Monarch terminology— learning to speak “butterfly”

The monarch butterfly: Latin (scientific) name is Danaus plexippus – (duh-NAY-us PLEX-ip-us) The metamorphosis of a monarch takes place as it transforms from the stages of an egg, to a larva, to a pupa, to a butterfly. Larva – (LAR-vuh), plural, larvae (LAR-vee) the second stage, after the egg, in metamorphosis. Also known as “caterpillar.” …

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The Lifecycle of the Monarch Butterfly

With so many of us interested in following the progress of monarch caterpillars, chrysalides, and butterflies I thought this visual might be helpful to understand the progression and timing of their lifecycle. It comes from journeynorth.org, which tracks the migration of many species of butterflies, birds, and other species.

Aphid Wars! How to control these milkweed-infesting pests

Have you noticed tiny yellow/orange dots covering the stems of your milkweed? They are oleander aphids, and a heavy infestation can have serious consequences.  Sometimes called “garden vampires”, they drink the sap from the plant, weakening and sometimes killing it. The life is literally sucked out of the plant, and can reduce the viable seeds …

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Tropical Milkweed – Asclepias Curassavica – bad for western monarchs

Are we doing more harm than good by providing this non-native milkweed to the western US monarch population? We here at Monarch Milkweed Project strongly discourage planting Tropical Milkweed. Because this variety of milkweed doesn’t die off in the winter but survives the mild winter climate of the West, its year round availability encourages the …

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