Terrene - There is a milkweed bug (do an internet image search) that will literally shave the blooms. Aphids can be an issue. I've not had Goldfinch take those seeds, but they always break stems and blooms to eat seeds from verbena bonariensis and susans. My milkweed is right beside the where the deer sleep every night and they've never touched any milkweed. Sometimes a fawn will taste something and spit it out! Rouge - asclepias tuberosa is difficult to move unless it's very young. Long taproot on older plants! You might consider collecting seeds (when you see silky threads in the burst pods with dried seeds). The seeds need cold stratification, so I sow them when the seeds would naturally drop from the plant. Mark the spot where you sow the seeds. Cameron

Yes, That is the plant. The cats on the dill are not Monarch's. Monarchs have black yellow and green stripes, but no dots. They will only eat Milk Weed. Each summer in Michigan,our grand daughters and I raise a couple of monarchs in a screened covered jar. BUT we also have gobs of wild milkweed. Seems as if I am the only one in our park that has this plant, but we noticed tonight that three of the cats have started their next phase, so the new plant should be food enough for the other three.I have hopes that my plants will grow new leaves, and maybe a new family of monarchs..

In our community gardens, a wide variety of milkweeds are offered to the Monarchs. Every year they are covered with cats during different times of the year. It's very common to find a chrysalis hanging from a garden border 2x6 or from horizontal vine supports or any number of different plant stems. It is extremely rare to find any of them on the host plants though, as the little cats seem to want to wander off to do their magic. I'm sure there are predations, but I've photographed any of the beautiful little encasinga and even had the privilege of watching the last instar unzip into the bright green chrysalis. Up until that point I wasn't sure exactly how it happened and it was amazing and surprisingly quick! It takes me a bit of searching to find them at this point because they are so well camouflaged.

Yippee is in order anyway...LOL. My swamp milkweed is running out very quickly so if I spot any more cats they may have to stay on the plants. I only have 3 plants for this year and I only know of one place that still had just Incarnata back in early June. I've lost so many Incarnata leaves to yellowing it's cut down the leaves suitable for feeding only 9 cats that I have inside, one chrysalis and 2-4 other cats on plant that I've found in daily inspections so far. I have 3 tiny Tuberosas but their leaves have black spot moving up plants from bottom and are falling off at a rather brisk pace. Think I'd try to find Incarnata before I'd feed it to cats. Am I incorrect in assuming I shouldn't feed milkweed even with slow release organic fertilizer? Never fed them since thought it would travel through plant and cause harm to leaf munching cats. Anyway, glad you solved your milkweed shortage. Who needs barrels of oil and gallons of gasoline...we need MILKWEED...LOL.