The lovely cat.
My third Baby, a Black Swallowtail.
The Chrysalis.
Just Born, isin't she pretty?
Being released at the Fielder.
And a close up. I am such a proud mom!!!!
He's a beauty. Well done, Josephine! Now -- will you send him to my yard? :-)
Carla
If you lived closer, I would come and release one there.
Josephine.
You know this is going to sound stupid but last year I got a whole bunch of cats but never did see the butterflies.
Do you take them and put them in a little gage to keep them safe?
I found them last year on my rue.
Yes, I took them in and raised them in salad size Glad containers.
We cut the center of the lid out and glued tulle net to it, to make it ventilated.
Then put a folded paper napkin on the bottom to make it comfy, and added the leaves on top of that, and they have a lovely home.
You have to clean it out every day, because they poop a lot, but with the napkin on the bottom it is very easy.
Be sure that you have a good supply of the plant they eat.
If I have to gather leaves, I put them in a plastic baggie and keep them in the fridge, so they won't wilt on me.
What happens a lot of times is that the eggs and the cats get eaten by birds and other predators, and this is a good way to save them.
Besides, it is a lot of fun.
You should try it.
Josephine.
Jo, what a beauty!!!! Congrats!!!
Thank you everybody, I am having a ball with it.
Thank you for the lovely photos frostweed.
What is the round red thing in the bottom of the cage?
Oh, that is a bottle cap with cotton balls soaked in sugar water, a little something for them to eat if they should need it when they are born.
Josephine.
Great pictures Josephine! And congrats on your bf raising venture too!
They are beautiful for sure.
Thank you Shiela, I guess I caught the bug, so to speak!
Yes, it only takes one to get you hooked!!
You are on a ROLL, Josephine! Way to go!!! Loved the photos of the different stages. Nice photos and documentation/explanation here for newbies who might decide to try hand-raising and releasing them! :-)
Josephine,
Your shots are great! You are Super-Mom! The colors on your babies are so nice....Hmmm...much brighter than mine! Also your pictures and explanations are superb! Thanks for taking the time to do that!!
Adrienne
You are welcome, it is so nice to share in the joy, and to help other people do the same.
This a wonderful sharing forum and I love it.
Josephine.
oh OK, I'll bring a of them in this time. Last summer I had like at least 30 cats... I just left them there, I bet the birds ate them.. dangit.. thanks for the help
Tammy - Check this out: http://davesgarden.com/forums/p.php?pid=2789213
My loss, the birds gain...... :-( Trust me ..... Bring em in!!!
That's a great picture of Swallowtail cats feasting on dill. Becky. : )
Sorry to hear what happened to them. So sad. : (
But, you are a good BF momma now. : )
Wow, Becky, that was very sad to hear, neat picture of the cats!
Oh yeah Becky, I remember when that happened, my heart sank relating to the whole thing.
Josephine, I am so delighted and proud of your babies!! It is easy to catch the 'bug' for butterfly raising. Black Swallowtails are one of the best to begin with. They are the only ones I hosted for many years, and I am still learning so much about them. I only began caging them in the last year.
What makes them such a good species to cage and raise?
1) The host plants are so abundantly available.
2) They get along well in all sizes (instars), so you can take in the eggs and tiny cats, and the larger ones, into the same cage and not worry so much about canibalism.
3) They are such beautifully colored butterflies. Very photogenic!
4) They love the nectar of a variety of the flowers we enjoy growing already.
5) They are very hardy, and at the end of season when it gets cold, they hibernate. It is an encouraging incentive to have all the spring gardening under way by the time they eclose.
I had 4 hibernators by October last year. It was a major part of the joy of spring for me this year. The one I sent Becky eclosed less than 2 weeks after arriving in Florida. The other 3 overwintered for a total of about 5 months, and eclosed one by one at the end of March. Black STs will always have a home here, and a special place in my heart!
Congrats again Josephine!!
:-Deb
Josephine - Here is the link about the BST chrysalis that Deb sent me:
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/683232/
Didn't know if you would be interested to read about it. Enjoy! ~Becky~
Thank you Deb and Becky, you are both very caring and loving ladies, and I am feel very lucky to be a part of this wonderful group.
Josephine.
Josephine - YOU are an asset to this group, so thanks for joining us!
Everyone here shares their experiences good or bad. All that info just helps educate each and everyone of us! This is an awesome community of folks here that try to aid the butterfly population especially in light of all the progress and development going on that is destroying their natural habitat here and in Central and South America. I, personally, have raised and released over 500 butterflies of various species since I started 2 years ago. I do it for the sheer love and enjoyment of it! And to help our beautiful little flutterbys!
Wonderful job Becky!!!!
I hope to do my part too in whatever way I can.
Josephine.
Once again, a great job and a beautiful butterfly! He really is just gorgeous. I am going to have to do this -- you make it sound so easy! Un, how long does it take, and did you start from a fat cat or an egg? I do not want to get into the thing Deb was talking about where it was all winter long.
Suzy
Suzy,
It is wonderful to have some to save until next spring, but you won't need to be concerned there until about September. Then you will know when you have chrysalids that form when it reaches close to freezing temps. Some will make chrysalids earlier than normal when it gets cold, but don't worry they will come out fine, only smaller.
Save them inside a ventilated, protected cage until about April. Bring them out and expose them to the warmer temps as they get warmer, still keeping them safe. I hope to have a lot of overwinterers by October this year to save until spring '08. I kept mine in a mesh hamper on the back patio which is glass enclosed but not heated in winter. I was surprised none dried out, and all made it.
It also kept me from having to wait for butterlfies, they were already here.
:-S