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My Milkweed patch
#1
I have been planting Milkweed in response to the Monarch crisis. Many of us have been planting Milkweed.
So here is my personal Milkweed patch.
[Image: dNgya5cKpYZbQ2F6sTBrKgKZfOXVNnV31w6ucE54...=w155-h275]

This is the other kind of Milkweed I have established in my garden
[Image: 6oSmm_SN8KY6zrDPsADYOS06MU6Cit36azNLk4MC...=w155-h275]

This is the first year I have a number of healthy plants and I noticed eggs on them.
[Image: owaoUYmcN7_RTPb5BuEb-_C6hWLLHqk1gPhRBjN8...=w155-h275]This one is covered in eggs.
[Image: YOH-DHWKBxid1fo84k9Bo4AIuIGy4ngpkNDLGZSY...=w155-h275]There are some on this one too.

There are plenty of seed pods forming too.
[Image: KOkSCcA2L32MvJgnrulm4YLJpOxI-bLAANsxZdg-...=w155-h275]

I am not sure they are monarch eggs, but there  is a good chance that they are. Monarchs have been spotted on my Milkweed.  
Now I have to watch for them to hatch. If they do there are plenty of leaves for them to eat. Could this be the year that a monarch actually emerges in my garden. If one does the butterfly bushes will be in bloom by then so they will have plenty to eat.
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Catherine

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#2
They are lovely! I like the night-time shots too.
If you have seen Monarchs on the Milkweed, then they could be Monarch eggs indeed. I guess the best way to tell is to see what kind of caterpillars you see on the leaves.
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#3
The  eggs are only on the milkweed. If it was some other insect why would they only use milkweed. Monarchs only use milkweed because that is the only thing monarch caterpillars eat. I think I have enough plants. Maybe they never laid eggs before because I didn't have enough plants to feed the caterpillars. I will be watching the eggs and checking them daily.

More pictures to  follow if the eggs hatch.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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#4
Fingers crossed it would be a wonderful thing to see.
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#5
I noticed more eggs today and there was a monarch butterfly hanging around. There has been a real push to plant milkweed and it is finally paying off.

I suspect the hatch rate is low and the survival rate to pupating, but this is the first time there have been eggs.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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#6
Nice pictures. I don't know much about this plant and many other plants in general. I guess i have to improve my knowledge in plants in the future. Smiley4
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#7
Milkweed is the only plant that Monarch Butterfly caterpillars can feed on so it is critical to their survival. There has been a big push to plant milkweed in our gardens. It has taken years to get it growing. Now I really hope there will be caterpillars. It is what we have been working towards.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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#8
I hope you get some butterflies Catherine,I don't know what it's like in Canada but here we don't see the butterflies like we used to,that's why my favourite spot in our zoo is the butterfly house.
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#9
We don't  see anything like we used to.  Monarch Butterflies migrate between Canada and Mexico. As a child I saw clouds of monarchs. The numbers have been declining, then one summer, 2013, I didn't see a single monarch. There has been a real push to plant milkweed and flowers the butterflies can feed on. Gradually the numbers have been increasing.

The bees are in the same situation so we are working to plant gardens to feed our pollinators. 
Banning pesticides in Toronto was a real help. There are honey bee hives in the city on roof tops.
There are bee hotels set up so certain types of bees have a place to live. I have what I need to make a bee hotel, I just have to figure out where to put it.

I don't know if it will ever be like it was, but we can at least stop the species from becoming extinct.

There is one monarch hanging around my garden. In a couple more days the butterfly bushes will be in bloom. I am hoping that is enough to bring in other butterflies.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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