Thank you for this video. Everything I know about raising monarchs I learned from you. Back in April 2024 I had a huge breakout of NPV. I First thing I did was show my neighbor your videos. She’s just starting her journey to raise monarch’s. She cut all her plants down too. I cut every plant down to the soil. Sterilized everything. I even washed all my floors, furniture and screens (inside and out side) on my patio with the bleach solution. My neighbor did the same thing. About 6 weeks later I had an abundance of milkweed growing and had to wait for the monarch to come back. By the 7th week I finally had one visit my garden and she Started laying eggs and the cycle started again. This time every one of them was healthy and very large. Since June 21st I raised and released 41 Monarchs. I currently have 10 4-5th instar and 15 chrysalis form over the past 3 days. Come around August 15-18 I’ll be releasing them. I have a quarantined area for the ones that don’t look so healthy. A few weeks ago one caterpillar looked ill. I quarantine him. Well, he wasn’t sick and was born without any virus and was so big. I’ve deduced he was playing dead. Thank you Mr Lund for all your teachings. I couldn’t have done it without you sharing your knowledge. ❤
where do you live? Ive had a terrible year thus far. I’ve had 5 caterpillars that had been killed (at various stages) due to tachnid fly. Never experienced this before
Greetings Denise! That's a really cool success story about cutting back the milkweed being effective. That's awesome that it worked. Thanks for being willing to put in the work like that! Good luck with your current Monarchs!
My daughter started me on raising Monarchs 8 years ago. I now have a large milkweed garden. I found your videos about 4 years ago and found your videos very helpful. 3 years ago we raised over 100 butterflies all fed from our own garden. Thank you for you great insights
I appreciate your time and information. I have noticed that some people have planted milkweed in their gardens in my neighborhood and other neighborhoods I see in my travels as well. In a state park not far from my home raise monarchs every year at their nature center and the park has large patches of milkweed in several areas. I drive my friends crazy because I always point out milkweed every where I see it. I'm obsessed.
This is my first year raising monarchs in Michigan. After one week of planting milkweed I rescued 10 eggs. So I would definitely say planting the Monarch’s favorite plant is a great way to help them. As a newbie here I deeply appreciate you Mr. Lund for the valuable work you continue to share and educate for people like me. Thank you!
You have inspired so many people over the years we appreciate all the research and knowledge you've shared with all of US. Everything I know about raising monarch butterflies was by watching your five-part series. Thank You for all that you do for our Monarch butterflies. I always recommend people who are interested in raising monarch butterflies to watch your five-part series. 🥰🦋🌿🦋🥰
Thank you Ana. It does feel nice to hear such words. Sometimes, it can be tough to be sure. I never really initially knew if people wanted the information. I will continue to try and provide it when and where it makes sense to, and in responsible ways. Thank you, again. 🙏🙏🙏😃✌🦋
Chicago suburbs - I have planted lots of milkweed in my yard and along area bike paths. This year I have only seen one monarch on June 30. No eggs. Concerning.
Greetings U R What U Eat, and thank you for your question you supplied. (I hope it was interpreted correctly.) Thanks for planting the milkweed. Even if it is a low year for many, we can remain hopeful. Once, 1.13 ha rebounded to over 4 ha the next year. We can come back from this, as long as the nectar producing flowers are there for the migration, and the milkweed we plant now is ready for them in the spring! 🦋😃👍
Great video. I have 4 in Chrystalis in Ludington, MI, that are from collected eggs. The 3 cats I brought in all died of t-fly. I am seeing monarchs almost daily but haven't seen a black swallowtail since spring. I am planting mosty host plants for a variety of butterflies. Sorry to read how many others aren't seeing any monarchs.
A quick add. I posted on Facebook about my monarch raising. Now my retired SIL and my niece, who is a kindergarten teacher are raising them and letting more milkweed grow. I enjoy seeing their efforts and having someone to talk to about mine since some on the internet groups are so negative about raising now.
