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It just spread its wings & flew away! Only about 20 chrysalis left. I tried to get some seeds from the pods but the tropical depression we had last weekend seems to have blown them all away. I guess I will be making another trip to my local nursery.
I know in California or Mexico they have 4 generations with the last one flying north (or is it south) so I would need more milkweed. Don't know if that is the same here. The lady at my plant nursery seems to be very knowledgeable about these things so I will ask her when I go there tomorrow. This could become an expensive hobby until I get my own seeds. They charge $12 a bush and the caterpillars went through both of the ones I bought last Saturday till there is nothing left but stems. Oh well, I'm making a difference, at least to the Monarchs.
The males have a distinctive spot on their wings that the females lack. It's more visible when the wings are open, but you can see it when they're closed, too.
This is a very good point, and I was going to bring it up at a later date. Follow the simple guidelines below, and all should be okay.
Quote:
There is some good news. Nearly all tropical milkweed in the southern United States is in gardens, Oberhauser says. So if everyone who planted it to help the butterflies can be convinced to replace it with a native milkweed species—or at least cut the plant back every few weeks during the winter—they could quickly put a stop to the destructive winter-breeding trend. (Native milkweed isn’t always as easy to get as tropical milkweed, but it’s starting to become more available online, Satterfield reports.) According to Oberhauser, tropical milkweed is “a problem we can solve.â€
I didn't read all of the post but, thank you for caring about the Monarchs!
I have been on the beach numerous times during the Monarch migration and it is always so sad. You can't walk at all without stepping on the exhausted/half dead poor things. I actually have had a few people make fun of me for trying to scoop up as many as I could so I could place them in my "butterfly" bushes.
Well this morning I have 5 more Monarch butterflies. Unfortunately one had deformed wings so I had to euthanize it by putting it in the freezer. That's what I read to do on the Monarch website. I feel bad for the poor thing. We counted the chrysalis yesterday and there are 27 in all including two that made their's on the patio chair cushions. I have to work today so I won't be hear to see them released when they are ready. My son will have to do it for me.
I like to believe they all did but some were just too weak. But I literally scooped up as many as I could into grocery bags I carry when walking my dogs so it was impossible to know which were the ones I scooped up or the lucky ones that made it onto the yard by themselves.
There was one that would land on my sunglasses right between my eyes. I like to think it was one that I rescued!
Well this morning I have 5 more Monarch butterflies. Unfortunately one had deformed wings so I had to euthanize it by putting it in the freezer. That's what I read to do on the Monarch website. I feel bad for the poor thing. We counted the chrysalis yesterday and there are 27 in all including two that made their's on the patio chair cushions. I have to work today so I won't be hear to see them released when they are ready. My son will have to do it for me.
That is sad. I actually did "surgery" on a beautiful large swallowtail last year. It flew too close to the grill and part of it's wing got burnt off so it couldn't fly.
I had to slightly chill him in the fridge so I could cut his good wing to match the burnt one. When I was done I put him outside in a cat carrier and when he warmed up he crawled out and sat on top of it for a while before he flew onto some flowers.
We were absolutely amazed I actually did it right. Didn't look pretty but at least it could fly. That butterfly actually stuck around for about a week.
Hoping I posted pics right. they show before and after.
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Follow the simple guidelines below, and all should be okay.
I actually did "surgery" on a beautiful large swallowtail last year. It flew too close to the grill and part of it's wing got burnt off so it couldn't fly.
