I can raise a bunch of Monarchs. Thank you for giving me the information needed to do this successfully.
That's awesome, Jen! I'm so glad that these could be of help. If you have questions as you go, ask away!
Thanks for showing some of the different variations there are in poison ivy! We have been cautious when working in the forest area of our property. So far we have been lucky that most of the leaves of 3 have been raspberries. We have watched many videos & read articles online and the one thing that we make sure we have with us is Dawn dish soap. It is a degreaser, so it will help cut through the oil and still be gentle on the skin. One of the most important things to remember when using it, is to scrub good and then rinse it well! Good luck with your young'ns!
OH & something VERY IMPORTANT to remember is NEVER EVER try to burn the poison ivy to eradicate it! The burning oil of the plant will can be fatal if it is inhaled! Also do not burn the wood from a tree that has had the vines growing on it, for a few years after it has been cut down & the ivy has been killed.
The best way to get rid of poison ivy and other invasive plants, is actually goats! It takes a few times but eventually the stem/roots die off because the goats eat the leaves & without them (as you know), the necessary process of photosynthesis can not take place. YAY GOATS!
Yep, Dawn dish soap, being able to remove oil from ducklings should do well for removing poison ivy oils. I use the rubbing alcohol in the field partially because it's able to do the job, and any that is in excess is able to evaporate and thus, minimizes its environmental effect wherever I'm using it (as it's likely to evaporate before causing plants it touches to absorb it). Once home, though, it just can't be overstated, rinsing more than you think you need to is key. There was more I was going to put into this video, but 12 minutes was already enough. It didn't make the final cut, but I spoke of a time where I didn't notice until it was "too late" that I had placed my hand all over some young poison ivy leaves while examining a milkweed plant. I quickly used the rubbing alcohol and wiped my whole hand down twice. Then, went home and washed with soap and water. I still got some small bumps, but hardly anything compared to what I should have had on my hand if I hadn't treated it immediately. And, I'd heard about the goat thing before too. Apparently, there's some out there who are willing to rent out their goats to certain yards to have the goats graze the poison ivy. Huh. Not sure if that's a permanent fix, or, if it's just a way to make some cash with goats and that you'd really need several "goat sessions", but it is interesting to know that there are people out there providing that service! Mowing and weed whacking is also very much a bad idea, as even those removal procedures cause the oils to become airborne.
I'm glad people are finding this video useful. As it has the least to do with actual Monarchs, I wasn't sure how it'd be taken!
This information is the best.
I got PI the spring and it blistered significantly. Looked for internet information then and it was sketchy at best.
Yours is in-depth and excellent. This is my first monarch Summer, so I hadn't even thought about PI in relationship to that search. Thank you for the heads up. The information you provide is life-saving for our monarchs, thank you for such a detailed series.
I’m not sure where I commented before about transplanting milkweed but I wanted to give you an update. I had 1 survive! Definitely not trying it ever again though. Planting seeds is the way to go. 😊
Congrats! You're officially better at it than I was!
Yeah, I learned after trying and failing a few times, I'm sticking with seeds. It's not the immediate result you might want, as it takes a year before they are likely large enough to produce worthy leaves for feeding, and two years before the leaves are even a decent size, but their success rate, from my experience, is awesome. I'm very glad that I planted seeds when I did.
MrLundScience No, not better at all. Just lucky in this instance. I didn’t realize the 2 year grow information, thank you! I cannot wait to get some seeds to plant. I’m hoping to catch the wild common milkweed around me when it goes to seed. 🤞🏻
MrLundScience I checked the transplanted milkweed that survived today and there is a baby caterpillar 🐛 there!!!!! I’m afraid to bring it in and do something wrong but I think it’s survival odds are much better if I do!
It climbed up my common milkweeds. I didn’t realize what it was until I needed a medrol pack. Now that I know what it is, I need to be vigilant with my electric grass shears
Very interesting. I love poison ivy. Feels great on my skin. It's very interesting hearing stories of people who are deathly allergic to a fairly innocuous looking plant. I also have heard stories from people I know.
I haven't seen these particular varieties you showed. You're on point about learning the many varieties. I haven't seen any in this area since it's fairly urbanized, and they probably eradicate it immediately. Poison ivy is a potent healing plant, which is quite a shame for city folk. It's probably too dry out here as well, since we don't really have forests in this area being zone 10A and all, lol.
