No More Butterflies
I have really been slacking on blogging, haven't I? In the time between my posts, much has happened. All of my butterflies have been successfully released!
On August 20, a beautiful male was released.
On August 22, another gorgeous male flew away.
And another on the 23rd!
On the 28th a female emerged.
After that I knew the season was coming to a close, and the only ones that remained were my best friend caterpillars. As I was observing them as caterpillars I was noticing a very distinct size difference between them. As they grew older, one was seemingly larger than normal and the other was smaller than normal. I didn't know what that meant for their health, but they both ended up being just fine. Yesterday, September 2, they both emerged, ending my summertime Monarch raising. Appropriately they chose the day of my high school open house, a sign that the seasons are changing!
A stunning female.
And an amazing male.
And they are still best friends :)
So there were officially 29 releases this year, 13 in my first round, and 16 in the second. I'm kind of wishing it was 30, but maybe next year! This does not mean you have to wait until June for more blogs! I will be blogging for sure again on September 12, after going to the Minneapolis Monarch Festival. If you are interested in attending, it runs from 10am to 4pm on September 12th at 49th St at Woodlawn Blvd, Minneapolis, MN. For more information visit monarchfestival.org
I am sad that I don't have anymore butterflies, but the research doesn't stop. I will be tracking the migration and giving facts and raising tips all winter long on this blog so that it continues to grow. I am sorry about the delay between my posts recently! Hopefully they will remain more regular once again. Until next time :)
The Minneapolis Monarch Festivle sounds wonderful. I'm going to look that up. Maybe I will go next year. That's wonderful that you have released so many monarchs this year. Congratulations! Do you have any tips that helped you succeed?
ReplyDeleteI am very excited about the festival! Hopefully next year I will be wearing a "Monarch Mayhem" shirt and maybe even be selling some framed photography. So if you do attend, you can find me!
DeleteAs far as raising tips, all I can say is to keep a watchful eye on each caterpillar, no matter which instar they are in. Look for watery frass, loss of appetite, irregularities in skin, legs or antennae, and so forth. If any seem sick I separate them until they regain health or sometimes they don't make it. I make sure to keep my container clean, to not bring in extra bugs, and remove any yellowing leaves or plants. I keep close tabs on my numbers of each caterpillars, eggs, and pupae.
Good luck raising!