I brought in four 5th instar caterpillars and all four died - all T- flies but even one that I brought in at 3rd instar made it to Chrysalis stage only to have a fly larvae come out within 24 hours. this is my third year and I’m not doing as many because my mother lives with us now and she is in the room that I usually raise my caterpillars. But I’ve never seen the tachnid flies in any of them in prior years.
Though certainly different, I was recently at the west side of the State, in St. Joseph. Didn't find the Eastern Hognose snake I was hoping to stumble upon (they seem plentiful on the west side, but quite sparse on the east side), but it was still so cool to see so much plant life that isn't over here. Sorry about the T-flies. I've never had one...and I don't hope to get one...but if I ever do, I suppose it's time for an actual T-fly video. Thanks for helping out the Mitten Monarchs! ✋🦋
I do recognize that the current ones are older, but that is also true of many of the videos. Are you speaking of the video specifically called "Sanitation"? I don't see that there would be any update to the procedures there. What would you have me add/change? As for pesticide removal, bleach treatment that is done for NPV and OE also would remove pesticides that are on the plant. (If they make their way into the root system and into the leaves, if the plant survives, no amount of rinsing will help it.) One could try just rinsing the leaves without bleach and that could be somewhat effective, but the bleach treatment would be better. Bleach is effective against NPV and OE because it's effective at just taking apart and reacting with molecules anyway. That includes pesticides. As always, rinsing would be really important, of course.
Rich - always great info!!! Thank you!!! I hope you never get tachinid flies though; it will break your heart to lose cats and chrysalids. I lost many last year to an infestation. I had converted a Yardistry greenhouse into a butterfly house with screens, nontoxic stain/waterproofing, and a shade cloth. I figured I could raise my monarchs and black swallowtails in optimal conditions with live milkweed and dill/parsley. Wrong! Those damn tachinid flies can go through screens and they bore into chrysalids. 💔😢 Many tears and anger at not knowing about this danger! I still get emotional about it. I’m hoping the next three months I can prevent any and all problems. I have brand new standard cages, an ample supply of garden milkweed, dill for my swallowtails, and hyper vigilance!
Thank you Anna! I agree, I do not want a tachinid fly experience. Truly. If it never happens, I'm 100% fine with that. But, if it ever does, I will need to make a video (finally) about them. It could potentially happen, as I do take in caterpillars still, so some could have tachinid encounters in their past. But, to this day, it hasn't happened. My apologies for the times it has happened for you. It definitely must be saddening. My heart goes out to you. 🙏
Pretty much the same here in Morris County New Jersey. For the second year in a row I have flower beds in the front and back of my house with a large variety of butterfly attracting flowers along with several very large containers growing Butterfly Weed and also 30+ Common Milkweed plants over 7 feet tall. I only seen a Monarch twice (I’m home all day). I carefully check the plants 2-3 times a day for eggs of caterpillars. Last year I purchased caterpillars, raised and released 25 that pretty much just flew away. This year I was hoping to find a few eggs so I didn’t purchase any. Disappointed and concerned!
Hello there I'm so sorry about not being able to find caterpillars this summer. Also please it's not advisable to purchase eggs since many commercial growing businesses might carry parasites and viruses into the wild population therefore weakening the struggling population. Thanks for planting milkweed and providing a habitat towards helping their numbers hopefully next summer we have more monarchs.🦋
I'm not sure of what means you have, but if possible, have you searched locations other than at home? We could be in totally different environments, of course, but for me, the majority of my eggs have not come from my home plants, but from plants in parking lots or the sides of park outskirts. Numbers do seem low for me too, but that has been counter balanced, I think, by just looking more. Just some thoughts. I do hope it can pick up for you. Good luck! 🤞
@@MrLundScience The area I’m in is very much upper middle class or higher and nearly every one uses landscaper services. We also have little in the way of open fields or roads where the municipalities where they don’t mow the roadsides. I’ve walked and driven around a lot looking for wild milkweed and places where I can scatter seeds. I found three common milkweed plants growing in a wooded area near a school football field, but I haven’t found eggs or caterpillars there. There is a nearby Whole Foods that has a hillside that they don’t mow and let natural plants grow. I spoke with the manager who said they have to objection to me scattering wildflower and butterfly attracting plants. I scattered seeds in the spring, but haven’t seen any signs that the came up. Others than some Butterfly Weed I don’t see swamp or Common Milkweed along roadsides. There are a few houses around me that have pretty good flower gardens and the people I’ve spoken with have rarely see any butterflies. I’m concerned that with all the major highways around me and the fact that there a 16 acre. Sports complex may put me in a “butterfly desert”.