Very useful info about the alcohol. I think I've heard of that before. Knowing that it's the oil that causes the reaction is key
🍃🍵🙏
I thought I was off to a late start this year. Didn’t see any on my plants until 2 weeks ago. Now have 3 hangers and 4 babies.
And for me, this is an early start! The next day after shooting this video, a female did an egg dump in my yard and left me 19 eggs. Since then, I've been finding others and am up to 35 currently under my care. The season is in full swing for me now!
I have some Monarchs staking my house looking for the Showy Milkweed I planted earlier this year 😍🦋
Very cool. Check them leaves!
MrLundScience ~ I have nothing yet 😟
It goes that way sometimes. I have a friend who has a large patch of milkweed on her property. LARGE. And most years, she's able to find easily the 20 or so eggs she chooses to care for. She knows there's more, but limits herself to 20. One year, a few years back, I was finding MANY eggs around my stomping grounds, and she never found a single egg on her patch. It can be quite variable from year to year whether or not a specific patch of milkweed gets hit with many eggs, just a few, or none. Planting the milkweed helps regardless, but sometimes you might need to venture to natural areas where it's growing if you really want some eggs now, and if that's an easy option.
MrLundScience ~ It's a waiting game but I'm ok with it
I have been going threw woods when in the army and I have seen 10ft tall bushes as far as the eye could see of poison ivy and everyone got rashes but me. I'm resistant to the effects of ivy. Also just touching the leaves will not harm you, the leaves or stems have to be broken to release the Urushiol oil. We used a product called Tecnu to wash off the oils on your skin and gear.
Greetings Weekend Warrior (and thank you for your service on this Independence week)!
As the urushiol is in the sap of the plant, what you say is totally correct. However, with poison ivy and most of the other urushiol containing plants, the urushiol is in between the plant cells (and many other places) of the leaves, and only the most outer layer skin of the leaf is between it and what might touch the leaf. It takes very little pressure to damage this outer layer, and so "just touching" the leaves can mean different potentials for adverse effects, depending upon how the leaf was touched. A gentle brushing up against it with an exposed ankle might not cause the leaf any damage, while stepping on the plant with a bare foot almost certainly will. As the video was already 12 minutes long, I thought I'd leave these details out and go with the best general rule - just stay away from it altogether. But most definitely, you are correct.
I have not heard of Tecnu, but will be looking that up for sure! If I could have that with me in the field and it's better than rubbing alcohol, I'm sold! Thanks for the tip!
My Conure started whistling back to that crow when I watched this. 😆
Ha! That's awesome!
I love your videos. Thank you for all that you do for the monarchs.
Rich, you should definitely consider doing maybe other common plants (poison) such as Sumac :)
Not a bad idea...I'll have to see if there is some Sumac near me, but as you point out, it's common, and probably nearby.
I just sent couple questions and thought of one more. (Sorry) How long does it take from egg to nstar 1.? Thanks for all your great videos. Am sure this poison ivy one will be good too.
Hi Mr.Lund! ok so... I realised I could do nothing about my caterpillars so... I released them outside... I hope this would help them eat tho.... I do not know but yeah I put them outside hoping there would be a better future for them.. and well I've got more problems.... So I told you that one of my caterpillar pupae but then... it hatched like an hour ago looks healthy and all but there is on problem.... my butterfly is alive and with wrinkled wings, unable to fly... and its been on hour and it still has it wings wrinkled and they look like a pair of dried leafs.... I never touched this little guy (its a male) and only observed him... pleased tell what should I do.. it hurts me to see this poor little creature suffer.... unable to fly... please help :(
Was this a chrysalis that was of a caterpillar that you kept with the others?
With the wings, for whatever reason, it was either not able to pump them full of fluid, or, they were already deformed, or, the Monarch was disturbed during the time when it tries to pump its wings full of fluid.
It's possible that if deformed, there may be an infection that has occurred while caring for your Monarchs. That could possibly explain why this deformity happened, and also why your caterpillars stopped eating.
It's pretty hard to diagnose things without all of the details, and even then, through just a computer screen without actually being able to see the Monarch.
