fluffiness of the leaves. Allow to dry. The caterpillars quickly began to feed. With their distinctive black, white and gold pin-striped suits and expressive dark tentacles reaching out into the universe, that’s no surprise. Reliable DPLEX correspondent Harlen Aschen wrote to the listserv that reaches hundreds of butterfly fans that on a 1000-mile trip from Port Lavaca, Texas, past San Antonio to near Abilene and back around Austin “we saw no blooming milkweed.”, Yet that hasn’t stopped a tenacious group of butterfly lovers from raising caterpillars and hatching butterflies on “alternative fuels.”. I gave them some this morning and I’ll see if they like it. Several folks mentioned that by the time the caterpillars get to their fifth instar, or their final stage, before morphing into a chrysalis, they will eat pumpkin and cucumbers. After several days ‘nary a one is lingering in the yard. I have pumpkins and cucumbers in my garden; I’ll try that to see if they’ll eat it! Nice site. The main three which I will continue to raise monarchs from wild eggs for release. ?still stuck Thanks for reply! You give hope. That is what I did to my pumpkin. I just tried cucumber and they are at least giving it a try, but not devouring it like milkweed. If you want to read the actual research report it can be purchased for $10 or viewed at any local library with a subscription to PNAS.” (The) Giant Swan Plant (Gomphocarpus physocarpus) and Better then them all freezing in this cold. larvae to die. Page Created March 2009 Is there a specific type of squash or cucumber that seem to be more appealing to the cats? Chop the leaves into fine bits. a successful brood on. Sorry, I’m totally new at this and don’t really know what to expect. It worked. larvae. The other three I guess I will just have to wait and see in two weeks or so when they emerge… . The Monarch butterfly on the left was fed with pumpkin during its final instar. Good thing I have another one. Or do you put the kale, milkweed, squash out and they will just come to the food. Monarch caterpillars do not feed on tomato plants, despite what … Eating habits of Monarch caterpillars are quite peculiar: these caterpillars eat milkweed plants inedible for most other insects. emerges from the Of course other members of the Milkweed family (Asclepias spp) are eaten. They only seem to work for fifth instar larvae that are less than four days from pupating. (this is about 1.75" or 40mm long). I wonder if they are swallowtails… I bought a milkweed plant and placed it next to the bare parsley and they are all on the milkweed plant now munching away. U people need to try Fennel. I have pictures of them finishing it up. http://www.monarch.org.nz/monarch/ However there is only a few of these in New I sliced several pieces of squash and placed it nearby. Hello Hillary, assassin bugs eat aphids, but they also eat monarch caterpillars. I wish I had found it before I had to make emergency runs to the railroad tracks and prairie to feed our 44- 5th instars. While larvae feed almost exclusively on milkweeds adult monarchs feed on nectar bearing flowers. pupa. I live in California near Pismo Beach and was so sad to find Monarch caterpillars on milkweed that was completely eaten up. I need food for cats!! instar Dry powder can be stored. These are the type with kill the known for its flowers trapping butterflies and Moths, hence the name of Cruel Plant or Vine. larvae, Adding on to what others have said, there are a few other foods that monarch caterpillars can eat, besides milkweed. These include cucumber, pumpkin, and butternut squash. Are they lost? Searching the web I encountered your .com in search of food alternatives. This plant has large leaves, which poses problems for the All sprays will cause your I was able to get a side-by-side comparison of the monarch and swallowtail caterpillars and you were right. Like what you’re reading? Monarchs cannot survive without milkweed; their caterpillars only eat milkweed plants (Asclepias spp. Guess they know what’s good. How to Get Native Milkweed Seeds to Germinate, Persnickety Texas milkweeds, May Not Lend Themselves to Mass Production, Tropical Milkweed:  To Plant it or Not is No Simple Question, Desperately seeking Milkweed:  Be sure to buy pesticide free plants, Butterfly FAQ:  Is it OK to Move a Chrysalis? I live in Minnesota and grow hundreds of milkweed plants of different kinds all through my 1/3 acre yard. TTONN. . Several years ago when Jacqui told us about this. They seem to love it. What to feed starving caterpillars? It’s been great to see them grow and has been a great experience for my kids. Milkweed plants contain bitter toxic chemicals, alkaloids, that repel other insects, but Monarch caterpillars eats them with pleasure. My large caterpillars all seem to be