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Comments (22)

  • MissSherry
    17 years ago

    I keep craning my neck to the side of my computer trying to see the undersides of the butterfly's wings! DUH!!
    Pipevine swallowtail?
    MissSherry

  • irishguy24
    17 years ago

    Monarch

  • texaspuddyprint
    17 years ago

    Queen or Monarch...unless ya'll get Soldiers in Alabama too?

    ~ Cat

  • emmayct
    17 years ago

    A pair of Monarchs?

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    {{gwi:445814}}

    Here she is from the side. She's been here for over a week, and I saw her again tonight. She's so used to me now that she doesn't even fly away when I come close. I talk to her and she flies around my head. She hangs on the milkweed, but I don't think she's oviposited at all. I thought she was when I first saw her, but I think now that I was mistaken.

    One day this week, there were two females in my garden, but it appears that neither left any eggs. It's a shame, because my milkweed is plentiful and only the aphids and milkweed seed bugs are getting the benefit of it. At least, I'm getting lots of seeds -- and I have this wonderful semi-tame Monarch to keep me company.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    {{gwi:445815}}
    This Monarch is still here! She's been here at least since July 27, a full two weeks. When she arrived, she looked pretty fresh, except for a hole in her right forewing. Now she looks rather faded, but she's friendlier (less skittish, anyway) than ever. I've enticed her to climb onto my fingertip a few times. I can look out my window and see her hanging from milkweed leaves or sailing above them. I've named her Ophelia.

    Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
    For her I feel so afraid
    On her twenty-second birthday
    She already is an old maid
    Â Bob Dylan, "Desolation Row"

    {{gwi:445816}}
    Another Monarch came over the weekend, and it also is still here. It may have been the same one that I saw earlier in the week  it hasn't been still long enough for me to tell for sure whether it is male or female. I named it Louise/Luis.

    Louise, she's all right, she's just near
    She's delicate, she looks like veneer
    She just makes it all too concise and too clear
    That Johanna's not here
    Â Bob Dylan, "Visions of Johanna")

    Louise/Luis is quite the aggressor. The first time I saw it, it chased away a Pipevine Swallowtail, the first I'd seen this year. When it came back, it began a spiraling dance with Ophelia, and I hoped that my girl's prince had come. But they never quite got the dance steps right, while I was looking anyway, and I still haven't found any eggs. Meanwhile, this morning, Louise/Luis ignored Ophelia, but chased away a Gulf Fritillary, a Giant Cloudless Sulphur, two Pipevine Swallowtails and a hummingbird.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    The old neighborhood just ain't the same
    Nobody knows just what became of
    Ophelia
    where have you gone
    Â The Band, "Ophelia"

    The last time I saw Ophelia was Sunday morning, Aug. 13. She stayed with me for over three weeks. Her wings grew faded and tattered, but the last time I saw her, she was making wide swoops from flower to flower and dancing in the sunlight. I didn't make pictures that day, but here are some from the day before.

    {{gwi:445817}}

    {{gwi:445819}}

    {{gwi:445820}}

    That last one has a haze because my camera lens fogged up in the humidity. But look at that leaf behind and below Ophelia on the left  now what would do that to a milkweed leaf?

    {{gwi:445822}}

    HOORAAAAAAY! Ophelia found her Prince Charming after all. I don't know how this cat managed to hide from me so well for so long. I guess I wasn't looking as carefully as I thought. But he decided to reveal himself just when I was feeling sad that his mother had gone away. So I carefully plucked his leaf and prepared an indoor home for him. Then I went back out to cut some milkweed branches for him ...

    {{gwi:445824}}

    ... and found two more. I brought them in too.

    {{gwi:445826}}

    The next day I found two more, and today another one, bringing my total so far to eight. They appear to be about three ages. Four are about 2 inches long, two are about 1.25 inches long, and two are about 1 inch long.

    I think one of the little ones, the one I found today, is dead. It was not active when I found it, and it has been lying on its side for several hours. I sort of wish I had not found it.

    If the pattern holds, I'll find more cats tomorrow. One thing I have plenty of is milkweed, and my husband said he saw a Monarch in the garden today.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Two more cats today. I took the dead one back out and left it under the milkweed this morning. I could not find it this evening, nor even the leaf it lay on. I hope it woke up, ate the leaf and hid. Two of the large ones are crawling on the ceiling of the tank tonight. Not J's yet, but it looks like that's the next step. I expect chrysalides by morning.

  • susanlynne48
    17 years ago

    Are you sure the cat wasn't just getting ready to molt? Sometimes mine almost look and act dead when they are getting ready to molt, and I've heard they shouldn't be moved around during that time. They will lie in a nearly "dormant" state like that for 24-48 hours.