If it has crumpled wings, I'm sorry, but they won't be straightening out anytime soon. If in this situation, you have a few options, but none of which are likely what you want to hear:
1) You could euthanize the Monarch. This prevents it from having to starve to death. It involves placing the Monarch in the freezer. The Monarch slows down, and eventually, it's the equivalent of going to sleep.
2) You could leave the Monarch on nectaring flowers. I've opted for this before. It's heart breaking, yes. But, there is a chance that a bird or other predator might eat it, and learn based upon the coloration, not to eat Monarchs. That, then, still benefits the species. While some birds might have an instinct to stay away from the coloration, most ornithologists that I've been able to ask this to agree that birds need to learn what to eat and what to avoid when it comes to Monarchs and other insects. This option also allows the Monarch to experience sensations, nature, smells, and if on a nectaring flower, feeding.
3) You could attempt to keep it on your own, and feed it honey water solution. This can allow it to receive some pleasure in its life, assuming feeding is pleasurable. However, understand that this would need to be often each day, and eventually, people who have tried this realize that they don't really have the time to keep feeding a Monarch several times a day. Many who do #3 eventually then switch to #2.
I'm sorry that this happened, and I'm sorry that I don't have better advice that you'd prefer hearing.
Oksy thank you.... but I swear to god I am terrible at this I am not doing this again... I am very sorry but I am terrible at raising monarchs... now because of they suffered....I quit..... I was wishing I could raise monarchs successfully but I am a failure... so I should stop before I make the extinction problem even worse...
Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. Stop for a second, please.
If you feel that raising Monarchs is not for you, hey, that's perfectly fine, and it's understandable. Some things aren't for everyone. (I tried learning how to play guitar for a good 4 months, but it just wasn't happening.) So, that's okay. And I can understand that after having some bumps as you did, not wanting to continue. That's totally cool, and cool with me.
But, here's the "whoa whoa whoa" part: You are *not* a failure. Nope. Don't call yourself that, and don't *ever* let anyone else call you that either. Don't think it. Don't think 10% of it. Don't think 1% of it.
You were and are concerned with the environment = NOT a failure.
You decided to take a risk and try something new = NOT a failure.
When you needed help, you were brave and intelligent enough to reach out for it = NOT a failure.
You gained something from your experience, paid attention to it, and learned from it = NOT a failure.
When mistakes happened, you kept going. You stayed determined and saw it through = NOT a failure.
Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone has set backs. It's part of life now, and it'll be part of life tomorrow. The most successful people I know are also the ones I know to have made the most mistakes. Thing is, they learned from each one. Keep that in mind. Maybe raising Monarchs isn't your thing, but you definitely gained something from it. Hold your head up high, and welcome the next challenge life either throws at you, or you decide to throw yourself into.
I think you're awesome. I want you to think so too!
Well.... :) ok I will continue!
Thank you for those wonderful words! You encouraged me to continue! And well... I will try my best to make better things for my future caterpillars that I have! :D thanks!
And I changed my mind... I won't quit! :)
Edit: how do I cure the bacteria problem?
Hey, again, if you choose to continue, or if you choose not to, you still have my respect either way. It's okay to decide not to do something. There's nothing ever wrong with that.
If you do continue, though, and you wish to solve bacterial situations, the solution is, literally, a solution. A bleach solution. However, I'm not sure what your age is. Understand that mixing of bleach solutions can be tricky, and definitely adults should be involved. With that said, I have two videos, one on how to bleach treat eggs, and one on how to bleach treat leaves. These treatments will take care of not only bacterial infections, but the OE parasite and the NPV virus, both of which can also harm the Monarchs. But, they must be done correctly, or there can be harm to the eggs.
Here are the two videos, and make sure that instructions are followed. If so, you should have good results. Many have said that they have been using this and it has solved many of their OE problems.
Bleach treating eggs: ruclips.net/video/oZYzzcGiZRA/видео.html
Bleach treating leaves: ruclips.net/video/2FE9646Z9xs/видео.html
Maybe carrying a few alcohol wipes would be more practical than a bottle of alcohol and paper towels.
I'd have to concur.
Idea for a video. How to move catipiliers when cleaning and for new milkweed. It might seem minor but it takes me awhile to move the 25 I have. Thought maybe you would have the best way.
You got it.
