I want to encourage butterflies in my garden, but the caterpillars are
consuming the milkweed plant. The plant is practically leafless now.

Will the plant bounce back? How should I deal w/these critters?

Genevieve
Zone 9

These seem to be rather selfish butterflies. Surely they could adorn your
garden and leave their offspring elsewhere?
Perhaps if you want the cake you should eat it?
You could reduce the caterpillar numbers by hand without greatly
affecting the outcome and some of the milkweed might survive, but as the
larvae grow so will their appetite! Killing the children will hardly
encourage the parents!
Best Wishes
"Genevieve" wrote in message
om...
I want to encourage butterflies in my garden, but the caterpillars are
consuming the milkweed plant. The plant is practically leafless now.

Will the plant bounce back? How should I deal w/these critters?

Genevieve
Zone 9

You might lose some, but overall it should come back, but I would NOT
do anything to harm the pillers,as they are on the protected list.
There's been a downturn in the their numbers, so let'm feed and then
sleep.



--
Dragons Must Fly when Thread's in the Sky

www.starlords.org

"Genevieve" wrote in message
om...
I want to encourage butterflies in my garden, but the caterpillars
are
consuming the milkweed plant. The plant is practically leafless now.

Will the plant bounce back? How should I deal w/these critters?

Genevieve
Zone 9

In article ,
(Genevieve) wrote:

I want to encourage butterflies in my garden, but the caterpillars are
consuming the milkweed plant. The plant is practically leafless now.

It is the natural food of the monarch. Most people like the monarch's
more than the milk weed. In fact that is the only reason we have milk
weed in our garden.

Will the plant bounce back? How should I deal w/these critters?

I haven't seen anything that will kill milkweed. Ours always comes back.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

The message
from (Genevieve) contains these words:

I want to encourage butterflies in my garden, but the caterpillars are
consuming the milkweed plant. The plant is practically leafless now.

Will the plant bounce back? How should I deal w/these critters?

Remember, butterflies don't just look for their own food plants. They
also look for (very specific) plants to lay their eggs on.Usually the
butterfly and its caterpillar feed on completely different plants, so
you need to provide different food for both to support the full breeding
cycle. Those caterpillars you're feeding are going to turn into lots of
butterflies, so you're succeeding. Once they reach the pupating stage,
obviously they stop eating leaves.

If you find any pupae or chrysalids (looks like a tiny alien
spaceship), you might like to keep one or two under observation in a jar
in the house so you can have the wonderful experience of watching the
butterfly emerging with its wings all damp and folded up, then expanding
them to their full glory for the first time.Once it does, let it outside
of course.

Janet

The message
from (Genevieve) contains these words:

I want to encourage butterflies in my garden, but the caterpillars are
consuming the milkweed plant. The plant is practically leafless now.

Will the plant bounce back? How should I deal w/these critters?

Remember, butterflies don't just look for their own food plants. They
also look for (very specific) plants to lay their eggs on.Usually the
butterfly and its caterpillar feed on completely different plants, so
you need to provide different food for both to support the full breeding
cycle. Those caterpillars you're feeding are going to turn into lots of
butterflies, so you're succeeding. Once they reach the pupating stage,
obviously they stop eating leaves.

If you find any pupae or chrysalids (looks like a tiny alien
spaceship), you might like to keep one or two under observation in a jar
in the house so you can have the wonderful experience of watching the
butterfly emerging with its wings all damp and folded up, then expanding
them to their full glory for the first time.Once it does, let it outside
of course.

Janet

It is the natural food of the monarch. Most people like the monarch's
more than the milk weed. In fact that is the only reason we have milk
weed in our garden.

Exactly! I planted the milkweed for the butterflies, not for me.

vince norris

It's a host plant/insect relationship. It's supposed to be that way -
God designed it. Thenplant bounces back in about 6 weeks to two months.
Then it'll start all over. Laeve it alone and enjoy the Monarchs. Like
one one of the posters said, he planted milkweed for the butterflies and
not for himself. =


And leave the aphids on the milkweed. They are a food source for the
beneficial insects.

JK



Genevieve wrote:
=

I want to encourage butterflies in my garden, but the caterpillars are
consuming the milkweed plant. The plant is practically leafless now.
=

Will the plant bounce back? How should I deal w/these critters?
=

Genevieve
Zone 9

-- =

Celestial Habitats by J. Kolenovsky
2003 Honorable Mention Award, Keep Houston Beautiful
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

Janet Baraclough.. wrote:

Remember, butterflies don't just look for their own food plants. They
also look for (very specific) plants to lay their eggs on.

Monarch butterflies lay the eggs on a suitable food plant for the
caterpillars, milkweed. Most often monarch butterfly eggs are laid on
the underside of milkweed leaves, usually on fresh new leaves near the
top. However, eggs can be laid on milkweed flowers, stems, and pods.
Usually only one egg is laid on each plant. Sometimes if a monarch
cannot find enough milkweed, it will lay many eggs on one plant.
Monarchs are caterpillars for a couple of weeks. They spend that time
eating milkweed leaves. So that the plants will look better, plant more
of them so that there are fewer eggs per plant.

The adult butterflies live on the nectar of flowers. They don't eat
leaves.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

Janet Baraclough.. wrote:

Remember, butterflies don't just look for their own food plants. They
also look for (very specific) plants to lay their eggs on.

Monarch butterflies lay the eggs on a suitable food plant for the
caterpillars, milkweed. Most often monarch butterfly eggs are laid on
the underside of milkweed leaves, usually on fresh new leaves near the
top. However, eggs can be laid on milkweed flowers, stems, and pods.
Usually only one egg is laid on each plant. Sometimes if a monarch
cannot find enough milkweed, it will lay many eggs on one plant.
Monarchs are caterpillars for a couple of weeks. They spend that time
eating milkweed leaves. So that the plants will look better, plant more
of them so that there are fewer eggs per plant.

The adult butterflies live on the nectar of flowers. They don't eat
leaves.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

Janet Baraclough.. wrote in
:

If you find any pupae or chrysalids (looks like a tiny alien
spaceship), you might like to keep one or two under observation in a jar

Can you be a little more specific? My experience with alien spaceships is
somewhat limited.

:-)

Janet Baraclough.. wrote in
:

If you find any pupae or chrysalids (looks like a tiny alien
spaceship), you might like to keep one or two under observation in a jar

Can you be a little more specific? My experience with alien spaceships is
somewhat limited.

:-)

The message
from Salty Thumb contains these words:

Janet Baraclough.. wrote in
:

If you find any pupae or chrysalids (looks like a tiny alien
spaceship), you might like to keep one or two under observation in a jar

Can you be a little more specific? My experience with alien spaceships is
somewhat limited.

So, you've never even been abducted, and any children you have, appear
to be completely human?

Okay...thinks, what else does a chrysalid look like ? How about, a
teeny weeny one-man mountain bivouac tent, the sort with a pointy end.

Janet

The message
from Salty Thumb contains these words:

Janet Baraclough.. wrote in
:

If you find any pupae or chrysalids (looks like a tiny alien
spaceship), you might like to keep one or two under observation in a jar

Can you be a little more specific? My experience with alien spaceships is
somewhat limited.

So, you've never even been abducted, and any children you have, appear
to be completely human?

Okay...thinks, what else does a chrysalid look like ? How about, a
teeny weeny one-man mountain bivouac tent, the sort with a pointy end.

Janet

Janet Baraclough.. wrote:

Okay...thinks, what else does a chrysalid look like ?

A chrysalis looks like a sewing machine shuttle.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman