| Author | Content |
frostweed
Josephine, Arlington, TX (Zone 8a)
July 17, 2009 2:42 PM Post #6830519
| You have done a terrific job, I hope many more people will be inspired to raise Butterflies.
Josephine. |
beckygardener
(Becky) in Sebastian, FL (Zone 10a)
July 17, 2009 3:20 PM Post #6830663
| Marna,
I have to agree with Josephine! Awesome article with lots of photos of the important stuff! :-)
You did a lot of work to get this article done! Great job!
~Becky~ |
Mrs_Ed
Whiteside County, IL (Zone 5a)
July 17, 2009 6:30 PM Post #6831370
| Thanks. I could not have done it without that help from the Texas Butterfly Goddesses! |
Mrs_Ed
Whiteside County, IL (Zone 5a)
July 17, 2009 6:32 PM Post #6831376
| Oh, and the goddess from Florida! ;-) |
mellielong
Lutz, FL (Zone 9b)
July 17, 2009 9:55 PM Post #6832111
| That would be me! Right? My caterpillars are stars! So glad I could help out. You know I love spreading my butterfly joy across the internet.
Melanie |
beckygardener
(Becky) in Sebastian, FL (Zone 10a)
July 17, 2009 10:44 PM Post #6832254
| Melanie - Glad to see you still leading the pack of butterfly lovers over on the forum! You go girl! :-) |
Mrs_Ed
Whiteside County, IL (Zone 5a)
July 17, 2009 11:09 PM Post #6832327
| Yes, Melanie, you are the florida goddess!
|
TexasPuddyPrint
Edinburg, TX
July 17, 2009 11:49 PM Post #6832474
| Wonderful article Marna!!! I do hope others reading it will join the ranks of us who raise and release :o)
~ Cat |
Mrs_Ed
Whiteside County, IL (Zone 5a)
July 18, 2009 12:01 AM Post #6832502
| Yes, it's really fun. Does that sound like I've turned into a 10-year old?
Thanks so much for your assistance Cat! |
nanny_56
Putnam County, IN (Zone 5b)
July 18, 2009 12:11 AM Post #6832540
| Great Article Marna!!! I love all the photos of diferent cats that you included. Would make a great printout to save! |
Mrs_Ed
Whiteside County, IL (Zone 5a)
July 18, 2009 12:26 AM Post #6832580
| Thanks Nanny,
It would have been nice to have more than that in the article, but tough to do when they aren't your pictures. Fortunately the Goddesses came through for me. |
swampfire
Palatine, IL (Zone 5a)
July 20, 2009 3:57 PM Post #6841776
| How exciting to find this article and others with the same interest. Fantastic job, this is the info I've been looking for, for about a month now. I go for walks at lunch in an industial park that has a path thru swamps and praires. The area is filled with wild flower and most importantly milkweed. I have seen several Monarch and look every day for signs of cats. So far, I have not found any. I have been so disappointed. I guess I too early in my search. I won't stop looking now. This article is a keeper!!!
Thanks again.
Mary Ann
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Mrs_Ed
Whiteside County, IL (Zone 5a)
July 20, 2009 4:03 PM Post #6841808
| Keep looking Mary Ann! I just found a bunch of monarch eggs last week and have brought them in. I think the eggs are easier to see than the first instars.
Last year at this time I had a bunch of black swallowtails. Oddly this year my dill and parsley is showing no signs at all of cats! |
Sheila_FW
Fort Worth, TX (Zone 8a)
July 20, 2009 5:01 PM Post #6842085
| Mrs_Ed...the BST were very late getting here this year, maybe they are just delayed.
MaryAnn... Look on the underside of leaves near the top of the plant for the eggs. |
swampfire
Palatine, IL (Zone 5a)
July 20, 2009 6:04 PM Post #6842372
| Thank you so much...I didn't have any cats on my dill this year either, I believe it is weather related. I'm headed out for my walk...wish me luck.
If and when I find them I'll report back.
Have a great day all!
Mary Ann
Click the image for an enlarged view.
|
Lily_love
Central, AL (Zone 7b)
July 20, 2009 7:35 PM Post #6842719
| Great article Marna! Many thanks. |
beckygardener
(Becky) in Sebastian, FL (Zone 10a)
July 20, 2009 9:14 PM Post #6843139
| No Black Swallowtails here either. Though I recently did see one flitting around my yard and nectaring. But no interest in the host plants. It might have been a male, but couldn't tell because it wouldn't let me get too close.
Interesting. I thought it was just my yard not getting any BST's this year.
~Becky~
|
Mrs_Ed
Whiteside County, IL (Zone 5a)
July 20, 2009 9:45 PM Post #6843245
| Well I know that I released two BSTs that overwintered here, haven't seen a single one since. Anyway
at least I have the Monarchs.
|
mellielong
Lutz, FL (Zone 9b)
July 20, 2009 10:27 PM Post #6843448
| My first crop of Black ST are in their chrysalis (except one) and the second crop hatched last night. My milkweed finally grew back enough that I have eggs and baby cats again.
I talked to a lady at the museum who had been trying to find Monarch cats but she was only looking for the big ones. I showed her the eggs and a couple of baby cats so she could see what to look for. Looking down, look for leaves that have little holes in them. Turn them over and you might find a Monarch cat chomping away. Also, sometimes I just squat down low so I can see the undersides of leaves. You can often see the tubercles (antenna-looking things) on the bigger cats hanging down from under the leaves. And of course, don't forget to follow the frass! If you see a leaf with poo on it, go straight up and find the leaf where the caterpillar producing the poo is hiding!
Melanie |
Sheila_FW
Fort Worth, TX (Zone 8a)
July 21, 2009 1:00 PM Post #6845675
| A large magnifying glass is helpful when looking for eggs too. I have thought about making one of those mirrors like denist use just a bit longer. LOL! Since back surgeries I don't get up and down that low too easy. |
TexasPuddyPrint
Edinburg, TX
July 21, 2009 1:06 PM Post #6845693
| I use a big magnifying glass too - but have found my close focusing binoculars are great too. Papilio brand.
~ Cat |
Mrs_Ed
Whiteside County, IL (Zone 5a)
July 21, 2009 1:24 PM Post #6845750
| Awesome! Will have to check into those.
I know that there have been a couple of monarch eggs that look small and questionable as to whether they are really monarchs. Most are unmistakable I've found.
I found 16 more eggs last night. I've got to reorganize now! I never thought I'd have so many. Last year I did not look for eggs, just cats. I only found 2 in my yard. Just goes to show you how many predators are getting the small cats (I presume). |
Sheila_FW
Fort Worth, TX (Zone 8a)
July 21, 2009 1:35 PM Post #6845784
| Just judging what the hornworm looks like you can imagine how many cats fall prey to the predators that lay eggs. Not to mention the wasps, lizards, frogs, praying mantis, and birds that feed on them. Wish they would stick to the web worms and army worms; we have loads of those. |