    Susan

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Susan, that's great news! I had hoped the motionless cat was preparing to molt, but I didn't realize it took that long. It adds to my happy conviction that I found the same cat again today!

    This evening I found a cat that looked to be one instar bigger on the same set of plants, A. perennis, which is separated from the other milkweed. The cat's firm grip on a leaf even though it had not moved for over 12 hours gave me a fleeting hope that it was still alive, so when I took it back outside, I put it in a protected place under the milkweed where I had found it originally. I just can't stand to flush one. I'm sure glad I didn't bury it.

    Along with that smallish one, I found six more tonight in various sizes. I now have a total of 17: 4 chrysalids, 4 small-to-medium and 9 large-to-huge. Of the seven I found tonight, 1 was on A. perennis, 1 on A. tuberosa, and 5 on A. curassavica.

    Here's a picture of the first chrysalides:
    {{gwi:445828}}

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Progress report: 4 chrysalides, 5 Js, 1 more cat found on A. tuberosa, 9 cats actively eating. Total number 18.

    I'm amazed that I can already see faint wing markings in the chrysalides.

    This morning I found at least two, and possibly three, Monarchs in the vicinity of the milkweed. At least one was a male, and all appeared freshly eclosed. I didn't have time to watch for long or to try for pictures, but tomorrow is Saturday. I cross my fingers that they will still be here.

    Monarch Watch predicts the peak of the migration at this latitude around the first week of October, but I wonder if it will be earlier. The only time I remember seeing more Monarchs at one time here was when I released them.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    The last three cats pupated today, and the total count is 19. I'm hoping to release butterflies this weekend. My daughter is getting married on Sept. 1, and it would be really cool to have a few eclose on that day. The ones that pupated yesterday and today might take that long.

    Meanwhile, some other Monarchs have paid a visit, and I'm finding eggs and very young cats every day. I haven't even tried to count them -- I can barely see them.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Ophelia's Daughter
    {{gwi:445831}}
    {{gwi:445833}}
    {{gwi:445835}}
    She eclosed on Saturday.

    Three more, a female and two males, eclosed on Sunday. Here are the boys.
    {{gwi:445837}}

    Another male eclosed today. I did not make his picture. I had him perched on one finger, and I was carrying a milkweed container and my clippers in the other hand when I released him. As I set about cutting some fresh food for the young cats, I found six more cats (plus 10 on Sunday and several on Saturday and a bunch found last week -- I've lost count.)

    I also found lots and lots of eggs. Quick work by the four released over the weekend? I decided not to count my cats before they hatch.

    I've gone from despairing of having any Monarch cats this year to worrying about having enough milkweed.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Four more eclosed today. Two males, one female and one that I didn't get a good look at before it flew to the top of a tree. I have six more chrysalides. Two have started turning dark and probably will eclose tomorrow. One appears damaged and probably will not eclose at all. Three are bright green.

    I keep finding more eggs every morning and evening when I cut food for the cats. I have no idea how many cats and eggs I have brought in. I'm trying to keep them separate, but the cats have to have food, and if there are eggs on the leaves, I'm not sure I can rob the cats of the leaves to protect the eggs. And when the eggs hatch, how am I going to feed them?

    Three species of milkweed this year, but the A. tuberosa is all but gone, and the cats don't want what's left. The A. perennis is hanging in there, but it looks tired. The A. curassavica is the healthiest, but I've already cut the tops out of most of the plants. They are branching and growing quickly, but I don't know if it will be enough. The more it grows, the more eggs I find. What a delightful problem to have.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Two more eclosed this morning. I had to leave for several days, so I improvised a way to let the rest eclose outdoors while I am gone. The chrysalides were hanging from a piece of fabric I used to cover the aquarium. I tied the cloth to a fence adjacent to milkweed and orange cosmos. It's fairly well protected, but the butterflies will have room to climb out and expand their wings. I have my fingers crossed that they'll be OK. When they come out, they'll have plenty of company because all of the Monarchs I've released so far appear to be staying close by  and breeding.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    All but one of the chrysalides eclosed while I was away. I left the last one on the fence, but it has always appeared damaged so I am not hopeful that it will eclose. It had turned dark when I saw it Monday afternoon, so if it is going to make it, Tuesday should be the day.

    Meanwhile, most of the next generation of cats appear to have pupated. I found no chrysalides; they are well hidden. I did find four large cats and several small ones. No eggs, thank goodness. The milkweed needs some time to regrow.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    A female Monarch cruised through the garden today, but if she was looking for a place to lay eggs, she was disappointed. There's not a leaf of milkweed left. But just before I cut the last branch for the cats -- up to 14 now, plus six that have pupated -- I found a nursery about 30 miles from here that has pesticide-free milkweed. I am amazed that this has happened again.

