Milkweed quality declining

[Schmetterling]

Still have 30 cats to feed. I'm starting to panic. Nights are getting a little cooler, but no frost. I live on wetlands with swamp and common milkweed, the leaves are turning. I have some pots of tropical and various other milkweed and these leaves are not as dried out, but those are infested with aphids. I worked on those tonight hosing off the aphids. I've read those infested with aphids aren't the best for feeding, but I am afraid I will have to end up using those. Other than bleaching, anything else I need to know about leaves where aphids once infested? I feel I will be able to collect enough, refrigerating to prolong the season, but it is the quality I am concerned about. I chuckle sometimes when I post my concerns, thinking what would these 30 have done, had I not brought them in, probably eat the leaves where aphids were, no bleaching or extra care involved.

[Mona Miller]

You are right. And, if it gets too cold for them they would perish. I've actually mailed a box of them one year on 11/4 to some one further south in Virginia Beach. They usually don't get hard freezes.

[Schmetterling]

I will do whatever it takes to give them their best possibility to survive. Have learned much this first full season,( 60 plus) look forward to the healthy release of these 30 so I can look back and say whew, they made it!!!!

[skates4marty]

This year, I'd be picking through a patch, rejecting the stalks that looked too old, too yellow, too dried up... oh, what's that? A fifth? And a third? Looks like their standards are lower than ours!

[Mona Miller]

I was at Black Hill Regional Park in Boyds, Maryland yesterday. Their milkweed still look good. Denise Gibbs says that in her meadow, she just had a female laying recently so she has first instars.

[Schmetterling]

Question, on my last group, now in chrysalis form, I did the milkweed bouquet, seemed the leaves stayed fresher longer. This same thing happened when I offered milkweed in pots, they often liked to eat the stems, when there were fresh tasty young leaves available. Is this a usually occurrence?

[Mona Miller]

In my tent, I feed potted milkweed. I also put milkweed into containers with water, but make sure you secure the lip of the container so the caterpillars don't get down into the water. In my plastic containers, I use the leaves without any water.

I agree, they do like the milkweed that stays fresher. I think is it probably more healthy for them. In my plastic containers, I keep an eye on the quality of the milkweed and some of it is changed every day. Of course, most of it is eaten every day and needs to be changed.