I'm making a sanitation video soon. Showing how to clean out the containers, as some have asked for that. I'll be able to easily incorporate this idea into that video. So, coming right up!
I found a grown caterpillar on my milk weed, waited years to get one. Should I bring it indoors and feed it leaves or leave it out in my garden?
That depends upon the level of commitment you wish to provide.
Understand that in nature, eggs have only a 3% to 10% (depending upon the study) chance of making it to adulthood, and while in your garden, it is still in nature, meaning subject to the whims of Mother Nature. This includes predators and infections. Mother Nature is not at all kind to caterpillars.
If you want to make sure it survives, and especially since it's just one, I'd take it in and give it a nice, predator free environment.
If you haven't yet, check out the "core" of this series, Parts 1 - 5. It shows how to take them in and care for them at each stage of development.
Good luck!
I'm growing 2 monarch butterflies.
Mi problem is that it attached too close to the side of the net. Is that going to be problematic when the wings come out?
Can you please help me out.
Thanks
are the monarchs late this year? i've been looking at my milkweed everyday around noon and late evening and i still haven't seen any eggs. i'm in ny btw so i don't remember if it's normal for them to be this late. good videos btw sir! i've watched all of your monarch videos multiple times XD
I don't know that they're late, but don't be discouraged. I've had a few Junes where others in northern Michigan (north of me) were telling me of their multiple eggs that they had found, while I still hadn't found any. Usually, I don't even give a real college try at looking until after the 4th of July, as there's times I've come back from a late June egg hunt empty handed. But, in early July, I almost always find some. This year is not normal for me, and I'm already up to 39 now in my care. Don't be discouraged...there's just some years where you don't find them as soon as others. They're out there.
Thanks for the advice! I just found my first one today!!
What city do you live in if you don’t mind me asking?
Over the internet, where dark realms linger behind every corner, and dusky back alleys exist...I only like to say that I'm in the Lansing area of Michigan. ;-)
Thanks I have had it once each of the past two summers. I was miserable
I have poison ivy in the flower bed with my milkweed 😩 it’s more a vine and I have no idea the best way to rid it where I won’t hurt the plants around it! Any advice??
Oh yes...
I had some poison ivy show up in my milkweed area this year as well. It was directly under a bird house in my yard. Like, directly. Some birds make a meal of the poison ivy's berries, and poo out the seeds. I'm almost certain that this is how it got into my yard in the first place. I'm extremely glad that I noticed it early. This stuff will spread pretty fast if it is left to its own devices. You absolutely want this out of your yard, and while you may have spent plenty of time (and money) on your flower bed, I would say that anything nearby its root system should be seen as expendable. You ABSOLUTELY want to take it out at the roots, and *all* of the roots, or it's going to come back and cause you future nightmares.
What I did to remove mine:
1) Get protective gear. Wear long sleeves and long pants. Fully covered shoes...no flip flops. Act like you're about to work with a hazardous chemical, because really with that oil, you are. Get gloves, preferably non-porous ones, so not cloth, but doctor's office style nitrile gloves or latex. Also, if you want to really be safe, one of those disposable breathing face masks (I thought about using one, but as they were more pricey than expected, I rolled the dice without one.)
2) Do your best NOT to damage the plant. That is what exposes the sap and oil which can cause the problem in the first place. Your goal will be to remove all of the plant, including and especially the root system, with as little harm to the actual plant as you can.
3) Get a shovel. A hand shovel might be required if it's in a tough spot, but a large spade shovel is better, as you will be able to dig it up more easily, and can keep your hands and face away from it much easier. If it's early on, the root system hasn't gotten far. If there is only one plant of it sprouting up, you might be dealing with a root system that is relatively close to the plant. The height of the plant, then, could be assumed to be the radius of the root system around the plant, plus a little extra to be on the safe side. The roots tend to be shallow, so dig around the plant to lift up hopefully all of it at once. When you dig, try to do it gently so that damage to the roots is minimized.
4) Another option would be to do what I had to do, because mine was in a tight spot. I had to use a hand shovel. I dug slightly under the plant, "feeling" with the shovel where the roots were so as not to break them with the shovel. I was able to expose enough of the root to then give the plant a pull, and it was able to all come out (from what I could tell). If I was dealing with not just one place it sprouted, but saw others sprouting near it, I could assume it was the same plant and would want to do this hand shovel method as well. I would "follow" roots from one plant to the other, slowly digging along to expose it, but not damage it, leading me to the next sprout. I'd do this for each sprout, until I was confident that I saw how the root system connected every sprout, and then proceed to start from the outside sprouts, pull them up roots intact (using the shovel as needed to make it easy and not break any roots) and work inwards from there.