Thanks for your videos! First time I ever watched/reared a monarch was when I was a kid. Last year I stumbled on a few caterpillars in a field I knew was about to be mowed and decided to dive right in. Watched everything you've shown that summer and it went really well! I now have milkweed growing in my yard and even 8 plants in buckets so I can tent the entire plant. I only raised and released 1 so far this year in June but am currently watching over 10 chrysalises! They certainly did a number on my potted plants but I really like that my method is giving them "free range" outside. So far this year I've only been raising ones that were on my plants. Now that they're all at the last stage its time to go check out those farm fields again.
I congratulate you on the ingenuity! I hope it continues success for you, as the pests are sneaky and find ways in. Still, sounds like you're off to a great start! Thank you so much for helping out the Monarchs and your conservation efforts!
@@MrLundScience I've definitely been lucky with pests so far. I think dealing with the ants has really helped. In the early spring I had an issue with ants coming into the house and got some of the perimeter defense type insecticide (not a spray). I've been putting that around my plants in buckets and it seems to work great. I frequently see lady bugs and even some praying mantises. Very few aphids on those ones. The plants that are growing in the yard are another story. It's hard to keep the aphids off those ones. Finally got to release 3 butterflies today and it looks like I should see 3 or 4 more tomorrow. Woohoo!
I have not seen any either! I am in Ft Bragg NC and the milkweed is usually stripped clean by now? I do not see any eggs at all on my milkweed.? So sad!
I'm in NW ohio, and one of the females I released egg bombed me so I have about 60 monarchs in all stages right now. Male adult getting ready right now
Things are down in Painesville township also. Have only seen two-three monarchs We have two in chrysalis and two caterpillars. Down from 28 last year Disappointing for sure
I'm sorry that it has been sparse. Admittedly, though I'm readily finding eggs here in Michigan, I'm not necessarily seeing many Monarchs at all. (I will admit, though...I did see one, and she was laying eggs on my plants. I feel like a jerk saying that with so many having a slow or barren year.) I do hope things turn around for you. 🙏🙏🙏
@@fostoriadistrictrailfan3907 glad you had some luck. I have raised many Monarchs in the past but dwindling in recent years. Wonder if this summer drought has had an effect on them?
I could listen to you prattle on about the Monarch any day! Thank you for sharing your cautious optimism. I can really use it this year with so few Monarchs, compared to previous years. Interestingly, my common milkweed hasn't been as plentiful as in past years, but the swamp milkweed is doing fine. Are the different milkweeds interchangeable as a food source, or do the cats have to stick with the plant they hatched on? Again, thank you for your videos, they really help.
That's a strong compliment. Thank you, kindly. 🙏 I know that I can go on for a long time. I truly could. (The original edit was 33 minutes long...😲) I'm very optimistic, but what can help is that, the scientists at Monarch Watch dot org are also optimistic. It's a serious low, but, it's recoverable. And yep, different species of milkweed can be changed up in a diet, and sometimes, this happens in nature anyway. Good luck!
3rd year raising monarchs, bottom point of Ann Arbor- on #10 today (just watched her eclose) and all healthy so far. My friend in the eastern UP has had bad NPV this year.
Congrats on #10! Ann Arbor isn't too far. How have your eggs/sightings been? I'm finding eggs essentially within 10 minutes at most places I look. Concerning your friend, do they do any bleach treatment of leaves?
Released over 40 Monarchs so far (Toronto, ON) area and continuing to find eggs last week. Of note the hot humid weather seems to make some caterpillars dry up in molt, so I have kept all the small ones indoors to develop. My daughter also mentioned that at work, the pesticide Btk to control the Spongy Moth (Lymantria dispar dispar or LDD) is known to affect Monarch caterpillars, so perhaps that was part of the problem I had earlier with caterpillars not molting properly.
