HELP! Monarch caterpillars need good homes!

Carlsbad, CA(Zone 10b)

Hi All,
I just started planting milkweed to attract Monarch butterflies this year and I must be the only one in the neighborhood who has any since the butterflies just keep laying eggs. I've got about 3 dozen caterpillars too many and have already purchased 11 extra plants. I live in Carlsbad in San Diego Co. and am hoping some of you nearby have extra milkweed, or perhaps the butterflies haven't visited you yet, and you'd like some. Depending on how far away you are I'll be happy to bring them too you, or If you're more than 40-50 miles perhaps we could meet halfway.
Thanks,
Annie

Hidden Meadows, CA

Hi Annie,
I'm interested in planting some milkweed and am in Escondido - from where did you purchase your plants?

Greensboro, NC(Zone 7b)

How's it going?

I have tropical milkweed plants indoors if you're still growing caterpillars.

~Amanda

Menifee, CA(Zone 9a)

Annie,
I only have one MW plant, but I have a lot of seed I'll be planting. I am hoping to attract Monarchs to my garden, and you give me hope.
I'm in the same boat as you were, with my Gulf Frittilaries. I need more 'Lady Margaret Passiflora'. Mine are naked. They won't eat the leaves on my edible passiflora.
Hoping that you found some more milkweed for those ravenous cats.
Walk in Beauty~
SingingWolf

Carlsbad, CA(Zone 10b)

The Meadows - So sorry I didn't respond sooner. I forget that DG doesn't notify you when you get a response, you have to check!

I got my milkweed at various places. I had planted four milkweed plants in June thinking that would be enough. Sure fooled me! They were gone in one week once the butterflies laid eggs in late August. Since it was the end of the season I ended up calling all over and finally found it at Weidner's in Encinitas, Cedros Gardens in Solana Beach, and at The Monarch Program in Vista, http://www.monarchprogram.org. Although they were more expensive at The Monarch Program they had plenty. Home Depot got some in but you have to be careful with them as their plants are likely to have been sprayed and will kill the cats. I learned that one butterfly needs an 18" branch of leaves. The plants regrow pretty fast once they're stripped, but if you're the only one in the area with food it's almost impossible to keep up.

If you're going to plant some this spring I'd advise planting them as soon as you can find them so they have a chance to put on some growth. They will take cold weather. Don't forget that you also need nectar plants for the butterflies. Have fun!

Menifee, CA(Zone 9a)

Thanks for the tips. I've got my seed, and have to stratify some of it. I am planting come mid February. I am hoping to attract the Monarchs. I already have Gulf frittilary's.
You say all you have to do is plant the milkweed and they will appear. I really hope that it works that way for me. I have one lonely mw plant in my garden. No visitors so far. I hope to be able to harvest the seed from it, and grow more plants. Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted.
WIB~
SW

Thumbnail by SingingWolf
Carlsbad, CA(Zone 10b)

Hi SingingWolf,
I had this post to you started but didn't have time to finish it. I ended up just buying more plants, and then more, and then more, and I ended up with twenty-three. But the butterflies just kept laying egg after egg after egg. Luckily I had a friend with more mature milkweed plants who took twenty caterpillars and then another twenty a month or so later. It was fun but stressful, and we ended up having over a hundred turn into butterflies so I felt really good since their numbers are declining so much.

They were still flying around in December although it was too cold for chrysalis to form. After reading some other's posts about collecting the eggs I feel guilty that I didn't do that and continue inside, but I needed a break as it was an intense couple of months. Next winter maybe.

Even more fun and exciting was that my husband shared the chrysalises, super gluing them to chopsticks and taking them around to neighbors who wanted one. We now have at least three neighbors who are going to plant milkweed as they loved watching the butterflies emerge and fly around. And in fact I just bought 20 milkweed plants at wholesale to sell to the neighbors, hoping that we can have the monarchs flying all around and become Monarch Hill in the area around us.

Since November I've also been planting nectar plants, and doing some research on what I need to have as host plants for the Yellow Sulfur, the Gulf Fritillaries, and the Swallowtails. I'm going to plant parsley, anise, cabbage (to hopefully keep the cabbage moths off the other veggies), and don't know what else yet.

SInce you're kind of near me, what do you find as the best host for the GF, and the YS if you have those?
Annie

Menifee, CA(Zone 9a)

Hey Annie,
The Gulf Frittilary go nuts for the Lady Margaret Passiflora. Wouldn't touch my edible passiflora Try yellow Thunbergia to attract the yellow sulphur butterflies. I just found a post from my Dad, trois, about how well it attracts the sulphur's. Since he didn't mention any cats, I'm assuming that it's a nectar source. Let me do some research on that and get back to you. We must have some kind of host plant out here, because I see them all the time. In general a lot of the California natives like host plants like violets, milkweed, and the painted ladies like Hollywood's.
I'm planting lots of milkweed this year. I've had one monarch sighting so far this spring.
Have you checked out the project also website? Www.ProjectApism.org. While primarily a site that encourages planting for bees, the have some information about other native pollinators, like butterflies.
Say, a couple of fellow D.G. members and I are talking about getting together for a Round Up. Would you be interested in attending? Dee is also interested in butterflies, and said she'd come.
I'm impressed that so many monarchs hatched. What a heartwarming sight! Good for you!
I've got some research to do.
W.I.B.~
SingingWolf

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