
Gallery: Food & Fuel Plants - Photos & Testimonials
Food for Monarch Caterpillars : Milkweed
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Common Milkweed
(Aslcepias syrica)
Height: Up to 8'
Width: 36"
Spreads via rhizomes

Orange Milkweed
(Asclepias tuberosa)
Height: 24"
Width: 24"
Common, drought tolerant
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Hello Yellow Milkweed
(Asclepias tuberosa)
Height: 24"
Width: 24"
Common, drought tolerant
Cultivar
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White Swamp Milkweed
(Asclepias incarnata)
Height: 48"
Width: 36"
Semi drought tolerant
Also called 'Milkmaid'
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Swamp White Milkweed
(Asclepias perennis)
Height: Up to 12"
Width: 10"
Moist soils, water gardens

Pink Swamp Milkweed
(Asclepias incarnata)
Height: 48"
Width: 36"
Semi drought tolerant
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Whorled Milkweed
(Asclepias verticillata)
Height: 36"
Width: 18"
Drought tolerant
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Purple Milkweed
(Asclepias purpurascens)
Height: 36"
Width: 18"
Semi Drought tolerant
Susceptible to plant diseases, pests
Partial sun
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Fuel for Monarch Butterflies: High Nectar Yield Plants

Joe-Pye Weed
Height: 3-8'
Width: 2-8'
Colors: Pink, Purple White
Bloom: Summer - Early Fall

New York Ironweed
Height: 5-9'
Width: 4-5'
Colors: Purple
Bloom: Summer - Fall

New England Aster
Height: 3-6'
Width: 2-3'
Colors: Purple & Yellow
Bloom: Late Summer - Fall

Coneflower
Height: 2-4'
Width: 2-3'
Colors: Pink, Orange, White
Bloom: Summer - Early Fall

Seaside Goldenrod
Height: 3-8'
Width: 2-8'
Colors: Yellow
Bloom: Summer - Late Fall

Purpletop Vervain
Height: 6-8'
Width: 1-2'
Colors: Purple
Bloom: Summer - Fall

Blazing Star
Height: 2-4'
Width: 1-2'
Colors: Purple, White
Bloom: Mid-Late Summer

Boneset
Height: 4-6'
Width: 3-4'
Colors: White
Bloom: Early Summer - Mid Fall
Sites From My Garden

So close! Remember
only 1 in 300 make it
to a butterfly.

Caterpillars grow quickly. Stage 2 here. At risk from many predators.

Even after they've left, they leave a gift of wonderment.

September and October are busy months for people who tag Monarchs.



This is what it's all about. We hope by protecting late-stage caterpillars, more can make it to adult butterflies.
Housing late-stage caterpillars enables you to feed fresh milkweed daily and prevent parasitic flies or wasps
2-day old Monarch caterpillar. At risk for jumping spiders at this age.

Whorled milkweed: a
popular choice for
late-summer and fall caterpillars.
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Emerging Monarch. Most butterflies will emerge in the morning normally before 10am. Fluid is pumped from the abdomen into the veins of their wings. Wind drying time is
about 4 hours. Before flight, tagging can be done safely.

Mid to late August competition.

Monarch and aphids. Commonly found together.
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Remnants of the caterpillar's colors. The gold colors are carotenoids from the milkweed it has eaten.

Rare shot, Monarch caterpillar shedding her skin before making it a meal.

Stage 5 and ready to search for a safe place to pupate.




Emerging milkweed. Cold stratified for 60 days
Asclepias incarnata
Asclepias purpurea
Second year. 5.6.22
Asclepias purpurea
Second year. 5.14.22

Asclepias purpurea
Second year. 5.14.22

Swamp Milkweed
Asclepias incarnata
(white)

Cultivar Hello Yellow
Buds on June 10, 2022

Cultivar Hello Yellow
June 10, 2022

Purple Milkweed
June 11, 2022

Purple Milkweed
June 11, 2022

Pink Swamp Milkweed
June 11, 2022
Looks like Purple but note leaf shape

White Swamp Milkweed
June 14, 2022

Are Lantern fly larva a new threat to monarch food sources?

Milkweed beetles will cut developing flowers. Get rid of them.

