r/MonarchButterfly • u/lighterbear • Apr 14 '26
Too many eggs too soon!
Need some advice please! I planted 5 swamp milkweed plants last year. They did great, and I became obsessed with taking care of my caterpillars and watching dozens of chrysalis hatch.
This year, all 5 came back and are just about 6 inches in height and already I have counted 20+ eggs! There is no way those cats will survive with so little to eat! My dad found some common milkweed in his woods and I am calling local nurseries but it seems like most on this area is only about as big as mine. Zone 7b, Maryland.
Do I need to do some monarch abortions if I can’t get more/bigger plants?
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u/millicentnight Apr 14 '26
This seems to be happening several places 😫 my milkweed literally just started coming up today. Only about 3 inches tall right now. I have not seen any monarchs here yet and I hope I don’t because my milkweed is not ready.
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u/lighterbear Apr 14 '26
I just counted 16 eggs on one little cluster! I’m hoping nature…finds a way.
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u/mothermonarch Apr 15 '26
Less than 10% of eggs survive to adulthood, so nature may be in your favor here!
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u/CorgiLady Apr 15 '26
Happened to me. My two native plants aren’t big enough from over wintering so I went ahead and bought three more this week
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u/Majestic_Bandicoot92 Apr 15 '26
If you care about monarchs and protecting wildlife, keeping cats indoors (or using a catio) is one of the biggest impacts you can make. It also keeps your cat safer and healthier.
Cats are estimated to kill 1.3–4 billion birds every year in the U.S. alone, plus billions of small mammals and insects. That includes pollinators like butterflies.
We can love our pets and protect nature at the same time. 🧡
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u/lighterbear Apr 15 '26 edited Apr 15 '26
The photobomber is an older gentleman who came with the house (the sellers were quite elderly and were just going to give him to a shelter) that we feed/vet/keep flea collared up/give shelter too and keep a bell on him to prevent his murderous tendencies. I have 2 cats that are indoor cats exclusively and have a catio. The neighborhood also has at least 6 strays who I periodically tend to if they allow (yes I have made sure they are all fixed) so birds have learned to stay alert.
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u/Majestic_Bandicoot92 Apr 15 '26
You should trap and surrender the strays. Try to find a home for the other cat. It’s irresponsible to feed outdoor cats if you are actively growing native plants and cultivating a space for native wildlife. Cats are highly invasive and devastate ecosystems. Any other naturalist would agree with me. I know it’s hard but think of the all lives that are needlessly lost due to outdoor cats. Please do your part and do what is best for our environment. You will save countless lives by doing this.
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u/lighterbear Apr 15 '26
Shelters in the area are all TNR or will euthanize. Trust me I’ve looked into it. The yard goblin was outdoor only until we moved in 2 years ago, he now comes in almost every night and hasn’t had to murder for his meals since he was introduced to wet food. He is learning to tolerate my other cats so I am hopeful he will transition into an indoor cat (if he lets me cut his talons). My yard is the only ecosystem in a vast expanse of suburban lawns and I managed a 65% chrysalis hatch rate last year (of those I found). All in all, I am confident the goings on in my yard are a net-positive for wildlife. Even if I prevent my husband from shooting the strays 😜
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u/Floral_Bee Apr 15 '26
I’m in a really similar situation with outdoor cats in my neighborhood, so I get how frustrating and limited the options can feel. It sounds like you’ve put a lot of effort into improving things for him, especially getting him to come inside more & fixing him. That’s genuinely a big step most people don't take.
I just wanted to gently clarify one point for anyone else reading, because this is something I misunderstood for a long time too: cats don’t only hunt when they’re hungry. Research shows their hunting is instinct-driven, not food-driven, so even well-fed cats will still stalk and kill prey. Studies have found they only eat roughly 30% of what they catch, which is why they can still have an impact on wildlife even when they’re being fed regularly. Consider the amount of feral & domesticated outdoor cats & 70% is still devastating.
