We had a few, like 5, of what I think are monarch caterpillars on our tropical milkweed this summer. Most made it to cocoon stage, minus the one I accidentally stepped on. I'm planning on replacing these plants with staghorn milkweed next year, if I can successfully grow some. I'm so excited! I might start some patches in my nearest park if I get a lot of sprouts.
by Asura_b
2 Comments
it’s recommended to cut them right now so the monarchs don’t stop migrating too early.
please don’t plant in parks or wild places. tropical milkweed can do mark harm than good
You are doing great harm to the monarchs with tropical. The females should be storing their energy for the trip to and from Mexico so they lay eggs in spring as they travel north. Females laying eggs traveling south will die because they wasted precious energy on the eggs. The tropical tricks them into laying eggs in fall. What’s worse is the offspring don’t travel south and die in the cold of winter. [This link](https://xerces.org/blog/tropical-milkweed-a-no-grow) has more information.