I have heard of Gypsy Moth sprays being used in some US communities and the risk that it can pose to Monarchs. I would imagine Spongy Moth control may be similar. This was one of the reasons the establishing of home milkweed was always important to me, as I could know that it hadn't been sprayed by something. Good luck with your continued season! Sound like it's going well so far! 👍🦋
There are some kinds of flowers that attract lady bugs if you plant a lot of them near milk weed can help bring in lady bugs to eat the aphids. I have planted Marigold with mexican milk weed and helped keep lower numbers of aphids but they still come. but I did notice not near as many as other areas that did not. I live in an area where Mexican milk weed does not over winter.
It took me a long time...or it felt like it...two full minutes at least. This is in reference to posting a comment within three hours of the video being posted, isn't it? 😉
This year does not have a single Monarch Caterpillar on my Milkweed? It makes me so sad that I will not see any this year? Do you think its the stuff they are spraying in the air/sky?
Greetings Valerie! I'm sorry that you haven't had any yet, but you also seem certain that you won't have any at all. There's still time! As for what they are spraying in the air/sky...what do you mean, specifically? Who is the "they" in that? What chemical are you saying is being sprayed? Is this, like, Gypsy Moth pest control spray? I do hope things turn around for you, and you do start seeing some!
Thank you for this video. Everything I know about raising monarchs I learned from you. Back in April 2024 I had a huge breakout of NPV. I First thing I did was show my neighbor your videos. She’s just starting her journey to raise monarch’s. She cut all her plants down too. I cut every plant down to the soil. Sterilized everything. I even washed all my floors, furniture and screens (inside and out side) on my patio with the bleach solution. My neighbor did the same thing. About 6 weeks later I had an abundance of milkweed growing and had to wait for the monarch to come back. By the 7th week I finally had one visit my garden and she Started laying eggs and the cycle started again. This time every one of them was healthy and very large. Since
June 21st I raised and released 41 Monarchs. I currently have 10 4-5th instar and 15 chrysalis form over the past 3 days. Come around August 15-18 I’ll be releasing them.
I have a quarantined area for the ones that don’t look so healthy. A few weeks ago one caterpillar looked ill. I quarantine him. Well, he wasn’t sick and was born without any virus and was so big. I’ve deduced he was playing dead.
Thank you Mr Lund for all your teachings. I couldn’t have done it without you sharing your knowledge. ❤
where do you live? Ive had a terrible year thus far. I’ve had 5 caterpillars that had been killed (at various stages) due to tachnid fly. Never experienced this before
Greetings Denise! That's a really cool success story about cutting back the milkweed being effective. That's awesome that it worked. Thanks for being willing to put in the work like that!
Good luck with your current Monarchs!
My daughter started me on raising Monarchs 8 years ago. I now have a large milkweed garden. I found your videos about 4 years ago and found your videos very helpful. 3 years ago we raised over 100 butterflies all fed from our own garden. Thank you for you great insights
Very happy to have been able to help. Thank you for planting the milkweed garden! Every stalk helps!
I appreciate your time and information. I have noticed that some people have planted milkweed in their gardens in my neighborhood and other neighborhoods I see in my travels as well. In a state park not far from my home raise monarchs every year at their nature center and the park has large patches of milkweed in several areas. I drive my friends crazy because I always point out milkweed every where I see it. I'm obsessed.
If you're obsessed with milkweed, you're not alone. I check every plant I have the means to when out and about. 😉
This is my first year raising monarchs in Michigan. After one week of planting milkweed I rescued 10 eggs. So I would definitely say planting the Monarch’s favorite plant is a great way to help them. As a newbie here I deeply appreciate you Mr. Lund for the valuable work you continue to share and educate for people like me. Thank you!
You've already planted the milkweed on your first year, which means, you're ahead of where I was! Welcome aboard! 😃
You have inspired so many people over the years we appreciate all the research and knowledge you've shared with all of US.
