I an sure I saw a Monarch caterpillar on my butterfly weed! Can that be this time of the year???
Monarch caterpillar
I just went out with the flash light and there are three plants that have one each on the underside of a leaf! If that is what they are, I am so excited!
That's so cool! I only had one this year and about the time I thought about bringing it in to watch it, it just disappeared :(
Oh no, I hope nothing eats them like those leaf footed bugs or ants which I have lots of! I will go out and check on them often. It doesn't take them long to become butterflies does it? I am taking the camera home Friday so I can capture this fun stuff! And I will many, many more butterfly weeds next year for them to live on temporarily.
Should I put them in my little tiny greenhouse that is not heated?
You can bring them in with the milkweed or at least part of the milkweed, as long as it has plenty of fresh leaves, and watch it make it's cocoon. Outside it will probably leave the host plant before it cocoons. They have learned to do this to protect themselves from predators. (so I have read)
If they leave the host plant, where do they go to make their cocoon?
Ah...now that's the big question!! LOL I couldn't find 'mine' and I looked all over. They don't all leave but lots do. I had GF cats all over a Passion vine but only saw 1 cocoon/butterfly hatch. I don't know where they go.
Weeds, i grew the monarchs a couple of years ago, i think i decided they were the queen variety.
just get a gallon jar and poke a few small holes in the top, or something similar. break off a piece of the milkweed with the cats on it and put it in the jar. every day or so add milk weed leaves. it was really fun, i watched them change from cats to pupa or whatever you call it, and forgot to watch them break into butterflies...they do this by 9 am i think, EST.
growing them in containers is a really good way to make sure they make it to adulthood.
Oh wow, I might do that Arlene, if they make until Sat. I have 4 now! This is just so exciting. What do you mean queen variety? Are they still monarchs? I will get a pic tomorrow I hope.
Here's a site that has pics of these butterflies and their cats http://www.paradise-jewelry.com/butterflies_caterpillars_chrysal.htm
THanks Floridian! Mine are definitely monarchs, not the queens. I went out and visited for awhile this evening. I know they wish I would leave them alone. THey haven't attached yet and one has been there about 4 days I think.
Weeds:
It's not too late for Monarchs. I spent 30 minutes just this past weekend chasing a female around my b-fly garden trying to get pictures of her as she was laying her eggs on my milkweed. When the caterpillars are mature they will venture away from the larval host plant to pupate. It's very easy to raise these guys. Make sure you keep the container they are in clean and stocked with food for them to eat. I also put a stick in the container for the caterpillar to climb on and pupate (monarchs hang upside down from their back legs when they pupate) I made a simple and inexpensive butterfly hatchery so I can raise the caterpillars indoors away from predators and watch them hatch, too. Here's an interesting site with Monarch life cycle... http://www.basrelief.schiffprinting.com/NewFiles/1instar.html
Can you post a picture of your hatchery?
Here is a fuzzy pic of one of them (wind is blowing like crazy). Two of them on one plant this afternoon. I thought they like one plant each? I think they are getting tired of me watching them.
I thought one of them was starting to attach...
But it turns out all 4 of them are just crawling on the leaves vertically.
That is so cool! I wish I'd seen more this year.
Weeds:
You beat me to the punch. Yes, I'll take a picture of my hatchery and even post instructions on how I did it. It will be a little bit for the picture, though. I have the old-fashioned 35MM camera. Only a couple pix left, so it shouldn't take too long to finish the roll.
This is great fun, I just hope I get to see the whole process. Thanks BG, that would be helpful to see what you did.
I finished my roll of film and have a picture of my butterfly hatchery. (Eckerd's is going to get rich of the photo processing the way I'm going lately...) I will post information on a new thread on how I made it. It's pretty simple and inexpensive.
That looks great! I think I can do that. Thank you and Eckerds for posting.
Arlene, I have 2 jars now. Can I put 2 cats in each jar or do they want to be alone?
Weeds:
I caution against putting more than one caterpillar in the same jar. They may fight and one or both could be killed. I have seen this in tomato hornworms and in gulf fritillaries. I'm sure there are others that will do this, but don't know which ones.
Thanks BG, I have one in each, no fighting allowed.
Well, one of them in the jar attached to her stick. Watching anxiously as nature takes it course.
Yep, that is very cool! I wish "mine" had stayed around a bit longer. Here he is...the last time I saw him...walking away LOL!
Look what I found this morning! (oh for a new camera and a clean jar!)
congrats, connie!! i had 2 monarchs in my gallon pickle jar when i did it, it was cool. did you look up the time of the day that they pupate(is that the right word)... i happened to catch mine doing it, took a while.
i do believe i remember that they become butterflies by 9 in the morning, i think at 11-12 days. i'm sure you have that info already, make a note so you don't miss it! (my kids thought i was nuts... i keep telling them the smallest things in life are the most important, and that to be bored is the best thing in life!). i was looking at a bunch of eggs on my milkweed, have to be monarch. is that too soon to put them in a container, i wonder?
Oh thanks Arlene! I am a proud custodian. I looked up pupate
To pupate is to turn into and exist as a pupa (chrysalis).
I don't know when you can put them in a jar but I don't see why you couldn't bring those eggs on in.
I just hope I am around when this thing spreads it wings!
My other one in a jar just attached this evening and is hanging on tight! What an amazing thing. I know I saw this as a kid but forgot what fun it is.
I wish I'd been able to see all this! My Monarch emerged last night... :)
Where was he Floridian? I thought he had crawled off to parts unknown.
http://davesgarden.com/t/369728/ I got a pupa from Gloria at Tampa Bay Nursery...I started a different thread
GOt it!
Well, I have been watching my caterpillars and have good and bad reports. The one outside is still eating away. One of them inside in a jar is making the transformation as expected in his cocoon. The other one inside has attached and has been hanging there 2 or 3 days with no change. I fear she is not doing well.
I will post pics later this weekend of the saga of the monarch caterpillars.
The one pupa is developing inside...I can see it!
Do you see the shadows of the wing yet? I didn't watch mine that carefully...I didn't have high hopes for it's survival til I talked to ButterflyGardner. She told me they're actually quite hardy. It had been in a cup and rolled around then it sat on my counter til the night it hatched. I only hung it on a cutting moments before...Keep us up to date!
Yes, I see it even though it is very small, will get a pic Tuesday (have to go out of town all day tomorrow). It is fascinating.
Darn the luck...I have to work all day tomorrow...Hope yours is for fun and you have a great time...Kiss Miss Megster for me!
I am not much luckier! Have older relatives I must drive over 4 hours each way to go and take care of stuff for. Enjoy your day! MEgster is not feeling well. Maybe a kiss is just what she needs.