Cutie Pie Flies Free

Cutie Pie is finally flying free in the heavens.  He lived for 2 weeks and was really a lot of fun to have around.  It was so neat to see an insect know you and trust you.

Picnic for Cutie Pie

Started taking Cutie Pie out for an evening picnic on our flowers.  You can see that his wings have taken a beating.  He wants to fly so badly and will hop and then land on his back.  He then flutters across the ground/floor/table to upright himself.  He is a trooper and loves to ride around the house on my arm while I do things.

Butterfly for a Pet!

Ever have a butterfly for a pet?  I have one named "Cutie Pie".  Didn't plan on keeping the butterfly, but when he emerged from his chrysalis he fell to the bottom of the cage and landed on his back.  They are so vulerable when they are still wet.  He couldn't turn over so his wings dryed all crumpled.  He is a survivor!  My daughter and I feed Cutie Pie sugar water everyday and he loves it.  He will sit on my fingers and sip.  While he sips his little crumpled wings go up and down in a very satisfied motion.  He loves to hang on the curtain in the morning sun.  We are wondering how long he will live.  So far it has been a week and he is still going strong.

Monarch Migration

Toward the end of summer when the days and nights get cooler the butterflies that emerge from their chrysalis will make the long 3,000 mile journey south to the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico.  How they know how to get there is still a mystery to scientist.  These butterflies are the great, great grandchildren of the original butterfly that came north.  Here is a great site to visit.  http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/migration/index.shtml

Beautiful Butterflies!

The Silent Period

The chrysalis is the "silent period" to me.  The time when they don't appear to be doing anything but really on the inside amazing things are happening.  Then all of a sudden a beautiful butterfly bursts forth and is flying all over the place!  (Teachers think about the "silent period with your ESL students.)

The "J"

Change is scary and a lot of hard work.  The end result is beautiful and well worth the effort.  That is what I have learned from the Monarch.

They're taking over!!

My observations of caterpillars over the years has led me to believe that caterpillars have different personalities.  Some are easy-going and some are very independent and/or stubborn.

Caterpillar Feet

I love baby feet.  I would kiss my children's baby feet everyday because they were so tiny and cute!  Now that they are older I tend to wrinkle my nose.  Take a look at some caterpillar feet.  I wonder how many?  I wonder how these feet hang on to the leaf?  Will I count by 2's, 5's or 10's?

Do Caterpillars need glasses?

"Monarch larvae, like other caterpillars, have very poor vision. They see through six pairs of simple eyes, called ocelli."  http://www.mbsf.org/facts.html 
You can also go to this site to see a great picture of the eyes:  http://www.butterflyfunfacts.com/caterpillareyes.php
This guy put his head up as if to see what I was up to.  I thanked him for posing so nicely.

No Noses!

Caterpillars don't have noses like humans.  They breath through holes along the side of their body.  Can you see the hole on the this caterpillar?  Click on the photo to make it larger.

Caterpillar doing Yoga!

Isn't he cute?  I wonder why he is posed that way?

20 Caterpillars!

I've been saving the world, "One caterpillar at a time."  as my Aunt Jan says.  Twenty caterpillars eat A LOT of milkweed.  With some patience I captured photos of caterpillars hatching.  They are so tiny!  Check out this website I found with a little video of a caterpillar hatching.  So amazing!  http://jacksbugs.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post_30.html

Evening Visitor

Came home and found a male Monarch sipping nectar.

A Tale of Two Eggs

FINALLY a Monarch butterfly came to visit and deposited two eggs.  One is healthy looking and the other is a dud and will not be hatching.  Look at the two pictures and notice the difference.  Click on the picture to enlarge it for a closer inspection.

Snails in the Garden

We've had so much rain this spring that for the first time snails have appeared in my flower beds.  They are so cute but not a good thing for a garden.  Still no caterpillar eggs.

Holes on Caterpillar Body

Found this great site about Monarch Butterfly/Caterpillars.  Interesting fact about holes that are on the sides of their body.  I will have to look for them.  Enjoy this link.
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/images/graphics/monarch/enh/5th_holes_1.html

Wildflower Farm

Looking for wildflowers to attract butterflies?  Use this link to visit the Wildflower Farm website:  http://www.wildflowerfarm.com/index.php?p=catalog&mode=catalog&parent=38&mid=0&search_in=all&search_str=&pg=1.