    These cats prefer to chew on A. curassavica stems rather than eat tender A. tuberosa leaves, but if that's what the nursery has, they'll eat it and like it.

  • singcharlene
    17 years ago

    Thanks for sharing. I'm going to save for my son boy to see (9yrs).

    I browsed this forum because we'd like to create our own butterfly/hummingbird garden. We have a 25'x 25' bare patch of land that seems a bit sandy, but probably clay beneath. We are trying to do it with mostly low to no water plants.

    What are your most successful butterfly plants that can do without much H2O?

    Thanks, Charlene

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    After two trips to the nursery, Bloomin' Miracles, and buying all the milkweed they had in pots, plus accepting a gift of several huge stems from the plant in their yard, I got enough to feed all my cats until they pupated. Over the last week, they've been eclosing a few each day. Here are some of the six that I released on Monday (9/25).

    {{gwi:445839}}
    {{gwi:445841}}
    {{gwi:445843}}
    {{gwi:445846}}

    {{gwi:445849}}Yesterday I discovered that one of the cats had escaped from the aquarium and had attached to the bottom edge of a birthday card hanging on a bulletin board next to the tank. I only noticed it when I happened to see the tip of its wings peeking out from under another sheet of paper that was in front of the card. She was one of four that eclosed yesterday. Now I have only three left, and I expect them to eclose Friday or Saturday.

    The A. curassavica is regrowing beautifully and the
    A. perennis has a few new leaves -- only because all the Monarchs head southwest immediately upon their release. I'm not sure what species the nursery had, but I have eight little pots of it, stripped to the stems. I'm going to try to keep some of each species alive through the winter.

    I rooted some stems of A. curassavica after the cats had eaten the leaves, and it is amazingly healthy. The same treatment is not working as well with the branches from the nursery yard, but I haven't given up on it. They didn't know the species, just "native orange milkweed." I figured it was A. tuberosa, but it looks very different from what I've grown, so I'm hoping it is a native variety that I have not grown before.

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Charlene, I don't know a thing about Colorado gardening requirements, but I found a Web page with an interview with a local expert about establishing a Front Range (what's that?) butterfly garden (see link below). It recommends a number of native plants, some for dry beds and some for wet. If you haven't already done so, it would be a good idea to post your question in a new thread in the discussion area of this forum. There are lots of people here with more expertise than I have, who also have experience closer to where you are.

    For what it's worth, the flowers that do best for me with next to no care (such as irrigation) are:

    Nectar plants -- purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea, Mexican sunflower Tithonia rotundifolia, zinnias, cannas and orange cosmos; and

    Host plants: butterfly weed Asclepias tuberosa (Monarch host), Maypop (native passionflower vine) (Gulf Fritillary host), Queen Anne's Lace Daucus carota (Black Swallowtail host).

    Parsley and fennel are better BST hosts for me, but I have to water them. Other Asclepias species seem to be better Monarch hosts for me, but they, too, require more water. The tuberosa is the first to appear in the spring, and last year I reared the first generation of Monarchs solely on tuberosa, so I won't denigrate it as a host plant.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Cultivating a Front Range butterfly garden

  • gcertain
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    The last two Monarchs eclosed last week while I was out of town. While I was on the phone with my husband one night, he checked on them and found one demanding to be released. My husband Larry is an old hand at releasing Monarchs so he put in a finger to give the butterfly a ride, but the impatient Monarch flew to the ceiling. Larry was holding the phone in one hand and trying to catch the butterfly with the other. Finally he had to hang up so he could concentrate on the chase. Later he told me he had enticed the butterfly onto the screened back porch by turning on a light there and darkening the rest of the house. He left the door open to the back yard, and when he checked again a few minutes later, the butterfly had vacated the premises. I've never released one at night before, but the butterfly insisted.

    Larry released the last Monarch on Friday morning, the day before I returned home. I was sad that I missed it, knowing I won't have any more this year. But today, a beautiful Monarch stayed in my garden most of the day, so that was compensation enough.

    All the various milkweeds are regrowing beautifully, including the little potted plant Carol sent home with me, the A. perennis and A. curassavica the cats stripped to bare sticks, and the emergency pots of unidentified species I got from the life-saving nursery. Although it started late, this turned out to be an excellent year for Monarchs.

  • ollierose
    15 years ago

    What a beautiful story. I really enjoyed reading this!

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