what can my BST cats pupate on?

My little cats are growing rapidly. I've got them in three small containers within a large roomy fabric carrier with mesh sides. Everyday I'm a nervous wreck, but so far, things seem to be going all right! I'm looking ahead to what they might climb up when they are ready to pupate. I'm nervous about going out and getting sticks to bring in, for fear of hidden harmful insects I might be bringing in by mistake. What are some of the things ya'll use for them? Will they use something made of metal? I have a wrought iron thing with curlicues on it, used for a potted plant to sit on, it looks like it could hold quite a few of my little guys. Or do they only like natural perches? How close do they normally want to be with each other at this stage?

This is the photo I meant to attach, it's a little better.....

Thea, we just cut a couple of pieces of rough textured vine, say pencil thickness. Tall enough to stick up above the food source. A short branch or two won't hurt. Even doing this, one of my last ones attached to a thick stem of parsley. On occasion, I will fill a small flower vase with kitty litter for weight and stick the branches in there, transferring the larvae to the sticks when it is obvious they are ready. One sure sign is the larva will start shrinking. My last one shrunk from about 45mm to 25mm in the process of getting ready to prepare for the chrysalis stage.

They don't mind being crowded as long as there is enough food to go around. Catbird8 has been known to bake twigs in either the microwave or oven, to ensure no bugs or the like. I am not that cautious.

Good luck,

Rod (mate of 8)

This message was edited Jul 15, 2007 7:15 PM

Congrats Thea. You are doing such a great job. Hope you are feeling a little more comfortable now.

I have to tell ya I found what I think was an egg on my dill plant. My dill had been eaten up by swallowtail cats earlier. It grew back and I think I found and egg so I was ready to try my hand at raising these critters myself, like you terrified about it. I put the sock over the plant (like you get at Live Monarch) and stuck it over the plant hoping to see a small worm but have not yet. I am excited and apprehensive both. But you should be more comfortable now, you are doing an excellent job.

Leslie

Thanks Leslie, for your encouragement, but NO, I'm not feeling very confident!! Every time I bring some more dill in from my garden for my cats to feed on, I'm bringing more cats in, and I'm feeling overwhelmed with responsibility!!! Plus I'm running out of the nice fresh looking dill, I've GOT to find another source. WalMart doesn't have it. Do you know, will they switch their food source in the middle of their growing cycle, would they go from dill to parsley?
I felt SO bad yesterday, I saw Mom Butterfly back at the dill, trying to lay eggs, and the #%*@^ wasps kept going after her. Very disheartening.
This morning there were many cats wandering all over their cage, it took quite a while to get them on to some fresh dill. I saw a lot of the orange fangs! I just kept telling them "I'm trying to help you little guys!"
Wish there was a good video to help me thru this process!!!

Thank you too Rod! So some will find their own spot to pupate and others will need to be shown the way? I just hope I'm here when they're ready. Someone else here on DG showed a link to a good web site that shows the signs to look for, I'll be studying that real good.

Sorry for getting backso late. I got my dill at Albertson's. I would think most grocery stores would carry it. I forget, are you out in the country or small town where there are not many stores? I have heard sometimes they will change over to parsley but I don't want to promise you that. You may not have any anyways. Sounds like mama needs to stop laying eggs, huh? I am sorry you are so flustered but I know I would be the same way. Just remember you may not be able to save all of them, I hope you can but you can only do what you can do. So pleeeease try not to get discouraged.

Leslie

thea - They will eat parsley, dill, fennel, and sometimes even Queen Anne's Lace. And if they run out of food in the 4th instar stage, they will pupate earlier than normal to survive. They will just be smaller butterflies. And they will find a place to form their chrysalis. As long as you are providing a stick or two, they will possibly use that. I have had some pupate right on the side of the cage. That's fine too. You'll just have to try not to disturb them too much or accidentally knock them down when cleaning out the cage. Trust me ..... the CATS know what to do! You are doing a great job for your first time and will learn more as you experiment! Just remember ..... they only have a 1-2% survival rate in the wild, so any help you try to offer them is probably far better than they might normally have. :-)

Thea, the BST will switch over to parsley. I had some on fennel and my plant has all but died, the parsley has filled in nicely. GST will not eat it however.
As for a place to pupate, they will crawl up on a branch that is above their food source usually when they are ready. They are dormant for a day or so then do the comma thing. I have found if I tilt the branch a little it is easier for them to hang from. Once they are set, I can remove it and put a fresh stick in it's place for the next one. I just prop it in a candle cup with others in another cage and that way I am sure I don't injure it while doing the daily cleaning.
Sorry Becky....posted at the same time.

