Monarch Butterfly
The Monarch Butterflies never arrived to feast on my flowers until the third week of July. I finally started to see them laying eggs on my Milkweed so I started checking the underside of the leaves daily.
I finally found my first eggs and got excited to start rearing the caterpillars for another season. This year was my third season caring for these little creatures as I found that other insects feast on the baby caterpillars. So, I decided to give them a fighting chance to survive which has been really fun for me.
Young Caterpillars
Above is a lineup of some that hatched within a week of each other. It was amazing to watch how quickly they all grew in just a few days. They sure can eat a lot for their size. I give them each a new leaf to feast on every morning and put them into the floral tubes to keep them fresh.
Chubby Caterpillars
As you can see, they are getting quite large and will soon be going into the chrysalis stage. The photo of the caterpillar shedding its skin was the first time I had ever captured the process. It was something to see as it wiggled its body out of the layer of skin.
Final Stages
Hatched
This butterfly hatched and is pumping fluid into its wings. The caterpillar that has gone into the J formation next to it is not pleased with being disturbed.
Triplets
I had three butterflies hatch this day which was awesome to experience while another one was going to hatch the following day. All of the caterpillars have now gone into the Chrysallis stage and now it is a waiting game to see who hatches first.
It is well into September now and the days are much cooler with a lot of rain also. Thankfully, I have a hanging Coleus plant that is sheltered on the porch that I place them onto while they dry their wings.
Male Monarch
If you look closely at the lower wings you will notice the black dots which identify the males from the females. Interestingly, I only had two males out of 15 butterflies this year.
Female Monarch
This was the last butterfly to hatch and it was a female. She hung on the Coleus plant for about five hours before taking her first flight. It was bittersweet to see her leave as she was the final one. At least I get to enjoy seeing them flit here and there throughout my butterfly gardens. Perhaps next year I will be able to gather even more eggs to raise and release back into the wild.
Sunning Butterflies
The last two photos are a pair that I released into my Zinnia garden a couple of years ago. They certainly are stunning creatures, aren't they?
Well, my friends, I hope you have enjoyed seeing another post about my butterfly hobby. I will share more with you all next season, lord willing.
Until next time, this is Sunscape
Sun. Scape. Ing Your Day
