Where did my Caterpillars go? | Raising Monarchs to Solve the Mystery

[@festive101]

Love how careful and gentle your babies were with ur new babies!!! Great kids :)

[@marcipotts7397]

THIS VIDEO GAVE MY HEART SO MUCH JOY ESPECIALLY YOUR SON FLAPPING HIS WINGS THANK YOU FOR SHARING !💞

[@karenhiggins2534]

I’ve seen the wasps too!! I bought barrier netting and I’ll try the low lying plant for hiding. Thanks!!

[@awrensgarden3754]

You are awesome. I’ve learned so much by watching your videos. Been adding more and more native plants to my garden and loving the frog fruit because of you! I had no idea they were a host plant. It’s so great you get your little ones involved! He’s so cute!! I’ve been growing milkweed for a long time and just recently heard that some of the milkweed grown now they do something to the plant that makes it so the caterpillars can’t or get sick if they eat it - so they can sell more plants- makes me so sad. Main reason to grow milkweed is to help the monarchs! Now I only buy plants from people that are looking out for the caterpillars. Im so glad you didn’t have the tainted milkweed! Thanks so much for al you share- you’re an excellent teacher. Have an awesome weekend!

[@WildFloridian]

Thank you so much Madai!!!! You are warming my heart! I'm so happy I was able to help you! And you are growing natives!!! So happy and excited for you 🥰

[@srar118]

Great video! I got a milk weed and so so excited to see 7 caterpillars then 2 days later, they’re all gone. I need to get a little house like you have if I get more on the plant. Thanks for sharing

[@RevAcres01]

What a great learning experience I really enjoyed watching and cheering those little guys on. Had no idea how much they ate and pooped. 🐛🌿

[@WildFloridian]

Yay! I know! Right?!?

[@cheriboone]

That was a great comment for hanging the leaves. I have a bit larger of an enclosure but gonna do that right now. Thank you

[@theresagrimes1376]

Great video! I switched to the large mesh laundry bags that you can purchase at a large discount store. They have zippers on top as well as the side which make it a lot easier getting in & out of the enclosures. Plus, I can place an entire potted plant inside of it for the caterpillars to eat. Like you, I’d rather let nature take its course. But, sometimes you need to step in to educate yourself about something, or to save some cats from predators. I’m doing that today with some Atala Butterfly caterpillars & chrysalis.’

[@tomquintero7583]

That was fun to watch, thanks for sharing!

[@laurenrhoads9712]

Your child is so cute. Congratulations on your monarch caterpillars 🐛

[@WildFloridian]

Thank you so much!

[@mariebarnes416]

That was a great experience for your son. Thanks for sharing.

[@patriciavarga4204]

Dampen the silk and carefully remove. They don’t need to be hung.. they can be laid on the bottom after all have pupated.

[@WildFloridian]

OH! Good to know!

[@mariap.894]

For the butterfly cage, I find it easier to put the paper towels at the bottom sometimes I damp one so they can "drink". And put a dried branch and on it I will hang the leaves. I find it that it "mimics" nature and makes it easier to change the leaves and the towels at the bottom (compost them 😉).It also helps for them to form the chrysalis, so they don't do it by the zipper. Hope this helps ❤️🌷

[@WildFloridian]

That helps a lot!!!! 🥰

[@brittanystansbury7339]

This video inspired me to order a mesh kit and save some of my monarch caterpillars! I go outside every day to watch them grow on the milkweed, and have seen all of them been eaten by predators since the first caterpillar of the season. I know it’s natural, but breaks my heart knowing they are vulnerable as a species. I feel like I should help them to offset that by raising some in safety... thanks for the video!

[@WildFloridian]

Yay! I hope you enjoy. Love to hear how it goes for you!

[@larrystone5749]

Another great video enjoyed it Be safe

[@WildFloridian]

Thanks, you too!

[@lisaburnette6850]

Omg! Your baby is so cute and sweet ❤️

[@luisaradusinovic9403]

So glad you made this video. I came across the same thing . I think lizards get mine . I will have to get an enclosure or make one

[@WildFloridian]

Yay! 🦎 I hope it goes well!

[@TheTrapperGuy]

Had very little monarch activity this year. I have some milkweed that wasn't even touched. Last 2 years it was all munched up.

[@WildFloridian]

My milkweed activity has been slower too. Some of my neighbors have said their milkweed was eaten to sticks but not all. So it may be there is more milkweed in the area... so we are spreading out the eggs a little more. That is my hope

[@katiecannon8186]

We want to see your really nice screened in area. I mean, like green cushions? Teal pillows? We need a better tour !!!!!

[@WildFloridian]

LOL! Maybe some day I'll sneak it in.

[@lyndabrown3402]

Very interesting!

[@WildFloridian]

Glad you think so! 😄

[@mwnemo]

I did this with giant swallowtails with my niece and nephew. It took them two months to hatch from their cocoons.

[@WildFloridian]

Oh wow! That is a long time.

[@reenagupta3377]

Oo now I get it on my lemon plant there was almost 30 caterpillar were present and when they become green they fade away after some time I thought that birds eat them up

[@WildFloridian]

They might be or maybe they have become butterflies.

[@reenagupta3377]

@@WildFloridian I wish all of them to have become butterfly

[@hollaceparadis6591]

I live in South Fl, I planted a butterfly garden at my mom's , the caterpillars grew fast and decimated all the leaves on the milkweed and when the caterpillars were exposed they were decimated by the the little green lizards that are rampant here. No butterflies and no plants, without leaves they died.