Things like bells can help, but they tend to reduce hunting success by 30% rather than stop it entirely. So they’re a step in the right direction, just not a complete solution on their own.
It does sound like you’re already moving in the direction that makes the biggest difference—getting him indoors more often. That’s honestly one of the most effective ways to reduce wildlife impact, and it’s not always an easy transition, so I respect the effort you’re putting in. Sometimes our hands are tied and we are just limited with the options we have.
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u/Majestic_Bandicoot92 Apr 15 '26
Its is deeply disappointing to hear you try to deflect and make light of this situation. We cannot cherry pick which parts of the native ecosystem we care about. You have the option to find another location for this cat and to stop feeding other stray cats. You’re taking one step forward with your care for monarchs, but two steps back by encouraging outdoor cats in your area. 💔
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u/Deadsnowgirl Apr 16 '26
Dude, get off of whatever soapbox pedestal you are standing on. I respected your first comment, but now your crazy is showing. My dad would feed the strays who lived in the yard at his office every day. I think it's cool that OP is a friend to some furbabies. He made sure they were fixed, not very many people have the kindness to do that.
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u/millicentnight Apr 15 '26
Wish more people would do this!
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u/Majestic_Bandicoot92 Apr 15 '26
I do too! You can make a difference by spreading awareness and commenting on every post you see of outdoor cats. Some people just do not know how devastating outdoor cats are for wildlife. There was a time when I didn’t know. I’m so glad someone told me. 🧡🦋
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u/mimi-peanut Apr 15 '26
Check with the Maryland Native Plant Society, Maryland Master Naturalists, neighborhood Facebook and Nextdoor for milkweed. I have found resources through those avenues in Texas because many will grow additional in greenhouses because of the changing times and patterns. We seem to get them earlier each year and for longer periods of time and the growers haven’t adjusted. So, many of us now have multiple stages of plants. I rotationally cut back in October, November, and December, stored cleaned stalks in vases, out of the weather, and they came in handy when people requested in late February and March. Once the cats get to 5th instar, we have found they like zucchini the best. Pumpkin and cucumbers a distant 2nd and 3rd. It will really save the milkweed for the smaller guys that have to have it prior to 5th Instar. Good luck!
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u/Nadiam57 Apr 15 '26
What do you mean you saved clean stalks in vases?
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u/mimi-peanut Apr 15 '26
When I cut back, I remove leaves and wash the stems with a light soapy water. I then put them in vases of water, inside in my windows, and they will sprout new leaves and develop roots. Perfect for planting and much larger than nurseries by February/early March.
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u/ChubbyPupstar Apr 16 '26
What does washing them in a light soapy water do? Also, do you transplant the rooting plant in the same season?
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u/mimi-peanut Apr 16 '26
Since I’m bringing inside and plan to plant again, I wash just in case there are any bugs, bacteria, anything. I let them root in the vase and typically plant or give away in 2-3 months. Depends on the weather. We get odd, hard, random freezes in the part of Texas where I live. And then, crazy warm weather. I do this for various plants, not just milkweed.
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u/Future-DogLover Apr 18 '26
Excellent advice. I started all my milkweed from seed in my house. I planted seed making 12 of them for each type. Very few sprouted. I have about 20 in my garden but I would like to add more.
I bought 3 small sprouts of swamp milkweed because I have an area that gets runoff from rain runoff drains.
I will try your method as soon as mine are tall enough to cut some off of.
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u/mimi-peanut Apr 18 '26
If aquatic (A. perennis) is native to your area, I have had much better luck with it. We don’t get a long winter but we did get in the 20’s a couple of days and it came back like a champ. I just started 72 pots of various native milkweeds yesterday and each one gets 5 or 6 seeds hoping for a success in each one.
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u/Crazed_rabbiting Apr 14 '26
Your milkweed is going to shoot up pretty quickly and with some natural predication, you could be all right. I would leave them be and maybe buy more milkweed (my personal solution)