Everything I know about raising monarch butterflies was by watching your five-part series.
Thank You for all that you do for our Monarch butterflies.
I always recommend people who are interested in raising monarch butterflies to watch your five-part series.
🥰🦋🌿🦋🥰
Thank you Ana. It does feel nice to hear such words. Sometimes, it can be tough to be sure. I never really initially knew if people wanted the information. I will continue to try and provide it when and where it makes sense to, and in responsible ways. Thank you, again. 🙏🙏🙏😃✌🦋
Excellent video, and I applaud you for doing all you do. ❤
Thanks Joan. I appreciate that very much. 🙏🙏
Chicago suburbs - I have planted lots of milkweed in my yard and along area bike paths. This year I have only seen one monarch on June 30. No eggs. Concerning.
Greetings U R What U Eat, and thank you for your question you supplied. (I hope it was interpreted correctly.) Thanks for planting the milkweed. Even if it is a low year for many, we can remain hopeful. Once, 1.13 ha rebounded to over 4 ha the next year. We can come back from this, as long as the nectar producing flowers are there for the migration, and the milkweed we plant now is ready for them in the spring! 🦋😃👍
Great video. I have 4 in Chrystalis in Ludington, MI, that are from collected eggs. The 3 cats I brought in all died of t-fly. I am seeing monarchs almost daily but haven't seen a black swallowtail since spring. I am planting mosty host plants for a variety of butterflies. Sorry to read how many others aren't seeing any monarchs.
A quick add. I posted on Facebook about my monarch raising. Now my retired SIL and my niece, who is a kindergarten teacher are raising them and letting more milkweed grow. I enjoy seeing their efforts and having someone to talk to about mine since some on the internet groups are so negative about raising now.
Please consider new videos on sanitation.. the others are several years old. My neighbors on one side spray and I wonder how to remive the pesticides?
I brought in four 5th instar caterpillars and all four died - all T- flies but even one that I brought in at 3rd instar made it to Chrysalis stage only to have a fly larvae come out within 24 hours. this is my third year and I’m not doing as many because my mother lives with us now and she is in the room that I usually raise my caterpillars. But I’ve never seen the tachnid flies in any of them in prior years.
Though certainly different, I was recently at the west side of the State, in St. Joseph. Didn't find the Eastern Hognose snake I was hoping to stumble upon (they seem plentiful on the west side, but quite sparse on the east side), but it was still so cool to see so much plant life that isn't over here.
Sorry about the T-flies. I've never had one...and I don't hope to get one...but if I ever do, I suppose it's time for an actual T-fly video.
Thanks for helping out the Mitten Monarchs! ✋🦋
I do recognize that the current ones are older, but that is also true of many of the videos. Are you speaking of the video specifically called "Sanitation"? I don't see that there would be any update to the procedures there. What would you have me add/change?
As for pesticide removal, bleach treatment that is done for NPV and OE also would remove pesticides that are on the plant. (If they make their way into the root system and into the leaves, if the plant survives, no amount of rinsing will help it.) One could try just rinsing the leaves without bleach and that could be somewhat effective, but the bleach treatment would be better. Bleach is effective against NPV and OE because it's effective at just taking apart and reacting with molecules anyway. That includes pesticides. As always, rinsing would be really important, of course.
Rich - always great info!!! Thank you!!!
I hope you never get tachinid flies though; it will break your heart to lose cats and chrysalids. I lost many last year to an infestation. I had converted a Yardistry greenhouse into a butterfly house with screens, nontoxic stain/waterproofing, and a shade cloth. I figured I could raise my monarchs and black swallowtails in optimal conditions with live milkweed and dill/parsley. Wrong! Those damn tachinid flies can go through screens and they bore into chrysalids. 💔😢 Many tears and anger at not knowing about this danger! I still get emotional about it. I’m hoping the next three months I can prevent any and all problems. I have brand new standard cages, an ample supply of garden milkweed, dill for my swallowtails, and hyper vigilance!
Thank you Anna!
