Is it soon time for them to start making the long trek toward the Mexican mountain forests?
silvrhalidesays
Nice! Looks like a monarch caterpillar. Did you find the little guy on Mary’s milkweed?
Tethyssays
Hooray! It is very rewarding when your pollinator plantings are being utilized by their intended recipients. I’ve not spotted any monarch caterpillars yet, but have had some egg laying so there is hope.
lanirsays
When I was growing up my parents had a garden. Had a bunch of different plants in there but I think the ones these guys liked the most were the dill plants.
StevoRsays
We have Monarch caterpillars and conseqeuntly butterflies locally here too in Belair National Park and Adealdie hills generally.
to grow in the park despite being weedy, non-native and poisonous specifically to allow these colourful Lepidopterans to iive so we can enjoy them and they can serve a good ecological role. Unsure if they were introduced here or native – suspect the former – but would have to researchg further to be sure.
Is it soon time for them to start making the long trek toward the Mexican mountain forests?
Nice! Looks like a monarch caterpillar. Did you find the little guy on Mary’s milkweed?
Hooray! It is very rewarding when your pollinator plantings are being utilized by their intended recipients. I’ve not spotted any monarch caterpillars yet, but have had some egg laying so there is hope.
When I was growing up my parents had a garden. Had a bunch of different plants in there but I think the ones these guys liked the most were the dill plants.
We have Monarch caterpillars and conseqeuntly butterflies locally here too in Belair National Park and Adealdie hills generally.
We allow some Cotton bush / Swan bush plants :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomphocarpus_fruticosus
to grow in the park despite being weedy, non-native and poisonous specifically to allow these colourful Lepidopterans to iive so we can enjoy them and they can serve a good ecological role. Unsure if they were introduced here or native – suspect the former – but would have to researchg further to be sure.
@StevoR, it seems the monarch butterflies emigrated to Australia on their own, following the milkweed.
https://sabutterflies.org.au/nymp/plexippus.html