Plant It and They Will Come #8 Migration 2015

Orange Mint Moth--very cool!
Hope those Monarchs start emerging for you soon, Muddy!

I have a question-----

I want to take cuttings of my Tropical MW for next year. When is a good time?
I would think NOW....BUT........
The ones I have got a really late start, (4 plugs from coleup in a BIG pot) so it is
not even in full bloom yet. Just, kind of, loose buds...
The Monarch that was flying all around my NE Aster totally ignored this MW--
even though it was right next to the Aster.

I would not want to cut back the stems with the blooms. Lower down, there are
about 6 new stems coming up. Just leaves....and they seem VERY tender.
I could use these for the cuttings???--but I think they need to harden off a bit.
When is it too late to take cuttings???

Any advice???? Thanks, Gita

1--Here is the big pot of Tropical MW--4 starts from coleup

2--This is as far as the blooms have gotten on this MW. Still bud-stage.

3--Here is my poor. sprawled NE Aster right next to it. I need to pinch
it back in early summer!!! That is NOT 2 plants--all the lue is from the same clump.

OR--Since it grows in my YUK ed--maybe I can dig it up really early, amend the soil--
and re-plant some of it Share the rest....YEAH! More work!!!

hi Gita. To me, it looks as though your tropical milkweed is fully bloomed.

well, you are definitely the queen of cuttings, Gita, so you would know best about that!

1st Monarch of my current brood eclosed this afternoon. Took her out and she sat on my finger briefly and then was off!! Looks like a couple more will follow soon. Fingers crossed for good weather for them!

BST count has gone up to 12, after being 11 for a week or so. Right now I have 7 chrysalises, 4 instar 3s, and one instar 4!

My Aster 'Raydon' finally bloomed--my last aster of the season to bloom! I like the pale blue.

ALso have one photo below of an instar 2 BST molting into an instar 3--her shed skin is around her head.

yes, that is as big as the clusters ever got on mine also.

No idea what might be too late, if any. I took my cuttings weeks ago and they all rooted 'instantly' I have about ten -12 rooted in three pots. I used both tips and sections. I started getting really clever, and picking leaves off one stem in a pattern to suit cutting it up for rooting.

Then there are big mother plants in the ground on the sunny side bed. If they survive too, I think I'll move them to another bed. But they really grew insanely there with the warm soil and spring rain making them feel pretty tropical.

If you think the plants haven't really grown that much, maybe dig the plant, trim top and roots, and pot in smaller pot. I also have a ton of seed.

The Monarch chrysalises might be starting to darken; hopefully at least some will emerge by Monday.

I have at least one BST chrysalis (can't see it in this photo) and one in its harness. Two are still munching away, and I can't see the rest.

I've seen a Monarch butterfly fluttering around outside ...maybe he/she is waiting for its siblings to get a move on and come outside for the trip to Mexico!

Your BST cats look so happy in the habitat you've created for them, Muddy!
I know, it's strange how the BST cats will just seemingly disappear and reappear! For me, I seem to lose sight of them a lot during instar 3, when they are so dark...

They do seem to like the sticks I placed in there. I don't dare move the tent until they're all pupating, though, because some of the sticks would fall for sure, so I can't really clean it out anymore.

Saw seven migrating Monarchs in a half hour this afternoon out at Greenbury Point! They were all nectaring intensely on tall Goldenrod and white asters. So nice to look over acres of fall fields of wildflowers and watch the Monarchs pop up!

Cape May has been reporting a good steady flow in and out each day since Thurs, and posting pics of two or more per bush or bloom.

I'm going to report these 7 to Journey North along with the ones I have released. Last two flew today! Journey North has a place to report any of the hand raised Monarchs any of you all are releasing:
https://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/Gallery.html

thanks, Coleup! I'm glad the migration is still ongoing, and mine will be joining others!

coleup--

No one has answered my question on WHEN to take cuttings from my
Tropical MW. If you look up my post of Oct. 10--I explain in more detail
asking what to do and when.

It is now getting cold. need to take the cuttings soon...

Thanks--Gita

Gita, I'm not an expert on cuttings, but I imagine it would be fine to take the cuttings now, especially with the days growing cooler!

Monarch #3 eclosed this morning. I'm so happy to see her! Her chrysalis has had a little crack in it the last few days, even while it darkened, and I was concerned that something had happened and she would not emerge, but here she is!! A 4th chrysalis has grown very dark now and should eclose soon.

Congratulations!

None of my chrysalises have started to darken yet. I wonder why they're so far behind and whether moving the tent to a different location might help?

hi, Muddy. Where do you have the chrysalises?

