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Here are the answers to questions you've asked about butterflies and butterfly gardening.  E-mail me your questions, and I'll get the answers up on here (if I have them) as soon as possible.

Can Monarch Caterpillars eat anything besides Milkweed?

Not that I know of so far, but I've heard that Pumpkin is a possibility and someone is working on an artificial food.  I'll update this when I find out anything.

How can I kill aphids without also killing the caterpillars on my Milkweed?
I use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and I spray the aphids directly.  It kills them and evaporates without leaving any poisonous residue.  I usually have to go back a time or two before all of the aphids are gone, but it works great.  

How should I plant my Milkweed?
It's a hardy weed, so you don't have to be too careful.  Put it where it will get some moisture.  Full sun is fine, but it does well anywhere.  Try putting the seeds under a thin film of soil, maybe 1/16th of an inch, but the seeds seems to sprout just fine when the wind blows them around my yard.

When is that latest that Monarchs lay their eggs in Fall or late Summer?
That will depend on the climate where you are.  I live in Southwest Florida and they are in my yard and laying all year long.  If any of you Northern folks would like to tell me about your areas, I'll post the info here.  

When do milkweeds die?
Most of mine have survived for years and years, except a few that didn't make it through our droughts here.  Up North (I'm guessing now) they probably lose their leaves and go dormant around the time of the first frost.  Any info from the Northern climates?

Do butterflies mate for life?
I'm not sure, but I get the impression that they don't.  I have observed more than one male Zebra Longwing mating with a female chrysalis at the same time, and I never see butterflies keeping company in pairs (except while they're  actually mating) so I think they go their separate ways.

How long does each stage of a butterfly's life last?
It varies a lot depending on temperatures, abundance of food, etc.  In my yard (Southwest Florida) the eggs usually take several days to hatch.  The caterpillars usually take about a week to reach the size at which they look for a place to pupate.  The pupa (chrysalis) usually hatches in about a week too.  However, just recently I had a Black Swallowtail take over two months to hatch.  I thought the chrysalis was dead and I was going to throw it away, but I decided to wait a little longer.  I'm glad I did!

What eats butterflies?
Anything that preys on other insects will also eat butterflies and caterpillars.  Ants, wasps, birds, preying mantises, walking sticks, etc., will eat them.  Some caterpillars and butterflies eat toxic plants and they save the toxicity in their bodies, thus making them toxic too.  They usually don't get eaten by predators.  Some other species of butterflies camouflage themselves to look like toxic species so they don't get eaten either.  An example: Monarchs are toxic and Queens look like them so they seldom get attacked.

I planted a maypop (purple) passion vine about a month ago for a beginner’s butterfly garden.. Within a week, it had 6 or 8 caterpillars feeding happily. Now, there are no caterpillars that I can see, but I do see a lot of ants. Did they eat my caterpillars? If so, what can I do about it? Thanks and I hope you can help.

No, the ants seems to really like passion vine for some reason, but they don't eat your caterpillars.
Sometimes birds get them, especially when they get big and easier to spot.
But... once they get big, they are also getting ready to go and pupate (become chrysalises). That means that maybe you saw them yesterday, and now they've disappeared because they've moved to their next stage.
You just have to hope for the best.
Remember, that nature balances just fine. Even if birds got some, some will always make it.
Good luck!

 

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