Prime Caterpillar season!

August 19!  The summer is quickly getting away from us, and it is prime Caterpillar (Bug) season!  I am still very concerned that there are so few butterflies and caterpillars in my own garden and everywhere that I look for caterpillars.  But, I have seen at least 1 Monarch everyday this week, and I was invited out to a farm West of the Twin Cities Metro and was lucky enough to find an egg,  a hatchling less than 24 hours old, 2 2nd instar caterpillars, and 3 3rd instar caterpillars.  So there are caterpillars if you are patient and hunt for them!  Why did we not find any bigger than 3rd Instar is my nagging question?  Those would be the really big ones just before they Chrysalis.  I remember just a few years ago in a field the size we were looking in it would be FULL of caterpillars.  They were very easy to find, and very plentiful.  That just has not been the case the past few years!  So I have been sharing my babies with a couple neighbors and to date have raised, hatched and released almost 2 dozen caterpillars.  It's supposed to be very cool weather this weekend, so I'm hoping I can do more hunting and save more caterpillars!  Otherwise we just have to keep waiting and hoping that the population returns to what it was 5-10 years ago.  We have to keep working together to protect caterpillars, milkweed, and the flowers the adults need to replenish their energy and prepare them for their flight to Mexico in a month!  As always I welcome your thoughts, questions and comments!
Save the Monarchs!

Save the Monarchs! Save the Milkweeds!

Saving the Monarchs starts with people using their voices to educate others about the lifecycle and needs of these beautiful creatures.  I was very disturbed yesterday while I watched a lawncare company MOW down a field of Milkweeds!  They were not being sprayed, which is a good thing!  However those Milkweeds likely were home to caterpillars that likely will never survive now.  So if you know people that run lawncare companies they need to be educated not to destroy milkweeds, especially in August and early September.  The destruction/elimination of Milkweeds are of primary explanation why Monarchs are on the decline.  On the bright side, I am noticing milkweeds in gardens everywhere I go.  So if you are growing Milkweeds....YAY!  Let them grow until after first frost.  Check them for caterpillars.  Protect those little caterpillars!  We are making a difference, but the declining numbers are staggering!  If for every 100 butterflies that fly to Mexico in October, only 5 survive to make it back north in the spring, that means that we need to increase those numbers significantly!  It is truly survival of the fittest, so the more fit Monarchs we can send to Mexico the more will return.  Mowing down the milkweeds does not insure survival no matter how fit the caterpillar!  Use your voice to educate those who don't know that Milkweeds are of Vital importance to the survival of Monarchs!
Save the Monarchs!  Grow and protect Milkweeds.

August is here!

August is here.  That means that the fall migration will soon be underway!  The caterpillars that hatch into butterflies from now on are the ones that will make the 3,000 mile journey to the mountains in Mexico!  It is very important that if you are trying to raise Monarchs that we take care to ensure their survival and send them on their way.  The latest caterpillar that I found last year was in the middle of September, so we still have a month left to find and protect those caterpillars!  Also if you have milkweeds in your yard please do not pull them out or destroy them without assurance there are no eggs or caterpillars on the leaves.  I will have milkweed seeds available in a few weeks if you are interested in planting them for next season.  They either need to be planted this fall or left outdoors in a garage or someplace cold until spring.  As I mentioned in a previous blog I have discovered these You-tube videos by Mrlundscience that have much valuable information about milkweeds, caterpillars and raising butterflies.....check him out!
Until next time....happy caterpillar hunting!
Save the Monarch!

July 27 Good news Bad news....

I have been studying up on raising caterpillars from eggs by watching You-tube videos.  I highly recommend MrLundScience how to raise Monarch series.  He convinced me of an easier way to try to raise my caterpillars from eggs.  I can't do more than a few eggs at a time because when the babies hatch I can't find them on the plant, so he cuts the leaves with scissors and puts the eggs on a leaf on a wet paper towel.  I didn't think that would work but I tried it this weekend, and it was successful!  That's the good news.  The bad news is I then put the babies on milkweeds in my aquarium in water bottles like always, but now I can't find them because they are so tiny!  So I'm not sure if they escaped, ate each other, or if they will grow and then I'll find them in a week or so.  But I also had 3 more hatch today, so I put them in a smaller container on leaves, so I'll see if I can keep track of them.  The other good news is as I was complaining that I wasn't finding any caterpillars that have hatched in my garden I found 2 first instars on the same plant today.  I need to see if I can find some milkweeds nearby that are not so covered with aphids as mine!  Happy hunting! Keep up the good work.

Monarch hatching

YouTube video of monarch butterfly emerging from chrysalis

video of Monarch hatching late summer 2015

July 22

Well the caterpillar business is slow to pick up this year, but I'm hopeful!!  I spent many hours, and many miles walking looking for caterpillars last weekend, with NO luck at all.  But I have found eggs.  I cannot post pictures of eggs because I do not have a high enough power camera, but if you're interested in what they look like I suggest you look online.  There are lots of good photos much better than I could post here.  I found 3 tiny caterpillars today.  One that I hatched from an egg, the others are very recently hatched.  I have also marked 3 eggs in my garden that I will watch and hopefully capture before anything harms them.
Do Monarch caterpillars have predators?  A few years ago I probably would have answered that question with "not many"...however, I believe now that they do.  Especially if there are not as many Monarchs laying eggs so Caterpillars are in short supply already.  So the other insects in my garden that I believe harm my cats are Japanese Beetles, Wasps, Milkweed Beetles and even other caterpillars.  I have reached out to experts regarding this, and have not gotten any solid answers, so these are just my personal observations.  If anyone out there reads this and has other information, please feel free to comment.  I would also be interested to know what to do about these other pests.  Since I can't use a pesticide because I don't want to harm the cats I have tried natural remedies such as peppermint oil for wasps, and Lemon with Cloves but it doesn't seem to be working.  The Japanese Beetles I can pick off, but I can't pick off wasps! So I just do what I can to protect the caterpillars and eggs as I find them.  Keep the faith, and happy caterpillar hunting!

From egg, to caterpillar to Chrysalis to Butterfly

Our first Monarch has hatched!  So this is the caterpillar that was first pictured on June 21.  It made it's chrysalis on July 3 and hatched shortly after 1 PM July 15th.  Below are some of the pictures I took while in the Chrysalis.  Notice how in the first picture the case is a beautiful green color.  As the butterfly develops, the wings become visible, until the Chrysalis is a perfect clear showcase for the emerging butterfly.  It will hang on the chrysalis for several hours before it is ready to be on it's way later this evening...so more posts and video to come!