The setup. The bamboo skewers are ramps. When they get ready to pupate, they zip around the edge of the pot looking for an off ramp- so I gave them some.
Monarch ready to chrysalis??
A bit less flash.
Here is the GF cat I have on my vine. He appears to be alone, although there were quite a few eggs out there yesterday.
oh p.s. I understand, I'm "piggy poo" when I'm in my garden!
This message was edited Jun 23, 2005 9:29 PM
He's pretty. I haven't seen any of those on my vine yet.
Have you ever had one too lazy to even hike? This guy just stayed put. Guess it's time for duct tape.That pot of sick looking milkweed is covered with cats.
Maggie
I like your cage. It looks like a good size. You will want something on the bottom of it, because they poop A LOT (lol) and for cats that purge themselves before pupating. I have to keep newspaper on the bottom of mine. All of your Monarchs will go to the top of it to hang. Other kinds will attach to the wooden parts on the side or maybe a branch if you put on in it.
This is the best picture I could find of my cage. My dad made it from the directions in a book I got at the library. It has 3 screen sides and one side is plexiglass, which is awesome! It's turned upside down in this picture. It has a little hinged door on the bottom of one side that opens. After using it for a couple of years tho, and accidentally leaving it outside a few times, it's gotten kind of warped. It serves it's purpose tho. I would like one that is bigger tho. I also use a 10 gallon aquarium for some too.
LOL...nothing like eating right up until the last moment! I don't remember the Monarchs "traveling" as far as the BST's. The BST's will wander around the cage for hours, which in cat miles that's a lot.
Those cages look really neat. I don't have enough in my yard to attract enough butterflies to even lay eggs for a cage, yet, but I sure would like to. Looks simple enough to make. My daughter asked me if I planned on making one, and if so, was I not going to let the butterflies go. I told her "of course I would" She said "good, because if you weren't planning on letting them go, "I" wouldn't let you build a cage" LOL
It is just too hot here in Arizona to start plants growing. I've tried to get a few things going in the past month, but it ain't a happening thing. I planted some lantana, and I have the one Passion Vine. Maybe I could start a couple of container gardens, with some plants that would attract, and then MAYBE I'd get some babies :)
Thanks so much for those pics Maggie!
Paige, that a lovely pic of your GF cat! They are such COOL looking cats :-)
-Julie
PiggyPoo,
I hear you on that hot issue. AZ has oven dry heat and we have hot water humidity. You need shower if you go out for the mail. Compared to up north, it rains hot water here.
RE: Too hot to plant and attract. Every time I go to the garden store (butterfly grocery) to buy more milkweed, they come with eggs- and sometimes larvae installed. Perhaps if you can find a stable supply of larvae food, you can grow them. Here, only one store will keep it in stock. One local small store manager was grousing about the garden guys ordering more milkweed. States the larvae strip lots of her plants. When I asked her to please call me when the shipment came in she said " Honey, I'll call you as soon as I see that truck pull up. I think she'd like me to unload it straight from the truck ;-).
Do monarchs eat anything but milkweed? I thought not but several people have told me they eat dill and parsley too but I thought that was BSTs.
Maggie
Monarchs only eat milkweed. BST's are the ones eating the dill and parsley. They look similar if you don't know the difference in the cats.
PiggyPoo, (lol) if you don't know, you should get a library book or do some internet research to see what butterflies are common in your area. Maybe start noticing when you are out, even in the car etc. what kind you see most often. You could plant some simple flowers for them to feed on in pots, like zinnias, and then a host plant. I'm not sure what survives your weather, but there must be something in your area!
Someone asked a while back where the gold dots came from on the Monarch chrysalis. I saw one pupate this morning!!!!! The dots come from one of the stripes on the cat- perhaps a yellow stripe? It seemed that once it dropped the appendages, s/he was secreting goo from the bottom up which then hardened. It seems that parts of that stripe stay on the surface to form the jewels. The process looked like labor to me with much pushing/ab curls.
KKB- I'm glad you told me they turn to goo and then reform. Remember the one that was too lazy to trek away from the food? His appendages never fell off before he started to secrete the chrysalis and the bottom of it was resting on the dish by the time he started coating himself. I moved him so he had more room. It may be too late but I doubt that it will hurt. We'll see what happens.
This message was edited Jun 24, 2005 6:40 PM
The essence of science! Observation! Thanks, Maggie. :-)
John
Thanks John.
Maggie