Gita, I guess I thought I implied that WHEN was best a few weeks ago, as I have heard about other things. That they root faster while it's still a little warm.

Since you missed that, then WHEN would be ASAP. My plants are showing some bronze color, They might be shutting down.

My rooted cuttings are growing nicely and they are in the shade of the parents but against the sunny side of the house therfeore warm.

I'll be really tempted to pull at least one parent plant, cut off the stems, and see if it'll rebound from dormancy or being stuck in a pot in the basement. I could wait another month or two before deep freeze where they are planted.

( " I guess I thought I implied"... how waffley is that LOL)

Gita, I am going to take cuttings from my Tropical Milkweed today and tomorrow. Because temperatures have dipped below 60 - 70 degrees t night, Iwill keep my cuttings indoors until they root, 10 days or so in a warm spot so soil stays warm. Beginning of Sept would have been ideal as Sally's took almost immediately then.

You can also put your cuttings in water and keep inside and then just pot up when roots appear.
Sally will probably want to take cuttings from her well rooted cuttings to make plants branch and grow more plants.

I think you could bring your whole pot in now, let it warm up a couple days and then take cuttings as you want from the mother plants. It will continue to bloom indoors with bright light! Or, after you take cuttings and tire of blooms, you could cut it back to 6 or so inches and stash it in your lower levels and let it sleep with the other plants you are sheltering down there. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Sally, I over winter all of my Trop MW plants from year to year in large containers on my unheated front porch...so. if you are tempted, do a little pre root pruning around each one now whilee still in that most favorable spot (!!) and find some 3 gal pots or a large storage container/thick plastic bag, etcand just jam them in. Since their growth has alreadt slowed, they will most likely need no water, etc until you slowly wake them up in spring and then set back outside when SOIL temp warms to 50 or you can keep pots of them around 50 by surrounding with a pile of leaves. I kept 4 inch pots of them outside all winter under a pile of leaves. If you keep the roots from freezing or rotting next year's foliage will come back. I'd like to get mine blooming by June instead of August.

Muddy.

Take a bright flashlight and shine it on each chrysilis. You should be able to see some faint Monarch markings or wing paytterns. Bfor they turn dark they change from bright green to a beautiful grayish bluish, greenish aqua color. Some cues Monarchs go by are day length...so leave the lights on for them as they delay emergence in gloomy weather! Warmth and light!

Just let Monarch #3 go--it's always such a beautiful sight!

Just counted 7 BST chrysalises, with 3 cats at instar 4, and 2 are instar 3.

Sure loving this mild sunny weather today!

Coleup and Sally---

Thanks again--I guess I missed on your advice when I first wrote.
I think my question also included WHICH cuttings to take?
I have the older stems with blooms on top---and about 6 new stems
coming up from below and doing well. About 10" now.

I know I asked from WHICH I stems I should take the cuttings??
and then all this got lost in the shuffle....

My pot the Tr. MW is in is wayyyy too heavy to bring inside!!!
I can cut off ALL the stems--and root the tops--the Mama pot will have to stay outside.
Hopefully--it will re-grow. I will have plenty of leaves to throw over it--
They are falling already!!! Maybe put some burlap around the pot too???

OK--Geez--something additional I will now have to do today!!!!!
ALL for "The cause!!! Going out now--scissors in hand.

Thanks--Gita

****Wed, and Thurs, night here--36* predicted.....Bummer!

With such low temps predicted, guess I need to think about stocking up on my rue and fennel...
Don't want to buy it from the store because I can't trust it's pesticide free, but it doesn't usually keep well once it's been cut.
Any suggestions for how to keep it fresh a little longer after cut? I've got 2 BST catties at instar 3, so I'm guessing another week?

Catmint--

I keep anything "leafy" fresh a bit longer by putting them in a sealed container
or Zip Baggie--but include some moist paper towels in bottom.
Like--wet them and then wring them out as dry as you can.
This not only absorbs any additional moisture--but also provides some humidity.

If you use a lidded container--put 2+ layers of DRY paper towels in the bottom.
Cover the towels with 2 layers of Waxed paper. Poke some holes in the waxed
paper with the tip of a knife. This will allow any moisture to seep through the
small holes and be adsorbed by the paper towels underneath--this keeps
the leaves from sitting in water--but also humid from the collecting moisture in the towels.

If you have many leaves--layer them with additional moist paper towels in between.

I often buy fresh Spinach leaves. Not the easiest to keep fresh.
Using this method--they stay "fresh" quite long time.
And, yes! Then I keep the container in the fridge.