I agree, I do not want a tachinid fly experience. Truly. If it never happens, I'm 100% fine with that. But, if it ever does, I will need to make a video (finally) about them. It could potentially happen, as I do take in caterpillars still, so some could have tachinid encounters in their past. But, to this day, it hasn't happened.
My apologies for the times it has happened for you. It definitely must be saddening. My heart goes out to you. 🙏
Pretty much the same here in Morris County New Jersey. For the second year in a row I have flower beds in the front and back of my house with a large variety of butterfly attracting flowers along with several very large containers growing Butterfly Weed and also 30+ Common Milkweed plants over 7 feet tall. I only seen a Monarch twice (I’m home all day). I carefully check the plants 2-3 times a day for eggs of caterpillars. Last year I purchased caterpillars, raised and released 25 that pretty much just flew away. This year I was hoping to find a few eggs so I didn’t purchase any. Disappointed and concerned!
I have seem the same here in Ft. Bragg NC and the milkweed has all the leaves and are usually cleaned by now in Aug.
Hello there I'm so sorry about not being able to find caterpillars this summer.
Also please it's not advisable to purchase eggs since many commercial growing businesses might carry parasites and viruses into the wild population therefore weakening the struggling population.
Thanks for planting milkweed and providing a habitat towards helping their numbers hopefully next summer we have more monarchs.🦋
I'm not sure of what means you have, but if possible, have you searched locations other than at home? We could be in totally different environments, of course, but for me, the majority of my eggs have not come from my home plants, but from plants in parking lots or the sides of park outskirts. Numbers do seem low for me too, but that has been counter balanced, I think, by just looking more.
Just some thoughts. I do hope it can pick up for you. Good luck! 🤞
@@MrLundScience The area I’m in is very much upper middle class or higher and nearly every one uses landscaper services. We also have little in the way of open fields or roads where the municipalities where they don’t mow the roadsides. I’ve walked and driven around a lot looking for wild milkweed and places where I can scatter seeds. I found three common milkweed plants growing in a wooded area near a school football field, but I haven’t found eggs or caterpillars there. There is a nearby Whole Foods that has a hillside that they don’t mow and let natural plants grow. I spoke with the manager who said they have to objection to me scattering wildflower and butterfly attracting plants. I scattered seeds in the spring, but haven’t seen any signs that the came up. Others than some Butterfly Weed I don’t see swamp or Common Milkweed along roadsides. There are a few houses around me that have pretty good flower gardens and the people I’ve spoken with have rarely see any butterflies. I’m concerned that with all the major highways around me and the fact that there a 16 acre. Sports complex may put me in a “butterfly desert”.
Thanks for your videos! First time I ever watched/reared a monarch was when I was a kid. Last year I stumbled on a few caterpillars in a field I knew was about to be mowed and decided to dive right in. Watched everything you've shown that summer and it went really well! I now have milkweed growing in my yard and even 8 plants in buckets so I can tent the entire plant. I only raised and released 1 so far this year in June but am currently watching over 10 chrysalises! They certainly did a number on my potted plants but I really like that my method is giving them "free range" outside. So far this year I've only been raising ones that were on my plants. Now that they're all at the last stage its time to go check out those farm fields again.
I congratulate you on the ingenuity! I hope it continues success for you, as the pests are sneaky and find ways in. Still, sounds like you're off to a great start! Thank you so much for helping out the Monarchs and your conservation efforts!
@@MrLundScience I've definitely been lucky with pests so far. I think dealing with the ants has really helped. In the early spring I had an issue with ants coming into the house and got some of the perimeter defense type insecticide (not a spray). I've been putting that around my plants in buckets and it seems to work great. I frequently see lady bugs and even some praying mantises. Very few aphids on those ones. The plants that are growing in the yard are another story. It's hard to keep the aphids off those ones. Finally got to release 3 butterflies today and it looks like I should see 3 or 4 more tomorrow. Woohoo!
August 2024 in Ohio, have not seen 1 Monarch this year! Milkweed garden, lots of flowers, no Monarchs!