This message was edited Jul 17, 2007 6:32 AM

Thea, my last batch of BST's ran out of dill very early. They readily switched to rue (bought in pots at a local nursery). Ran out of rue. I repotted some parsley and they just as readily started chowing down.

Yesterday I went to move the parsley out into the sun, only to see another BST larvae on it, so back into the dining room window it went.

We have raised GST's by bringing in fresh cuttings off of one or our citrus trees. We place the cutting in a vase, with water, and plug around the stem with paper towels to ensure that the larvae don't drown. Haven't lost one yet.
Did the same thing with Spicebush ST's. We have a spice bush, so no problem.

Right now most of the visitors have left, with the exception of some beautiful Giants and very large E. Tigers. I am almost not liking Monarchs, as they are everywhere, and chasing away anything that approached "their" nectar sources. That and Texan Crescents.

Good luck,

Rod

Thanks ya'll!!!!! I'm noticing that the larger, more mature cats take very readily to the parsley. The smaller guys seem reluctant to leave the dill branches, even when the flowers are all chewed off. That worries me, when I see them just still on the bare branches. I try to coax them over to a fresh branch, but I'm wondering why they're not trying to find it themselves, they must be hungry. I think I have one big guy ready to comma soon, I'm going to try to find a picture of that stage so I'll be SURE to recognize it.
Thanks everyone for all your support, I really appreciate it!!! I'm very high stress so this probably isn't the best hobby for me! But I just love butterflies so much, I'd really like to give them some help. Rod, you sound like you have a great variety of them where you live!! I've only seen a couple of varieties around my gardens, and I still have to learn about them. Living down south after a lifetime in CT has opened up a whole new world for me, and I'm LOVING it!!!!

What does BST stand for???

Hey Jam: BST=Black SwallowTail butterfly, the species I'm getting to know really well at the moment, a beautiful creature.... Here she is, in the process of laying her eggs in my dill.

Beautiful shot Thea. How you got so close without disturbing her I'll never know.

Jamlover, get you a Canon S3-IS and you can take pictures like that from about 10 feet away, or farther. It also focuses down to literally 0.0 centimeters (touching the lens). It has a 12 power optical lens with another 4 power internal digital multiplier. And, when you are in range and focused, the box in the middle of the screen turns green. With the 1.5 converter you can take viewable (not printable) shots from 1/4 mile. I have used it to verify bird sightings from that far. You take the shot then put it on the view screen for an additional enlargement. Consumer Report top pick for digital telephoto.

Rod

I'm really happy with my Olympus 10x optical zoom, 40Xseamless zoom, but I like to be right up to what I am taking. You know, so the hairs show on the edges of leaves!! And you can count the legs on insects!! Isn't a camera fun for gardeners.

Rod, you really know your stuff!!!!!! I study my manual and do the best I can, but I depend on luck more than anything!! I love my digital camera, and the fact that you can just keep clicking away and then come inside, sit at the computer, and instantly look at all your shots! Instead of bringing a roll of film to the store, waiting for development, and then finding out your shots were all crummy and you end up throwing them away. Me and my delete button are good friends.
Actually Jam, I did get up close to this pretty gal, she paid me no mind and wasn't afraid. She was probably taking advantage of the wasps being on coffee break, to lay her eggs in relative peace. Here's another one of her. Wish my dill was still looking so good! It's mostly gone by now, or eaten in my cat nursery; I'm weaning them on to parsley now!

Jamlover - I too like to get up close and personal but have lost too many shots with that approach. I try for excellent focus first at a distance, then start creeping up.
Some time, in that manner, I can get to within 6 inches. But I want one shot at least before anything disturbs the object. I really love the digital zoom for bird watching.

Thea, I don't claim to know everything about photography, but it has been my most consistent life-long hobby. Started with a Kodak Brownie Box as a high-school graduation present from an aunt. Have done some photo work for pay, when I had a Rolliflex and a 16mm movie camera. Now I just have a big collection of Nikon 35mm cameras and lenses gathering dust, as I am totally digital and will most likely stay that way. Just can't get shots of butterflies in the air with a digital point and shoot. The only thing you will see in my hand more than a camera is a coffee cup. :-)

Rod