Caterpillars
by
Tina Krenz
+7
I have these caterpillars on my butterfly weed plant and just wonder if you know exactly what kind they are and what are they going to turn out to be. There are always at least 3 out there at once, never more than that.
8 answers
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They are Monarch caterpillars:-))
Rhonda B
on Sep 19, 2014
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Yes they are, and it looks like they are right where they should be: on your butterfly weed.
Douglas Hunt
on Sep 20, 2014
- See 1 previous
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Lucky you!
Carol S
on Sep 21, 2014
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Yup, Monarch cats! :-) Butterfly weed (aka Orange Glory) is in the Milkweed family. :-)
Leza
on Sep 21, 2014
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Do they also attract wasps too, because all of a sudden, ( and this is the first time I ever had wasps on butterfly weed plant), wasps seem to be coming to the plant. Will they hurt the caterpillars?
Tina Krenz
on Sep 21, 2014
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@Tina Krenz if you are afraid for them you can bring them in a finish raising them go to save the monarchs for info it is easy xx
Chris aka monkey
on Sep 21, 2014
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@Tina Krenz - re wasps on butterfly weed. Actually, one year I had several Monarch cats and when they went into the pupa stage, they shriveled up and died. I was told it was because of a (wasp) parasite which laid eggs in the cat..........I felt so badly for them. But as my children would say to me, "Mom, it's the circle of life"! Chances are that if the wasps are there, they've already laid their eggs, and you won't even know until they pupate :( Mary Jayne
Mary Jayne Ewen
on Jan 15, 2015
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SOME, not all but some, wasps will use cats for laying their eggs on... when the eggs hatch, they have an instant meal...IE: the caterpillar again I stress, SOME will bit not all. as someone said, you can remove the cats from the plant, put them in a box, an aquarium, a bug house, etc., and then cut lots of milk weed leaves to feed the cats. Because of the Monarch butterfly population is dropping to record numbers, the more you save the better.
Capernius
on Jan 28, 2016
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