[@mariangie1544]

OMG I have to go to work! But this is 😍 beautiful! I can’t stop watching. How do you know sex? Or you are just telling your son?

[@WildFloridian]

LOL! I didn't make it up. Look at the picture for this video and you will notice two black dots near the butt of the butterfly. The two dots are there for boys and missing for girls. If you look at he picture/thumbnail for attracting more monarchs video that is a girl. Hope that helps!

[@silverdf1]

Well it’s August in South Florida and we have a big heat wave which I’m sure you’re aware of. The only place I can keep my caterpillars is in my shaded porch area but it’s extremely hot in there. I’m getting where the caterpillars some not all are getting overheated and they don’t get to finish making their chrysalis they seem to die. I guess it’s just expected there’s no other place I can put it. Anyone else having problems like this? I did just read that they slowed down immensely with any temperature over 91.5 and of course we’re having many days with the heat index over 110 so I guess this is to be expected. At this point I have released 163 butterflies this year and I still have 5 chrysalis’s and 10 caterpillars left in a habitat on the porch. Fingers crossed that most make it.

[@WildFloridian]

Poor caterpillars. And yes I usually see the caterpillar and butterfly populations slow down in the hottest months for Florida. Hopefully the heat break a bit soon.

[@patriciavarga4204]

Ur in dade county? I thought you were in central or north Florida.

[@WildFloridian]

LOL! I live in Pinellas county. BUT I grew up in Broward county and my first hurricane was Hurricane Andrew (my parents were both emergency service workers ) and I know about the building code changes that were made over there due to the sweeping destruction. So when I moved over to the west coast; I've been shocked that they haven't taken the learnings from the east coast and integrated them in the building codes. When we moved into our house the garage door broke and we had to replace and we got a garage door that met the dade county building codes which are higher than Pinellas county codes.

[@rsmalesk]

A few years ago I planted quite a bit of tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and it thrived and I had lots of monarchs. However, in my concern about this species, this year I planted tuberosa and am starting swamp milkweed. Both are slower growing than curassavica, so I think I'll need to keep that one more season until the others catch up. To minimize impact, I want to cut the curassavica completely back. When is the best time to do this? I live in Jacksonville.

[@anissapearson7454]

I know I didn't make the video, but I live in your area and I've grown tropical milkweed! I usually cut it back in around October or November, I try to do it before the first few frosts so the monarchs have time to leave. If you wanted, you could root the cut branches to get more plants for later, or you could toss the branches--its up to you!

[@festive101]

​@mary jane So what do you need help with like exactly?

[@carolschwankoff3243]

How do you like your ironweed? I have heard they can be a bit aggressive growers. I'm kind of scared to start my seeds next year 😳

[@WildFloridian]

I love the ironweed! I'm a big layer of mulch so I tend to suppress small seeds.

[@TheParmish]

When is your propagating milkweed video going to be released?

[@WildFloridian]

I'm delaying it. I've propagated butterfly weed from cuttings (and that is growing well), but the swamp milkweed is having issues and I want to figure out why before I show y'all. I wouldn't expect it in the next 2 to 3 months.

[@PaulinaGRul]

Hi! Thanks so much for this video ❤ I had a chrysalis that disappeared, any idea about predators for this?? 😢

[@marilynwagner7807]

There's prob a few but caterpillars if they don't have fresh milkweed in a cage. They will eat a crysalis. Or so I've heard never experienced it.

[@larastrazdas6961]

Just FYI, you can tell male from female by looking at the hind wings. Males have a small spot on the main vein on each hind wing. Females don’t have the spot and they have thicker veins.

[@BulbasaurLeaves]

My fifth instar monarch caterpillar got out of its enclosure in my very cluttered screened-in porch. Any tips on finding it? I'm hoping it just wandered off to spin its chrysalis. Otherwise, if it wasn't ready, I'm worried it might starve if it can't find any milkweed

[@WildFloridian]

They can potentially find their way back.

[@BulbasaurLeaves]

@@WildFloridian I found it! Just when I thought it was a goner, I lifted up a cardboard box and found a perfect little green chrysalis hanging from the bottom!

[@mariangie1544]

Lol! I am 305 too!

[@WildFloridian]

Alas... I'm no longer 305... not since the 90s. Fun fact Broward county was also 305 until the 90s.

[@ElijahFriesenChannel2]

I can tell that the first monarch butterfly to emerge that it's a male because of the black dots scent glands on the bottom of the wings.

[@jessicawoods814]

Are those monarch eggs @ 0:18

[@marilynwagner7807]

The eggs you show at the beginning are lacewigs not monarch. Im not sure if you show one at one point or not.

[@ieeshamroczek6583]

What about aphids on my milkweed will they eat the caterpillars

[@laurenrhoads9712]

No they only suck the sap out of the plant attract ladybug or hummingbird that eat aphids

[@WildFloridian]

Agree with Lauren's comments. The aphids don't bother the caterpillars.

[@knyghtryder3599]

A lot of our stuff disappeared , then noticed a large praying mantis. ...........

[@velmaherrig6877]

the caterpillars want to go to the top to form their chrysalis. Unfortunately yours has a plastic top. I don't think they can attach to the plastic. I have one that is net on all 4 sides. What you could do is lay the container on its side and then they can all attach to the net.

[@WildFloridian]

That is a great idea!!! If/When I do it again, I will try that.

[@marilynnschroeder4436]

Those eggs in your video are not Monarch eggs. They look like lacewing eggs.