My 2025 Monarch Season in Davenport, IA started out with failure. My crop of millkweed was extremely limited, much more so than last year. I had no idea why what few plants I had were only growing along the edge of my garden, and new shoots were struggling to grow in the nearby lawn. How could I feed any more than the first few arrivals? I consulted my best go-to resource books and blogs.
First up was my favorite reference book Monarchs and Milkweed: A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Co-evolution by Anurag Agrawal. By re-reading and looking at some select photos, I figured out that my problem was the over crowding, and over growth, of nectar plants in my small garden. I had no idea that milkweed was so sensitive. I thought it could force its way up wherever it wanted. I started digging up flowering plants that I had duplicates of in other beds. I was amazed at how dense the root mass of purple coneflowers, rudbeckia, and Shasta daises could be. It was no wonder my milkweed was trying to escape.
What started out as selective thinning soon turned into wholesale destruction as I realized I needed a thorough garden makeover. The loss of an indoor butterfly rearing season would be the unfortunate result. My goal had to be more milkweed next year at all cost.
As I cleared out areas of nectar plants, mulching and watering as I went, I discovered that my efforts were being rewarded much sooner than I thought possible. New milkweed plants were coming up from seed I’d sewn earlier. Fresh shoots from established plants were making their way up to the surface and thriving. I would be able to feed the hatchlings of the first Monarch moms and perhaps a few more.
I bought and read Milkweed Quickstart Guide for Monarch Butterflies eBook by Tony Gomez, the host of monarchbutterflygarden.net. I appreciated his new ebook as a valuable resource that’s a great companion for the invaluable information he shares on his blog. Milkweed is touchy about propagating and transplanting. I’ve had some success over years of trying, but it’s been limited. I was hoping for a miracle for this year, and thought tropical milkweed, as shown in Tony’s ebook, would be it. Unfortunately, my timing was off. I could not find local sources for tropical milkweed. I have to wait until next spring. The same goes for other new varieties of milkweed plants. Tony’s ebook listed contact information for many plant nurseries, and one had a discount offer.
My saving grace was my local Davenport library branch. Several years ago I became a volunteer gardener at that branch and I got the powers that be to leave their milkweed plants alone. To let them attract Monarch butterflies. I was able to collect eggs and release some adults to prove it could be done. Going back to that branch this spring I noticed how well their milkweed plants were doing. I also noticed that some in the parking lot were going to be mowed down. I was able to harvest those leaves and prepare them for my freezer. I was going to have enough food for more Monarchs. I collected eggs from my garden and the library’s.
As of mid-September I’ve added 54 adults to this years migration. It’s a great ending for a year that I’d thought would remain a failure.
Other Information & Data
Caterpillar Escapes: 0
Unexplained Caterpillar Deaths: 0
Caterpillar Diseases & Parasites: 0
Accidental Deaths: 1
Chrysalis Problems: 3 (no deaths)
Butterfly Enclosure Issues: 1 (no deaths)
Final Results
How many monarchs survived to reach Butterhood? 54
Accidental deaths: 1
Disease or parasite issues: 0
Unexplained deaths: 0
Healthy males: 31
Healthy females: 23
Survival rate: 98%
Lessons Learned 2025: Don’t overcrowd the milkweed with nectar plants. Potted milkweeds are a great source for egg laying. Always check the zipper!
Migration Memories 2025: I don’t usually name my caterpillars/butterflies, but the Lazarus trio was the exception. One got its tummy stuck on a leaf. I trimmed the leaf so it wasn’t hanging upside down and struggling hopelessly. The next day it molted and was fine, even ate the discarded skin. Two others had hanging issues. I taped one up to the top of a mesh cage. It emerged OK. The other had attached itself on the side of an ice cream container. I found a way to support the Blue Bunny container so the chrysalis was in a semi-hanging position with space for the wings to dry. The adult emerged with good wings. They all survived their trials and tribulations.
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