Butterflies in January!

[buggyone]

It is so wonderful to see Monarch butterflies flitting all around in January and even laying eggs on my tropical milkweed plants.

Knowing it is going to be freezing for a couple of nights, I brought a few of the large caterpillars inside on their milkweeds and put them in a large net cage so they can eat for a while before going into a chrysilis.

[gomoho]

Nicely done Buggy!

[CFrance]

Tell us about tropical milkweeds. Are they grown in containers? If not, are they invasive? I would love to provide a butterfly habitat.

[Madelaine Amee]

Tell us about tropical milkweeds. Are they grown in containers? If not, are they invasive? I would love to provide a butterfly habitat.

Yes, invasive. You can dig out the roots and they still find a way of coming back the next year. But, again, if you have too many coming through then just cut out the ones you don't want. I am fortunate and have a back corner where I let my butterfly plants just grow, I think it drives my yard guy crazy because I will not let him touch that area, but I have butterflies, bees and at least two birds are nesting in there - or will be come spring. I have sun film on a window in that corner and my little Phoebe sits on a branch and talks to the "bird" she sees in the window, she/he is definitely in love with the image she sees.

[butterfly sue]

I too was looking over my milkweed and found one egg. I moved it to my potted milkweed and it hatched. With the cold weather it is developing slower than usual. I now have brought the plants (I have 3) into the garage to protect them from the frost. Hopefully whenever this little guy grows up, the weather will warm up and the monarch will head further south. They seem to know where to hide and keep warm. The tropical milkweed is not invasive for me, but I pick off the pods where the seeds develop as soon as they form. I don't want any neighbors complaining about the seeds flying and taking root in their gardens. This is the latest that I have noticed butterflies around here, but then again I may have not been looking outside when they flutter by.

Did you know? The butterfly exhibit in Gainesville has heated sidewalks that they use when the weather turns cold. The butterflies go and hide nearby. They told me that they have more problems with the plants than the butterflies when it gets cold there. I was surprised they have an open exhibit with the weather they have up there.

On another note, I cut down the milkweed to stubs in March and let the plant renew. That encourages new and more fuller growth of the plant.