Tachinid flies will
lay eggs in monarch
caterpillars
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June 22, 2022 First generation of the year
eating swamp white

July 29, 2022 Attracted to Purpletop vervain

June 26, 2022 Secured on white swamp milkweed

August 6, 2022 Purpletop vervain

June 28, 2022 Time for a change. 7-10 days a monarch will emerge

July 8, 2022 One day until she emerges

July 9, 2022 The day of emergence, a new generation has begun

August 1, 2022 Don't let the thin leaves fool you, Whorled milkweed works

August 7, 2022, personal pic for perennial of the year

September 2023, risks
of roadside milkweed

Migratory monarch re-
fueling en route to Mexico, August 2023

Emerging monarchs
readily accept nectar or sugar water

Monarchs can't resist new growth for laying eggs August 2023

Releasing captive bred monarchs w a nectar meal offers a good start

Eggs laid the same day, emerged the same day,
tagged the same day

First Welcome Monarch Stationt

Brilliant survival strategy
against milkweed defensive strategy

Ladybug larva devouring milkweed aphids

Nothing more spectacular
than a 5th instar fall caterpillar - Sept. 2023

Monarch butterfly egg among milkweed aphids

Monarch butterflies mating, August 2024

Monarch caterpillars favorite - swamp milkweed

Camoflaged praying mantis devours taggerd adult monarch butterfly

Monarch larva molting, note head mantle
Our clients are anything but garden variety!
Thank you so much for the wonderful, educational, and informative presentation on the Monarch Butterflies at Crosslands & Cartmel. So many glowing comments! We deeply appreciate your time and effort.
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Marion W.
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"I remember when, as a second grader, I had the thrill of observing first-hand in our classroom the life-cycle of the monarch butterfly. How wondrous to wait for its emergence from its cocoon. This was the scene in my mind that I flashed back to when I met Gary, and he introduced me to his beautiful monarch habitat park. It is a magical place.
Gary’s knowledge is impressive, his enthusiasm is contagious, and his dedication is a safeguard for these beautiful creatures. I recommend Gary’s creative project design and construction to anyone interested or in need."
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Lauren A.
4/5
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"Gary has turned our backyards into a place of peace and relaxation during a time of stress and uncertainty.
From the beginning concept that included his detailed drawings to the list of items needed to completed the project Gary rose above!
His skill as a visionary with design and his craftsmanship with physically putting the idea Into action was remarkable
His attention to detail and his curiosity as to what we wanted and had envisioned was only surpassed in his final product.
We look forward to our next backup projects whatever that shall be... perhaps Gary will help us discover what might be next!!!"
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Peter W.
5/5
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"This summer I found myself in a grime situation: I was raising monarch butterflies and ran out of food while having about 30 really hungry caterpillars. How did it happen? The reason is the lack of expertise. I planted milkweed on the edge of 6×12 ft bed of zinnias and cosmos. This bed became an amazing ecosystem: spiders, praying mantises, assassin bugs, frogs... Sadly, these neighbors were deadly for monarch caterpillars. Also, zinnia and cosmos plants shaded milkweed. Finally, I was left with a few milkweed plants and many monarch eggs and caterpillars which I brought to the cages.
This is when I ran out of food and was literally saved by Gary.
I contacted him and he helped me to find reliable sources of milkweed, taught me to feed caterpillars in a most efficient way, gave me advice about spacing the plants, helped to handle disease outbreak. Thanks to his professional advice I have already released 30 healthy butterflies.
I can absolutely recommend Gary to anyone who is looking for reliable, knowledgeable and helpful professional. He he is a monarch enthusiast you can trust. "
Jane N.
5/5
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"Gary Liska is as rare of a gem as the natural assets he so passionately seeks to protect. His unwavering dedication to the preservation of the Monarch Butterfly is just one example of what he’s known for, eclipsed only by his reputation for being one of the hardest working individuals on the planet. Gary Liska is the kind of guy you wished you had as a neighbor, because simply put, he makes the world a more beautiful place!"
Sher V.
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I loved working with Gary on the pollinator garden and it turned into exactly what I had hoped that it would be.
He suggested plants for Monarchs and other pollinators. The project came in without any stress and under budget! I am very pleased!
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Joann P


Your presentation was great and the boys truly appreciated all your efforts. I think we all now have a greater appreciation for the plight of the Monarch Butterfly and I’m feeling some native milkweed in my future.
Roger W.
Your presentation was very well received. A number of Club members came up to me or sent me a note commenting on how interesting it was. In fact, I was at the Powerhouse Theatre tonight for a play and ran into one of the attendees who asked if all the presentations/speakers were that good. I had to admit that they are not.
Mike C.
