# Milkweed and monarchs



## Slimkimmie (1 mo ago)

I just recently bought 2 milkweed plants from Lowes and within 2 days I had caterpillars everywhere. They ate both plants so went to a chemical free nursery and bought more. Then I had to get more because they were eating through them. But then all my caterpillars started to die and I can't figure out why. I took the bare plants and moved them and sprayed them down with hydrogen peroxide and water mixture and had new plants for remaining caterpillars but they continue to die. I could say I had 40 caterpillars and now have maybe 6 and they look like they are dying too. What could be causing this? I feel awlful. I thought I would be helping the monarchs. My garden is a bee/butterfly friendly garden. And since I kept seeing the monarchs that us when I went and got the milkweed


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## El_cesped (6 mo ago)

Try posting your question on Dave’s Garden or in the r/nativeplantgardening on Reddit.


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## dicko1 (Oct 25, 2019)

I gotta think that those arent monarch caterpillars. Googling around, everything I read and per my own experience, is that monarchs only lay 1 egg per plant, thus assuring enough food for the larva. To have that many caterpillars in only 2 days implies an awful lot of monarchs laying eggs on the same plant.

Google for Milkweed Tussack Moth larva and see if the caterpillars look like that. They lay eggs in masses which could easily chew a single plant to the ground when hatched.

Monarch caterpillars have distinctive black/yellow/white stripes. If they are indeed monarchs, good for you! You live in a monarch hot spot. I dont know why the larva are dying. They're pretty hardy and only 1 per plant around here.


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## Slimkimmie (1 mo ago)

Know I know they are monarch caterpillars and I have had monarch butterflies coming to my garden on a daily basis before getting the milkweed. So therefore they could have already been there and didn't see until there was something to really eat. The milkweed. And I know what the monarch caterpillars look like


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## Slimkimmie (1 mo ago)

All of them are yellow, white and black.


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## dicko1 (Oct 25, 2019)

Well, those are certainly monarchs. Is that one picture with the mostly black caterpillar what yours look like?

Read this








Why Are Monarchs Caterpillars Turning Black?


"Black death" is an infection that kills monarch butterflies and causes them to lose their iconic color. What are the signs of this deadly disease?




www.thoughtco.com


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## BLC3 (Aug 12, 2019)

Slimkimmie said:


> I just recently bought 2 milkweed plants from Lowes and within 2 days I had caterpillars everywhere. They ate both plants so went to a chemical free nursery and bought more. Then I had to get more because they were eating through them. But then all my caterpillars started to die and I can't figure out why. I took the bare plants and moved them and sprayed them down with hydrogen peroxide and water mixture and had new plants for remaining caterpillars but they continue to die. I could say I had 40 caterpillars and now have maybe 6 and they look like they are dying too. What could be causing this? I feel awlful. I thought I would be helping the monarchs. My garden is a bee/butterfly friendly garden. And since I kept seeing the monarchs that us when I went and got the milkweed


I'm not sure if this is your problem, but your photo of the plant shows that it is tropical milkweed, not the milkweed species native to the US. There is a big controversy about native vs tropical milkweed that you can Google and get overloaded with information. Here is one link: Tropical Milkweed—a No-Grow. Under certain conditions, it can cause the butterflies to be infected with a parasite, but it usually does not kill them at the caterpillar stage. You might try growing the native species of the plant instead, A. incarnata or A. tuberosa, although they typically are slower to grow to a blooming stage than the tropical variety -- this is why the big box stores garden centers like to sell the tropical variety. Other than this, I can think only that there is some other disease or residual pesticide int your soil.


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