Yes, Monarchs need our help, especially this year when they have been very scarce.
I have a feeling that the city spraying to kill mosquitos in order to fight the west nile virus has a lot to do with the lack of monarchs.
Nevertheless we must keep on trying, they are just too Precious.
Thank you for writing this, I hope it will inspire a lot of people to give a Waystation a try.

I so agree…Monarchs are certainly in need of our help.
I had Monarchs visiting my garden very regularly a couple of years ago…
This year though, I have seen only one!
I too, am curious about the 'spraying' to kill mosquitos! Our city seems to have been quite vigilant in trying to control the mosquito population. And this does have an effect on our butterfly population!

I would also like to add…Parsley is a great host for the Monarch cats. All types…from the Italian flat leaf, to the Curly…They love them all! If you grow this wonderful biennial, then please, plant a couple extra for the Monarchs!

Thanks so much, SongofJoy, for a wonderful article…And a great reminder of how important these creatures are to our wellbeing!

Wonderful and timely article! Until a few weeks ago I was seeing quite a few Monarchs around. They laid eggs on the A. curassavica (Tropical Milkweed) and I saw a few Caterpillars but not for long ... I'm afraid they were predated by wasps.

Thanks so much for this excellent article; I'd like to try my hand at providing a Waystation for these beautiful Butterflies.

SongofJoy, great piece, great detail, I have planted some milkweed but will make a huge effort to create a waystation next season. Thanks a bunch for the inspiration.

Question for terrafirma please? Do you have your monarch which eats only milkweed mixed up with the swallowtail which eats parsley, carrot tops, dill, etc.? We are currently keeping several swallowtail caterpillars in a pre-school class setting and were able to release the first butterfly today. While I feel silly buying produce for caterpillars, it's the only way to keep the little guys fed.

greene said:monarch eats only milkweed.

The Monarch B'fly lays it's eggs only on Milkweed plants, the only host plant for the Monarch caterpillar:http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/monarch.htm

We've had a difficult time keeping the milkweed alive due to the extreme heat this summer. I hope to keep it going for their trip through here in October.
Great, informative article!

I keep Asclepias curassavica in pots year round, since it is not winter hardy in this area, I bring the pots into the garage during freezing weather and out again when it warms up. This way I have fresh and growing milkweed for the monarchs when they come by in the spring.
Also having the plants potted allows me to move them around to good locations and I can keep them watered more easily.
It works very well for me and the monarchs.

Glad to see a great article about the Monarch Waystation program!

Moby
Waystation #4977

Wonderful article! Thank you so much

terrafirma said:
I would also like to add…Parsley is a great host for the Monarch cats. All types…from the Italian flat leaf, to the Curly…They love them all! If you grow this wonderful biennial, then please, plant a couple extra for the Monarchs!

Thanks so much, SongofJoy, for a wonderful article…And a great reminder of how important these creatures are to our wellbeing!

Thanks for commenting, terrafirma. The caterpillar of the Black Swallowtail butterfly looks somewhat similar to a Monarch cat and that might be what you are seeing. The BST do love their parsley and dill.

Thanks for all the positive comments, everyone. I very much appreciate the feedback. Once a Monarch lover, always a Monarch lover.

Well, I'll be...
They are the Black Swallowtail cats.

Thanks, Mary, Lin, and SongofJoy…I've learned that what I've been seeing and thinking all along is wrong. You're right…While there may be some similarities…What I have been seeing is the BST's, and while that is not such a bad thing, it also means that I've never had/seen a Monarch cat in my garden!
You can bet that I'll be busy working on my own 'Monarch Waystation'!!!!

I know I have the Gulf Frits, and the BST's , it's time to get busy!
Thanks again!
And it's great to learn something anew everyday!

I haven't actually seen a Monarch cat for a couple of years now, but I'll continue to add more plants for them anyway...just in case.

We have encouraged our lake-shore and marshland to return to their natural states, however, and they're now buried in Asclepias incarnata, so it's entirely possible that they're utilizing those plants instead of coming into the garden proper. I really do hope so.

Thanks for the great article!

Great Article! Very informative, perfect information, and I betcha lots of folks will want to get going on their Waystation garden now!

Thanks, SongofJoy~ (I bet Monarchs sing songs of joy at those waystations!)

Don't know if anyone already posted this:

http://www.monarchwatch.org/wa...

The site has lots of info, list suggested plants as the nectar source for the butterflies (both east coast and west coast lists).

Even shows how to get 'officially' registered if you wish.

Mary: Yes, that's part of the link SongofJoy provided in her article: http://www.monarchwatch.org/ and I agree, lots of great information provided there. I'd love to try my hand at a Monarch Waystation ... and I may look into it next spring!

Thanks lin, I see it now.

Thanks Tee (Song of Joy) for writing this wonderful article!

Happy to see you on ATP!

frostweed said:I keep Asclepias curassavica in pots year round, since it is not winter hardy in this area, I bring the pots into the garage during freezing weather and out again when it warms up. This way I have fresh and growing milkweed for the monarchs when they come by in the spring.
Also having the plants potted allows me to move them around to good locations and I can keep them watered more easily.
It works very well for me and the monarchs.

Great idea and wondering what size pots you use.

frostweed said:I keep Asclepias curassavica in pots year round, since it is not winter hardy in this area, I bring the pots into the garage during freezing weather and out again when it warms up. This way I have fresh and growing milkweed for the monarchs when they come by in the spring.
Also having the plants potted allows me to move them around to good locations and I can keep them watered more easily.
It works very well for me and the monarchs.

You should submit this as a tip.