5) Once removed, it can go in a plastic trash bag and be disposed of.
6) From that point on, I'd very carefully monitor that area for the next two weeks to see if anything new sprouts up.
7) I would then continue periodically monitoring here and there, just to be on the safe side. That includes next spring. I don't know much about plants, but I do know that sometimes root systems can be dormant if it's later in the season, and come back just fine in the spring.
8) If this sounds difficult or complicated, or if the plant size is large enough to where this sounds like a pretty tough job to do, I'd definitely call in some professional help. You absolutely do not want this plant in your yard, as a little now can be a very large (and expensive) problem later.
I truly wish you as much luck as wishing luck over the internet can provide!
MrLundScience thank you for responding!!! I am going to go it tonight and assess the situation. Will the oil be on the surrounding plants? I am desperately trying to clean this bed out.
Can the oil be on other plants?
Quick answer: It's certainly possible, and so you should operate as if it is, at least, any plants that were in contact or could have been in contact with the ivy.
More detailed answer: Technically, the oil is inside the plant. The plant leaves or stem or roots have to be damaged/punctured in some way for the oil to come to the surface. Now, this could be as simple as a dog stepping on it to puncture the plant, or a foot, or even if an insect was nibbling on it. It's a pretty fragile plant when it comes to this. So, it's not that other plants touching it need to be destroyed, but, I also wouldn't pick flowers from them and wear them in my hair any time soon!
And hey, I forgot to mention this: Once finished, thoroughly clean all tools used immediately with large amounts of soap, water, and scrubbing. The oils are persistent, and can still be potent even a year or more later. There are stories (confirmed true ones) where people have rid themselves of poison ivy using gardening tools, put the tools away, used them the next year without gloves, and got a rash from it.
MrLundScience thank you again for all the advice! I’m assuming washing clothes should be separate...and maybe done twice? I’m so worried about getting this on my skin. We actually called TRU green and they won’t even deal with poison ivy. I wish I could show you a picture of the space. It’s completely overgrown. I have many plants in that area I am just digging up and getting rid of. Might just dig up the whole bed and start over, saving plants and rearranging ones I want to keep. Thank you again. I have my first 6 eggs ever in a dish waiting for them to hatch!
When I check my milkweed there’s so many bugs and I’m afraid that they will eat the catipillars
The bold truth is...they likely will, especially any eggs. Nature is not kind to eggs and caterpillars.
I go over this in a bit more detail in the Pests and Predators video: ruclips.net/video/aae5Tkziex4/видео.html
Take a look if you haven't and see if it can help.
What about poison oak- for us west coasters.😮
it looked like the tree behind you had poison ivy growing on it. i had poison Ivy on me, it was so bad that i had to get a shot from the doctors. how i got poison Ivy was when i went canoeing up north awhile back and the canoe tipped over i went into the water and i climbed out of the water onto this bank, but at the time i didn't see or paid attention to poison ivy at the time. i wouldn't think to get poison ivy for being all wet with clothes on. A few days later i started to feel itchy. i had blisters all over my legs all over my crotch area and arms, i wish i had pictures to show you. it was not pleasant.
Ouch! That's quite an experience with it! Yeah, I saw that tree you mention in the background, and I did take a closer look at it. I can assure you, it wasn't poison ivy. Not sure if you needed this video, or if you learned shortly after your experience what to look for, but definitely the more examples we look at, the better for identifying it!
MrLundScience You opened my eyes a little more about poison Ivy. Could you explain how i even got poison ivy and how serve it was because i was all wet, it spread through the water maybe? Or soaked into my clothes.
Having not been there to witness it and see the details, that's pretty tough to do. All we can know for sure is that if you had the rash, you definitely had the oil on you long enough for it to absorb into your skin.
im first also great video
Thanks. I was *itching* to put this one out! (Nyuck nyuck nyuck!)
Your Dog can carry the oil and when you pet your dog eeeyikes!
Indeed!