needrain said: just a couple of fennel plants isn't enough grazing to support the number of BST caterpillars that show up.
I'm constantly having to remove eggs and a lot of baby cats just to have enough food supply to sustain a couple so they are able to reach maturity.
I'd plant more host plants!!!!!
No such thing as too many butterfly caterpillars.
tx_flower_child said: I've changed my mind. I realized that having one or two milkweed plants just isn't enough. If I had the space and some extra money, then I could create a field of milkweed.
?
I don't get it.
One or two host plants is always preferable to zero...
Monarchs seldom get to my garden... but I
encourage milkweeds...
I had asclepias tuberosa naturals growing on the place when I got here... I tried growing them from seed... worked well... until the voles found them and wiped out entire bed...
So... other plants... like the above mentioned mateleas, and the Asclepias syriaca, and, the tropical milkweed...
One year in town... The monarch caterpillars on those tropical milkweeds... Amazing!
Please don't give up... Buy seeds for the asclepias tuberosa... they're very easy to grow from seed... The monarchs like them fine...
