As in eats the tops off young milkweeds (not like a bug or caterpillar, more like a deer). I have some wild milkweed growing next to the woodland edge, and many have a chunk missing off the top. I didn't think critters ate milkweed, but apparently they do! Any ideas on who the culprit may be??
What eats milkweeds?
It is happening again. Here is a close up of one of the plants.
Here's another with more eaten off.
I doubt this is related, but any ideas on what this might be?
That is one ugly whatever it is.
Oh, and I just saw by doing a google search that the strange growth thing is a seed pod!
Eevie, other than Monarch butterfly caterpillars, I don't know what eats milkweeds. I would say perhaps deer. They seem to like a lot of other stuff, why not milkweeds? They will eat just about anything when hungry.
Karen
That is a seed pod but as to what is eating the growth I am not sure.
Deer can eat the top off a flowering milkweed, I believe. I haven't seen it myself, but the flowering tops are eaten off in the way a deer would do it. The flowers are not toxic...or so I've heard. With the really horrid drought we're having, they'll eat a lot of things, but even in more normal times I've seen the flowering tops of milkweed plants eaten off.
I doubt these guys are responsible for it all, but look who I found. first for me to see cats ont the milkweed so I'm happy :) saw 2 separate sets of 'em.
EB, I don't think those are the desired caterpillars that you'd like to see on your Milkweeds. Tussock cats? Linda could you confirm this?
Any particular reason why they are not desired?
Here is a link that has more info. look: http://www.entnemdept.ufl.edu/foltz/eny3541/Tussock/Orgyia.htm
I love to see them too, only they will eat just about anything on its path I think. I've seen one felt off my oak tree, and proceeded to eat my lilies.
My fault! There are actually Milkweed Tussock Moths. Look:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/2059/
There's a lot here for them to eat and still have plenty left over, so I'm not worried (they're in a wild part of the yard, right next to the woods). Thanks for the warning though!
I had those on one of my milkweeds last year, as well as monarch cats on different milkweeds. This year I've had neither that I've noticed.
Karen
Monarch Cats on common milkweed. I took photo Sept 2nd and watch for changes daily.
Oh, cool! Nice to see them!
Karen
I'm going to look at my milkweed tomorrow, hope to see some of those!
My fat cats were gone this morning. But isn't this a chrysalis?
Another newbie.....lol.
We have way too many orange Asian lady beetles so it's refreshing to see real Red ladybugs, a gardeners best friend to eat pesky aphids.
Oops...here's the chrysalis.
Yup, that's a chrysalis. You'll have a monarch butterfly soon!
Karen
Here are a couple links re: deer/milkweed.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/butterfly/msg050349446045.html
http://tinyurl.com/deer-milkweed
Maggie
That's good info on milkweeds, Maggie. Thanks.
Karen
I knew Maggie would be here :) Hi Maggie :)
My used to be boyfriend used to grow the orange milkweeds to attract the deer I was surprised because I though that the orange milkweeds were deer resistant he was the only person I knew that wanted to attract the deer anyone else would want to keep them away he hunts all the time though.
Hi LeBug,
Where I grew up, some hunters would use spotlights on the deer @ night. Others would put salt licks in their fields. No one ever thought of milkweed LOL! 'Course all we had was the A. syriaca anyway. We didn't have the fancy cultivated stuff;-).
Maggie
Ten days later, here's that same chrysalis today. Is it my imagination or is that a face at the bottom?
And this is the back side.
Cool! I hope you get a chance to see the butterfly emerge!
Karen
There wasn't a Monarch emerge from that chrysalis I am sure. If you noticed in the first picture it was beginning to get a brown coloring. A healthy chrysalis stays green until the day before it turns black and the monarch emerges. The caterpillar that made that one was a victim of a parasitic wasp or fly more than likely. It eats the insides of the caterpillar that are destined to become the butterfly. So when the caterpillar begins it's transformation it dies. The pupa of the parasite emerges.
BTW, it only takes 10 days for the Monarch butterfly to emerge after the chrysalis is formed. Only two percent of butterflies survive in the wild nowdays. Sadly, those parasites are sold to farmers to control their insects on the crops.
This message was edited Oct 3, 2009 12:13 AM
bummer
A bummer for me too but that's great info, Sheila. After 2" of rain last Friday and 35 mph winds Saturday, that chrysalis was gone. Do you think another one I found Sunday has a better chance?
Here's the cat September 21st.
Oh, I hope that one has a better chance.
Sheila, that sure is a low survival rate for the Monarchs. But do they lay a lot eggs to make up for the low survival rate? I know some creatures in this world that are meant for food for predators (i.e. mice, rabbits, etc.) produce many offspring to offset the fact that many are lost to predation.
Karen
I hope so too, Karen. Last week I read an article that also said a bird's survival rate is only 20%. Isn't that sad?
Here's a pic of 4 more cats I found Sep 27th.
FOTV,
That chrysalis doesn't look right. It should be pure jade green w/ a band of gold dots around the top. As Sheila said, the day before it hatches, the entire thing turns dark looking. If you look closely, you'd see that the chrysalis is actually clear and the dark color is the wings. You'd be able to see the bands of color on the wings through the chrysalis. Here are some links I hope will demonstrate.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brucetopher/3869905539/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0S30RoQA3M
Sometimes, if you look closely @ the cats, you'll see that their stripes are sooty/ indistinct. When I've followed these through, many of them didn't make it d/t OE. The stripes should be nice & crisp like these: http://www.nysite.com/nature/fauna/page/monar3.jpg
http://www.nysite.com/nature/fauna/monar.htm
The only way to guarantee that they won't be infected is to collect the eggs just after they are laid by the Monarch, disinfect them to remove OE spores from Mom, and raise them from then until they eclose. Chances go downhill from there but collecting right after they are laid is not really practical. I think most of us balance what we are able to do against the ideal knowing that no matter where we intervene, we are likely to improve the chances over what they are in the wild. So it's all good.
Maggie
Oh, nice to see all those cats! That is sad that so many animals have such a low survival rate, but that's just how nature is. Nothing we can do to change it except do our best to preserve what we have and not do anything to harm it. I guess everything we can do to help nature along works, too.
Karen
I am posting a link here that explains better than I can about the parasites and OE; and how we can improved the odds of butterflies not just Monarchs, all though those we hold in higher regard sometimes. This is only one section of this website, please look at all of it when time allows. It is very straight forward and easy to understand.
http://www.mymonarchguide.com/2008/01/dreaded-tachinid-fly.html
This was one I had yesterday that started to make it's chrysalis and died. The parasitic larva drops out and forms it's pupa. The pupa hatches and goes on to infect other caterpillars. So I destroyed these to protect dozens of future butterflies.
Sorry cross posted but thought I would leave it.
Sheila, that's some good information to know. Thanks for sharing the link.
Karen