Butterfly Babies: Invasion of the Caterpillars

                                          Joyce Sanders prepares to release butterflies
                                          at Butterfly Estates in Fort Myers, Florida

Early this morning I went on the lanai to check on my butterfly babies. Instead of pupating overnight as I had prayed they would, they had stripped entirely three milkweed plants that I added only two days before. What is more, they were crawling faster than I imagined possible for a caterpillar, as they frantically hunted for food. Like energetic two-year-old's anxious to explore, many of them had managed to escape the nylon netting and were crawling around the floor.

As I raced to scoop them up before my cat could get to them and returned them to their cage, I realized I had "opened a can of caterpillars" when I rescued those Monarch eggs from the wasp last weekend. I noticed that one of the caterpillars had attached itself to the wall behind the cage and had begun to pupate. I carefully picked it up and placed it in the cage. It is amazing how attached I have become to these little creatures and how responsible I feel for their survival!

I quickly realized I had more than I bargained for on my hands and called Joyce Sanders, manager of the butterfly house at The Butterfly Estates  in Fort Myers. We have a membership with the Estates and Joyce has been a prolific source of information for me. Her suggestion (which never occurred to me) was to bring the caterpillars to her and she would see them through to maturity. Once they have emerged from their cocoons, they will be released in the garden enclosure at the Estates to the delight of the visiting children and adults.

As for me, I have decided that the next time I want to observe the transformation of a butterfly, I will buy an authentic butterfly cage and limit the number of eggs I put in it. With my children's book, Benny's Angel, about to go on the market, my plate is too full to be foster mother to an army of caterpillars.

                                                                                                         ~ Laura Allen Nonemaker

Visitor in My Garden

A short while ago, as I walked through my butterfly garden, I spotted a long-awaited visitor – a lovely Monarch butterfly. If you have been following this blog, you have read my previous posts on Designing a Butterfly Garden, which have been the fruit of my beginning research on this topic. What fun I have had watching my own butterfly garden take form!

The Monarch may have explored my little garden before, but today I was there to see it for myself. Even more exciting, it fluttered from the vicinity of the milkweed, which I can only hope means it was laying its eggs on this, its favorite birthing locale.

I quickly left the garden so I wouldn’t scare it away, but later I will check under the milkweed leaves to see if there are any eggs. Then I need to do some more research to find out whether this same butterfly will return to its eggs, should they be present, or leave its progeny to fend for themselves. If anyone has that information at hand, please comment. If you love butterflies as I do and have any useful tips, feel free to comment as well.

                                                                                                         

                                                                                    ~ Laura Allen Nonemaker

Designing a Butterfly Garden: Part II

Now that I have a good selection of flowers that contain the nectar on which butterflies feed, the next order of business is to add host plants where they can lay their eggs. The host plants become a source of food for the larvae that emerge from the eggs. Different species choose different plants on which to lay their eggs. I especially want to attract my favorites, monarch butterflies, with their vivid black and orange markings. They will lay their eggs only on milkweed. I also love yellow butterflies, such as sulfurs and tiger swallowtails. They prefer cassia bushes and trees, with their bright yellow blossoms. Since cassia trees grow quite large, I have chosen a bush.

In addition to nectar and host plants for laying their eggs, butterflies like a watering place, such as a birdbath or saucer. It is important to put some sand or dirt in the container and keep it wet. Some pebbles or small rocks where the butterflies can sun themselves is a nice addition. I found a large, heavy glass saucer with an attractive blue and brown swirling pattern. It is deep enough to hold some water and a few smooth rocks. I placed it on a decorative plant stand, which I anchored in the garden by means of some landscape pins.

The next step in preparing a butterfly garden is to nurture the plants, being careful not to use chemical insecticides. Then comes the most difficult part of all - waiting patiently for the butterflies to arrive.     

                                                                  

                                                                                   ~ Laura Allen Nonemaker