I have not seen any either! I am in Ft Bragg NC and the milkweed is usually stripped clean by now? I do not see any eggs at all on my milkweed.? So sad!
I'm in NW ohio, and one of the females I released egg bombed me so I have about 60 monarchs in all stages right now. Male adult getting ready right now
Things are down in Painesville township also. Have only seen two-three monarchs
We have two in chrysalis and two caterpillars.
Down from 28 last year
Disappointing for sure
I'm sorry that it has been sparse. Admittedly, though I'm readily finding eggs here in Michigan, I'm not necessarily seeing many Monarchs at all. (I will admit, though...I did see one, and she was laying eggs on my plants. I feel like a jerk saying that with so many having a slow or barren year.) I do hope things turn around for you. 🙏🙏🙏
@@fostoriadistrictrailfan3907 glad you had some luck. I have raised many Monarchs in the past but dwindling in recent years. Wonder if this summer drought has had an effect on them?
Thank you!
Thank You
You're very welcome. 🙏
I could listen to you prattle on about the Monarch any day! Thank you for sharing your cautious optimism. I can really use it this year with so few Monarchs, compared to previous years. Interestingly, my common milkweed hasn't been as plentiful as in past years, but the swamp milkweed is doing fine. Are the different milkweeds interchangeable as a food source, or do the cats have to stick with the plant they hatched on? Again, thank you for your videos, they really help.
That's a strong compliment. Thank you, kindly. 🙏 I know that I can go on for a long time. I truly could. (The original edit was 33 minutes long...😲) I'm very optimistic, but what can help is that, the scientists at Monarch Watch dot org are also optimistic. It's a serious low, but, it's recoverable.
And yep, different species of milkweed can be changed up in a diet, and sometimes, this happens in nature anyway. Good luck!
3rd year raising monarchs, bottom point of Ann Arbor- on #10 today (just watched her eclose) and all healthy so far. My friend in the eastern UP has had bad NPV this year.
Congrats on #10! Ann Arbor isn't too far. How have your eggs/sightings been? I'm finding eggs essentially within 10 minutes at most places I look.
Concerning your friend, do they do any bleach treatment of leaves?
I currently have 6 4th generation monarchs chrysalis that are currently outside with a single 3rd generation monarch chrysalis set to emerge today.
Released over 40 Monarchs so far (Toronto, ON) area and continuing to find eggs last week. Of note the hot humid weather seems to make some caterpillars dry up in molt, so I have kept all the small ones indoors to develop. My daughter also mentioned that at work, the pesticide Btk to control the Spongy Moth (Lymantria dispar dispar or LDD) is known to affect Monarch caterpillars, so perhaps that was part of the problem I had earlier with caterpillars not molting properly.
I have heard of Gypsy Moth sprays being used in some US communities and the risk that it can pose to Monarchs. I would imagine Spongy Moth control may be similar. This was one of the reasons the establishing of home milkweed was always important to me, as I could know that it hadn't been sprayed by something.
Good luck with your continued season! Sound like it's going well so far! 👍🦋
There are some kinds of flowers that attract lady bugs if you plant a lot of them near milk weed can help bring in lady bugs to eat the aphids. I have planted Marigold with mexican milk weed and helped keep lower numbers of aphids but they still come. but I did notice not near as many as other areas that did not. I live in an area where Mexican milk weed does not over winter.
This year has been terrible, lots of milkweed but no butterflies 🥺
3 hours gang
It took me a long time...or it felt like it...two full minutes at least.
This is in reference to posting a comment within three hours of the video being posted, isn't it? 😉
This year does not have a single Monarch Caterpillar on my Milkweed? It makes me so sad that I will not see any this year? Do you think its the stuff they are spraying in the air/sky?
Greetings Valerie! I'm sorry that you haven't had any yet, but you also seem certain that you won't have any at all. There's still time!
As for what they are spraying in the air/sky...what do you mean, specifically? Who is the "they" in that? What chemical are you saying is being sprayed? Is this, like, Gypsy Moth pest control spray?
I do hope things turn around for you, and you do start seeing some!