Hope this helps! Gita

Thanks, coleup! I did as you said and, sure enough, I can see Monarch wing markings in several of them. I'll move the tent so that it's in front of a window and gets more heat and light.

Next question...are they always dark/transparent for a day before they eclose?

thanks, Gita, I'll give that a try!

hi, Muddy, yes they are dark for a day or two before they eclose! It's always fun trying to guess when they will come out. :-) Glad your babies are coming along well.

Thanks, CatMint.

Here are photos of bees, butterflies and a beetle enjoying a NOID Aster, Butterfly Bush 'Miss Ruby', Solidago caesia, Lobelia siphilitica and 'Miss Ruby'. I've only seen one Monarch at a time in my yard over the last few days.

and one more....

Beautiful blooms, Muddy! And those are great shots of the Fritillary and the Monarch!

So I keep my butterfly habitats on a counter near a window where they get indirect sunlight but not direct sunlight.

Cuttings- I used both tips (no flowers or seeds) and middle-stem fatter sections with a pair of leaves. Both rooted well, in September. I suspect, like with Brugs, that fatter stems may be better than thin new ones emerging at the base.

thanks coleup, finally one has turned medium dark, so my last two are getting some morning sun - they better get going before the cold I just heard is coming.

Putting them right in front of a window might have helped: a Monarch butterfly is clearly visible inside one of the chrysalises, and 3 more are noticeably darker!

Sally and Coleup---

OK! I took all the tip cuttings today. Stripped all but a couple top leaves off--
and even cut those in half. Overall--the cuttings were about 6" long.

Took 4 more cuttings from the stems below the 1st cuttings. Just for the heck of it.

Put 5 cuttings in each 6" pot in pro Mix. Is everything good--so far? HUH?

--OK! Where should I keep them?
--Will they need a lot of attention?--watering, light, etc? Do they need good light?
--I don't have a really sheltered place for outside. besides--I don't trust that
they would root and survive through the winter.

Any additional advice is welcome. Thanks--Gita

Coleup, I'd love some rue and fennel!! thanks so much!

Muddy, so glad to hear of the progress with the chrysalises darkening! yay!!

that pretty Asclepias speciosa on Todays Bloom, is not native here. Neither is that neato species viridis that VV showed us.
((pout))
One monarch to release in the AM, and last one hoping he emerges tomorrow early

Yes Sally, Thank goodness purpuresens is native here!

Catmint, how would you like to get the plants? Shall we meet half way? I'll pull them out and clean them up tomorrow am. LMK

Good progress Muddy. Remember 60 degrees is ideal temp for launching them. especially if they get to soak up some real sunshine for a half hour after their wings have hardened (2-3 hours) so early afternoon is good. How many are we rooting for from you?

thanks, Coleup. Meeting halfway sounds great to me! Sometime this weekend?

Sally, sounds great--so glad your Monarch babies will all be launched soon! I have a few more chrysalises darkening now but probably a good week before they're all launched. :-/

Sally, I noticed, as I'm sure you did, that A. viridis is native in West Virginia. That makes it almost native, right, so it wouldn't be terrible to introduce it to VA and MD : - )

Coleup, I have 16 chrysalises: 3 from my neighbors' Common MW patch and 13 from you (one didn't make it).

Your cuttings sound well done so far. Good for you. And you are right, they must be kept insideall winter until the temps are consistently above 50 - 60 next Spring.

If you have a space that is warm and gets bright light.(4-6hours) they should do ok . Some bottom heat for the next two weeks will help them root in well. They don't need lots of attention except to keep evenly moist while rooting. I actually set my cuttings in a shallow pan of water while rooting them.

Egads! I went to check on the Monarchs and saw that one had eclosed. It was crawling on the other chrysalises, so I took the tent outside, got it to crawl onto my finger and then let it crawl onto Solidago caesia. It's 62 degrees outside and isn't raining, so I figured it could start nectaring right away. I hope that's okay.

I'm putting 2 little Solidago caesia plants in the tent for the night (which I'll keep inside) in case others eclose tonight. They don't have many flowers, but at least they'll provide some nectar and places to perch.

This message was edited Oct 13, 2015 11:06 PM

yay on that eclosure, Muddy! Isn't it cool when they crawl on your finger?? I'm sure it was very happy on the Solidago.

One of mine eclosed overnight--I need to take her out this morning before I go to work, and won't be able to stay and watch her fly away! :-/ oh, well--she'll be fine. Another looks like it's going to emerge later today or tomorrow.