Made SURE not to cut it down, since it's good for monarch butterflies.
(I I've never heard STEROARCH butterflies, so I'll have to settle for MONO ) 
Anyway, only saw ONE butterfly all summer, and only ONE caterpillar.
Weed looks bitten & burned.
Looks like it's got a fungus or a bug eating it. If you have any Sevin dust, dust it and see if that helps the problem. You might also try spraying the diseased part with diluted dish soap and that might kill any insects feeding on it.
quote:.. why don't you face up to it? your milk weed? It's Dead!
What kind kind of animal would you say, that pees on milkweed?
(weed an' pee'd) Mmmm. could you have too many stones? as well, pretty butterflies detest urine stink. another thought? are you sure your have green fingers?
Originally posted by mike gregoryMade SURE not to cut it down, since it's good for monarch butterflies.
(I I've never heard STEROARCH butterflies, so I'll have to settle for MONO )
Anyway, only saw ONE butterfly all summer, and only ONE caterpillar.
Weed looks bitten & burned.
Edited by - Roxsanne on 09/11/2024 17:19:13
They should be making the migration through here. On the other side of Little Bay de Noc from me they will make a stop in a well known area in Stonington, Mi. and it’s quite a site to see. The sky and out over the lake is thick with them. My 87 yr old mother not far from you Mike , is a Monarch aficionado and collects the milkweeds with eggs and hatches them and let’s them go. Been doing it for many years!!!
Slammer!!!
quote:
Originally posted by Dempsey-T2quote:.. why don't you face up to it? your milk weed? It's Dead!What kind kind of animal would you say, that pees on milkweed?(weed an' pee'd) Mmmm. could you have too many stones? as well, pretty butterflies detest urine stink. another thought? are you sure your have green fingers?
Originally posted by mike gregoryMade SURE not to cut it down, since it's good for monarch butterflies.
(I I've never heard STEROARCH butterflies, so I'll have to settle for MONO )
Anyway, only saw ONE butterfly all summer, and only ONE caterpillar.
Weed looks bitten & burned.
Since the weed is almost 4 ft tall, it must be a very tall animal.
And, yes, I expect is IS dead, or dead enough.
Just wondering about preventive measures for next Springtime's weeds, since I have great respect for the Monarch's natural intelligence. While we Wisconsinites, with adult brains weighing almost three pounds, are knee-deep or worse in snow, the Monarchs
(with brains not much bigger than this dot . )
are in Mexico, by the MILLIONS, sitting on the trees and soaking up the sunshine.
I haven't much idea what could be wrong with your weed except as already written.
We had a garden my mother and I in Providence, she loved Lavender, the Irish I guess, but no Monarch butterflies we saw that I remember, although lots of white ones.
I believe imitation plants can be bought, how about a few of your favorite ones? And how about some spay scent of your choice dabbled around midday when next spring
arrives.
We used to go to Alpine when the Monarchs were migrating. I remember seeing so many butterflies that the trees changed colors and you couldn't even walk without walking on ones that had landed or had been injured/killed.
Tallest local animal would have to be an escaped elk from the Grafton, Wisconsin elk farm. (A nearby town)
Since the weeds are an important part of the monarchs' life cycle, putting up plastic copies and spritzing perfumes wouldn't really benefit them.
My milkweed didn't do very well this year. I think it was from not enough water. They're in the most uphill portion of my yard.
