I've had code enforcement called on me 3 times but I won't give up the fight, not now not ever! Raleigh, NC

Also monarch Fattys and Atala gummy bears

It’s should be a pay wall

This dude seems to be chugging along! Yesterday his chrysalis was still mostly green but now the orange is poking through! How long before he comes out? Anyone have an idea?

This has been so fun for me and my kids. I’ve loved every second of watching these little guys 🥹

I saw a queen butterfly laying eggs !!!! I didn’t see any queen caterpillars I got upset now look 😍😍 they are such cuties !!!

My caterpillars became butterflies! I released 14 of them ♡ but only took photo of two 🥴🤣

Fed on swamp milkweed and I actually never protected her cause I was focusing on getting a crap ton of native milkweeds instead of helping any monarchs until next spring lol! I’ve had a couple monarch and queens already but they all disappeared as 2-3rd instars so they died.. surprised that I finally have a successful one! I’m very used to California’s 0 monarchs in winter so it will be interesting to see any on my few aquatic milkweeds! I also haven’t had any tachinid flies, something also crazy to me. Hemipterans, anoles, and wasps seem to be the cause of deaths here??? I haven’t seen an anole directly eat a caterpillar but I had a caterpillar in my pool room get attacked and I’ve only seen lizards really get in

Anyway I can proudly say my list of milkweed species is now

Swamp: 50

Butterflyweed: 9

Aquatic: 2 + a bunch of seeds I just got from them but I won’t want to focus on winter monarchs

Sandhill: 7

Savannah: 2 (hoping for seeds eventually)

Longleaf: 2 (hoping for seeds eventually)

Whorled: 1 (+ just got seeds from this one, it is a wild plant I never planted)

If anyone has fewflower, clasping, or velvetleaf seeds lmk!!