butterflies and butterfly gardening

jaosf

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I'm new around here, and I don't know if wildlife counts as "Other Animals" for this forum, or if there is another place for that. Move as needed. 


Who else enjoys butterflies and butterfly gardening?  I found a nice thread started by keith p from years ago and thought I would start a new one. 

We were able to grow some beautiful, beautiful-smelling Swamp Milkweed on our rental property, and sure enough the Monarch butterflies found it and laid some eggs.  Black Swallowtails laid on the potted dill weed, and White-spotted Admirals laid on the willow in the yard.  We've enjoyed watching their life cycles.  And we have become as invested in their well-being as we are in the feral cats' or the birds that come to the bird feeders.

I am on hour 14 of hatch-out watch for one Monarch chrysalis that I tried to help.  This caterpillar chose a bad place to pupate, a vertical length of metal fencing, so that when it emerged as a new adult butterfly it would have little traction for its feet.  And its fresh new wings and soft new body would on one side be instantly crushed by the fence.  Its chrysalis is slightly deformed by the fence as it is.  When the soft pupa had hardened into the chrysalis, I gently tied off the cremaster/"claw" attachment with some cotton string and tied the chrysalis to hang free from a twig. 

http://monarchwatch.org/rear/

I hope it will be all right.  I needed another runt wild creature to worry over... the ferals aren't enough. 
 
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jaosf

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And I found this thread by Draco which is gorgeous!  I should find my photos.  They're not nearly as pretty as Draco's though. 


It is now hour 21 waiting for my poor deformed Monarch chrysalis. The cold, gray weather is not butterfly-friendly.  Maybe it will take another day.
 

catspaw66

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Draco always takes beautiful pictures. The one of the Monarch hanging from her fingers is one of the best ever.
 

denice

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I love Monarch butterflies.  I grew up on a farm in Kansas.  I remember we had a patch of some type of purple wildflowers and it drew a large number of Monarch butterflies every year.  Aren't they the ones that congregate somewhere in Mexico every year?
 

catspaw66

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Yes, they fly to Mexico, lay eggs, and die. The generation that is born flies partway back, lays eggs and dies. The next generation makes it to the summer pastures, lives a while, lays eggs and dies. The fourth generation flies to Mexico. I think this is right. If not, someone please correct me.
 
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jaosf

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I love Monarch butterflies.  I grew up on a farm in Kansas.  I remember we had a patch of some type of purple wildflowers and it drew a large number of Monarch butterflies every year.  Aren't they the ones that congregate somewhere in Mexico every year?
 Denice, what a great memory to have. 

Some Monarchs overwinter in California, too.  It's worth taking a trip to see them.  In a good year there can be thousands hanging on the eucalyptus and pines like another covering of leaves.  I saw them once, just incredible.  You can hear rustling noises from the thousands of butterfly wings.  I wish i could visit Mexico, where there are millions of them.  I can't even imagine.

catspaw66, that's right, except that the 4th-generation does even more work in its lifetime, making a partial return North to the southern states in spring, then laying eggs and dying!    http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/sl/37/gallery.html  They've flown 2000 miles south for winter, and then back north 1000 more miles in spring! It's just amazing.  I wished my new 4th-generation, Mexico-bound traveler very good luck yesterday.  He has a lot of flying to do.
 

catspaw66

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 Denice, what a great memory to have. 

Some Monarchs overwinter in California, too.  It's worth taking a trip to see them.  In a good year there can be thousands hanging on the eucalyptus and pines like another covering of leaves.  I saw them once, just incredible.  You can hear rustling noises from the thousands of butterfly wings.  I wish i could visit Mexico, where there are millions of them.  I can't even imagine.

catspaw66, that's right, except that the 4th-generation does even more work in its lifetime, making a partial return North to the southern states in spring, then laying eggs and dying!    http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/sl/37/gallery.html  They've flown 2000 miles south for winter, and then back north 1000 more miles in spring! It's just amazing.  I wished my new 4th-generation, Mexico-bound traveler very good luck yesterday.  He has a lot of flying to do.
Thanks for the correct info @jaosf.  There is a documentary on PBS. I believe it was on Nature. Here's a link to a lot of programs about them:   www.pbs.org/search/?q=monarch butterflies
 
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Anne

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I love butterflies and Monarchs are beautiful. We visited a grove in Monterey, CA once, where they have Monarch-covered trees. It wasn't the height of the season, but we still got to see quite a few of them on the trees. I know they have them in the Appalachians as well, so they do seem to migrate all across the continent.

I took these pictures in Minnesota. I don't think they are Monarchs and I'm not sure what kind of butterflies they are, but there were bunches of them on the ground -



And another non-Monarch (that's as far as my butterfly identification skills go 
 

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It looks like the original thread got chopped in half?  Does this still link to the first part?

Anne, Angels mommy, and Draco, those are beautiful pictures! 
Oops, sorry everyone, it might have been me.  Either way, hopefully it is now sorted.  Let me know if anything is still missing - such a lovely thread, amazing photographs.  
  
 

sherit

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You got my interest as my flower bed is called sheri's healing flower bed due to the therapy it gives me..and joy

I have 2 Ellens blue butterfly bushes, 2 attraction butterfly bushes and 2 blue chip butterfly bushes all grow

5 foot tall or less..for a compact garden..

I have Blue Ensign salvia and black and blue salvia perennial here and hummingbirds love those...

I have coneflowers and so I have enough food for the huge swallowtails and the smaller butterflys.

here are some of my pictures from this summer....

Sheri







 

sherit

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Kelley thank you..for enjoying my photos..

It takes trial and error and work to get

the right flowers in a flower garden

for the zone you live in and for humidity

The swallowtails were so pretty

keeping Leo from killing and eating them

was a chore..when they came to the flowers

I would go get him and bring him inside till

they left each day..

He can jump 5 foot into the air and he is 4 years old

he is the biggest hunter we have out of the 3

cats..

Sheri
 
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