leaving their plants, crawling through mulch and whatever else to go I don’t know where. Thanks. It is Yes, and here’s how to do it, Converting your Lawn to a Butterfly Garden, http://www.joannarosetidey.com/bombyx-mori-silk-worms/silk-worm-development-care/, http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Bio12Tuat03-t1-body-d5.html, https://texasbutterflyranch.com/2013/04/05/how-to-raise-monarch-butterflies-at-home/, http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/leaf/checkered_white.htm, https://monarchbutterflygarden.net/when-monarch-science-fails-to-take-flight/, As ESA listing decision looms, new study challenges “dogmatic narrative” that monarchs are in decline, FREE Festival webinars available: butterflies, bats, bees and metamorphosis, Documentary chronicles year of chaos through lens of monarch butterfly migration, “Bat Man of Mexico” to dispel lies about bats and COVID-19 at FREE webinar, Bee My Honey: FREE webinar to highlight how the food gets on the plate, Butterfly FAQ: Is Relocating a Monarch Chrysalis OK? Do they then become unconfused, and remember how to migrate again? this will cause your Technically, no, because they are herbaceous. Monarchs are thought to feed on a butterfly flower (Asclepias syriaca) which is also known as common milkweed or silky swallow-wort. They are most likely to feed on a range of different flowers. Harmful to Monarch caterpillars/eggs? Tweedia will sustain a hungry Monarch caterpillars are uniquely designed to specifically feed on one plant, the milkweed. I have some good, healthy milkweed plants and found my very first cat this morning after 3 years of growing them. Mine eat the thin skinned Persian cucumbers. Dogbane and giant milkweed are two other varieties. I first learned about feeding pumpkin from Jacqui Knight of Monarch Butterfly New Zealand Trust. Ideally wash or hose the plant first, including It’s obviously got to cold so I brought them in. Leaf cuttings can be effective for keeping single common or swamp milkweed leaves fresh to hatch eggs or feed small caterpillars. This is a last resort food as it can only be fed to 5th To control Is there anything else I can feedRead more http://www.joannarosetidey.com/bombyx-mori-silk-worms/silk-worm-development-care/ Easy to cultivate and grows just about anywhere, although it is considered a noxious weed in many states. What is all of this chemical trickery about? – MM, Thank you so much for the tips! Milkweed is eaten by several species of insects, most notably the monarch butterfly larvae, red milkweed beetle, and milkweed tussock caterpillar or tiger moth. They move fast too — they just pick a direction and start going very determinedly. The question everyone asks when their Swan Plant has only a few leaves left and no Thank you so much for this post. Most generations of Monarch butterflies only live for two weeks, and in that time they feed on nectar from flowers, court by flying in upward spirals with their mate, and breed, then the females lay eggs on milkweed plants. Monarch caterpillars do only eat plants in the Milkweed family ( Asclepias spp), so if we want to help them out in our wildlife gardens, we still need to add these plants to our gardens. In the summer months I get plenty of phone calls and emails from monarch butterfly fanciers, all with a common problem: “My swan plants are almost stripped bare yet I have so many monarch butterfly caterpillars I really don’t know what to do. This rapid feeding is especially noticeable in small gardens but would be … You mentioned squash and cucumbers. onwards, this is about 0.75" or 18mm long. Today I found a Monarch caterpillar eating a mustard leaf and starting to prepare the silk in said leaf. Monarchs only eat milkweed. This is because it doesn't have the chemicals they need to I read that cucumbers treated with Bt would be toxic to caterpillars. into a butterfly. In 1976, Dr. Patrick J. Dailey and his I’m so curious. It worked. Last year I planted dill, got quite tall. Sign up for email delivery, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter, @monikam. I was so excited! instar A group of milkweed tussock caterpillars can rather quickly consume entire milkweed plants except for the stem. Photo courtesy Paul Addington. However they will happily eat the plant bare. The adults do not attack their prey by stinging. NOT Monarchs. Monarch caterpillars can also eat butternut squash (though I'm sure they'd rather eat milkweed if it is available). Too late now, I have to release them all to my almost bold-headed milkweed bush, and let the nature take the pick. “All 52 of mine finished on cucumber, looked great and joined the wild,” he said, adding “UPDATE: must be fresh, crunchy cucumbers.…two-weeks-in-the-fridge cukes were rejected with enthusiasm….what an uproar!”.