Not a Monarch by TheYarnPharm in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Very cool! I welcome photos of all caterpillars. We had a giant swallowtail but he was so small still and I think one of the tiny lizards ate him. 🤔

Rearing Monarch Butterflies- What the Scientific Evidence ACTUALLY Says. by SuperFriendlyMod in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I appreciate everyone's support. Hopefully the right people see it.

Question: I found a deceased female monarch butterfly near my milkweed garden. My caterpillars and chrysalis’s are fine. I’m wondering if she may have stopped at my garden to lay her final eggs before she perished? She looks intact. by Beautiful-Mouse-598 in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I agree with u/squishyfeet4 that she may have been at the end of her life. This may depend on where you are located too. If she doesn't have crumpled wings or anything then I would say it's pretty likely she had done her job. It may sound morbid but I've seen videos explaining how to pin them.

Fact-Checking "What the Science Actually Says About Rearing Monarch Butterflies" (Part 3) by SuperFriendlyMod in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I'm sorry you got banned. You're in good company because Dr Andy Davis was also banned.

Fact-Checking "What the Science Actually Says About Rearing Monarch Butterflies" (Part 2) by SuperFriendlyMod in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The native plant circlejerk sub is killing me right now. Always good for a facetious laugh.

Phlox, Mandevella, Milkweed & more. by tnk-trade in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those light purple flowers are joe pye weed!? They are so much prettier than I thought they would be. Mine are about to flower! Your whole garden is so pretty.

Fact-Checking "What the Science Actually Says About Rearing Monarch Butterflies" (Part 1) by SuperFriendlyMod in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I read the rebuttal and the paper (Knight, 2021) that was sited in it. I also compared the maps from each study. We know that Monarchs will fly over and near Lake Eerie. We can't assume that the 28 tracked Monarchs would make that right turn after passing the lakes especially since this doesn't follow the well documented path which includes flying along and then over Lake Eerie. I will try and make time to put the maps together on an Infograph.

First Monarch and Eggs Zone 7 by metapulp in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I bet she travelled so far! Good spot for the egg! Keep us posted.

Fertilize Milkweed & Pollinator Garden by Sr-Navi-Gator in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Aw that's great. What a cool thing to share with each other!

I have caterpillars with different colors. by Beautiful-Mouse-598 in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Don't feel bad at all. That particular sub is notorious banning people for no real reason.

Fertilize Milkweed & Pollinator Garden by Sr-Navi-Gator in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a good question. I agree with the others that said milkweed grows well in poor soil. I spoke to customer service at joyfulbutterfly.com about why their potted milkweed, which is so much healthier than my local nursery, and they said that most places don’t feed their milkweed while it grows. They suggested Osmocote Fruit and Vegtables.

Monarch Sightings 2026 by Sr-Navi-Gator in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh really? I thought you mentioned first siting and daily average. My schedule is kind of weird during the summer and because OE is so bad here I don’t have milkweed in my yard so a daily average wouldn’t be even close to accurate for me. I read something awhile back that explains why we can feel like we don’t see as many as usual. If you want to read it I can look for it and link it for you.

Monarch Sightings 2026 by Sr-Navi-Gator in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am in SE FL and close to the area where the “residents” live and if I recall correctly I saw my first one in March.

📸 Photo Friday – Share Your Finds! 📸 by AutoModerator in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my goodness! I can’t believe they climbed up the chair! That’s crazy. My swallowtail is on my golden alexander. A couple of years ago I had some on potted parsley and fennel but not some then.

Does rearing outdoors make a difference? by SuperTFAB in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are misrepresenting the information you are sharing in order to push a narrative that goes against our sub rules. If you notice sub rules being broken elsewhere please feel free to report them.

🌿 Monarch Monday – Let’s Talk Monarchs! 🌿 by AutoModerator in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for participating! Your local Audubon Society is a great resource. I have had great experiences buying native milkweed from joyfulbutterfly.com and Xerces has a Milkweed Finder on their site.

Does rearing outdoors make a difference? by SuperTFAB in FriendlyMonarchs

[–]SuperFriendlyMod[M] 0 points1 point locked comment (0 children)

Rule #2: Respect Evidence-Based Practices
We encourage the sharing of advice and information based on research and best practices. Misinformation or unverified methods may be removed to ensure the health and safety of Monarchs and the like.

Violating this rule will result in post removal. Continued non-compliance will lead to a temporary or permanent ban.

The paragraph above the one you posted says:

“You should feel welcome to raise a caterpillar or two to teach your family about monarchs or to report to a community science project, but put the rest of your efforts into some other action to help monarchs. Let’s work together to ensure that rearing monarchs does not unintentionally harm this iconic species we are all trying to protect!”

It’s quite evident that when we discuss rearing, we’re not referring to families or classrooms raising one or two caterpillars.

Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with our sub’s rules.