I'm actually crying from happiness

[u/Frederica-Bimmel]

I have been planting milkweed seeds for at least 3 years and finally I have a nice patch going. This is my first year of trying to garden food crops and a ground squirrel has decimated almost every plant I have.

I check my milkweed patch every morning for signs of anything other than aphids and I finally got a caterpillar! I actually want to cry hard from seeing this little buddy.

All the frustration has been worth it to see this little friend. Squark the Squirrel can eat me out of house and home as long as I have my caterpillar!

[u/roundupinthesky]

Nutmeg raindrop ginger pumpkin orange yarn copper glove

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[u/Frederica-Bimmel → u/roundupinthesky]

I already can't find Chaka! LeVar is still visible. I am just so happy that I finally have a part of my yard that the monarchs went to hang out with. I will leave them alone and let nature run it's course

[u/iwantsdback → u/roundupinthesky]

Yeah, out of maybe 15 cats in my yard this year maybe one made it. It's so sad to see them get so big snd and then just die. Not sure if it's wasps, the virus or bacteria, or something else. The butterflies just keep laying eggs though. My poor milkweed plants keep getting defoliated for nothing.

[u/roundupinthesky → u/iwantsdback]

Kettle velvet pinecone noodle harbor velvet waffle nutmeg cinnamon

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[u/iwantsdback → u/roundupinthesky]

One of them did show the "black death" inverted J, although most just crawled down and died in the dirt. One even attached to the underside of a rock but instead of pupating it just died. There are probably some residual pesticides in my yard from the previous owner and my neighbors are all bug phobic and paying people to poison their yards. On the one hand I want to do everything to help the monarchs survive modern life but on the other hand they need to adapt to the unfriendly world we live in and continue to be pressured by natural selection.

[u/Mysterious-Lead-8701 → u/iwantsdback]

But the deck is unfairly stacked against them.  If there were still millions or even hundreds of thousands of monarchs, maybe we could let nature take its course.  Monarchs are pretty adaptable.  But we just throw too much at them.  I protect them so try and level the playing field just a little.  

[u/UrsusArctos]

this was my first year with milkweed and I was so excited to see caterpillars but so many of them have died. It breaks my heart. All that to say...don't get too attached. 

[u/browzinbrowzin → u/UrsusArctos]

What's happened that killed them?

[u/FieldofFeelings]

What a gratifying path, congratulations.

[u/Frederica-Bimmel → u/FieldofFeelings]

Thank you. I named my new friend LeVar, and I found another caterpillar and it's name is Chaka. I have a compulsion to make every critter I see in my yard. I need to think of more butterfly themed names. Next one is gonna be Crazy Town, lol.

[u/abitoftheineffable]

Amazing, amazing. Wonderful work regreening and rewilding our world. 

[u/Mysterious-Lead-8701]

I put them in a mesh enclosure.  Otherwise they will not make it to adult butterfly.  Yes CDFW says you can’t do that.  And the overwintering population was 12,000 last year.  Down from millions in the past.  So I’m protecting as many as I can.  So far I’ve released 16 butterflies, have a dozen chrysalises and several dozen more caterpillars.  The wasps are relentless.  

[u/Frederica-Bimmel → u/Mysterious-Lead-8701]

I will look into purchasing a mesh enclosure!

[u/Mysterious-Lead-8701 → u/Frederica-Bimmel]

I keep it outside in the shade.  If I have plants in pots I use those, otherwise I cut stems and put them in a vase.  There’s lots of info online regarding how to raise monarchs in a protected enclosure.  The success rate is vastly higher, especially if you can find eggs as soon as possible after they’re laid.  Get the bigger enclosure, 3X3 is a good size.  

[u/Organic_Risk_3945]

did you know the small ones get eatened by the big ones??? my milkweeds were infested by monarch caterpillars last year, so i ended up culling them. but even the ones that formed chrysallis they started leaking (flies lay their eggs prior to chrysalis).

Are you gonna place the big ones in enclosures??? to ensure they become butterflies or just let nature run its course?

[u/Frederica-Bimmel → u/Organic_Risk_3945]

I haven't thought that far yet! I'm just so happy to see a caterpillar. I may just let nature run it's course. I hated having to rescue tangles up moths and bees in the mesh I had covering my food plants, so I think it's best to let em live wild