Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Tuesday Slice: Babies on my back porch

It's butterfly season again.  Or to be more specific, caterpillar season.


Most of my milkweed is shoulder-high, making it easier to stoop and look under leaves for my yellow-and-black striped visitors.


Do two sets of horns mean monarch, or queen?  It had been a year since I last hosted the caterpillars, so I had to look it up.  Monarchs for the win!

Last year I used a sun tea jar to house the caterpillars until they turned into chrysalises, but it was difficult to transfer them to a bigger space.  This time I'm using a box on the back porch.  Little bud vases are just the right size to cover with plastic wrap and keep the milkweed fresh for a day or two.


With a little luck, we'll see four monarchs born in the next few weeks! 

4 comments:

  1. This is such a wonderful process to observe. I was fascinated to see that your milkweed blossoms look quite different than ours up here in Maine. Have fun with the monarchs!

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    1. Thanks, Molly! This is a tropical variety that the caterpillars love here in Texas. What do your flowers look like?

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  2. Great slice for today! I would agree with Molly, your blossoms are much different that what I saw in our fields here in Iowa. Our flowers are pink and much larger. Here's a good shot of some: https://goo.gl/CSYxWa

    I hope to see a slice with your monarchs! :)

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  3. I love when I see people enjoying the beauty of watching caterpillars turn into beautiful butterflies. I used watch this happen all the time as a kid and still love to do so today.

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