Cutting back Milkweed?

[GBMonarch]

I listed this same message in the rearing monarchs forum and realized this is probably a better place. Do you cut back your milkweed? I'm not finding any eggs and I'm wondering if my milkweed is getting too big. Should I trim some down to be more attractive to the females?

The big plants are branching off with new stems, but I havent' found any eggs on the new leaves. My tiny plants are being eaten by rabbits! I thought nothing ate milkweed, but these are red milkweed, so maybe it's tastier than common Wisconsin milkweed. Any advice would be appreciated.

[RozieMozie]

is it red steamed common milkweed? ... cus the females dont seem to like them ... John has a pic on his photobucket.com tht shows a green steamed and red steamed common milkweed side by side

[John Beaulieu]

Brenda and I have just returned home (Midhurst, Ontario) from helping out at the Monarch Teacher Workshop in Connecticut. When out for the field trip on the second day of this 3-day workshop, we visited the home of one of the local West Hartford teachers, Mary, who leaves a patch of milkweed in her lawn. In the photo, some of the teachers attending are looking for eggs and caterpillars on the milkweed plants.



They found quite a few, because this patch contains nice fresh plants. Mary had mowed the milkweed down in early July and it has now grown back providing good plants for egg laying and for feeding caterpillars. Mary also has milkweed growing at the other side of her house but it was not cut back, so it provides more mature plants with seed pods.

Both patches also provided a good selection of other members of the milkweed community such as milkweed bugs, milkweed leaf beetles, aphids, etc. On some plants, Mary had used a mesh bag enclosure that she purchased from Monarch Watch. It protected the caterpillars that were on the plant from pedators.

John

[Farfalla]

John,
In GB's post in the rearing forum,I recounted my experience in a milkweed patch at the MTN workshop I just went to.
Wish you had been in NJ at the Ridgewood workshop!
But I did meet some wonderful people from Canada!