Our Monark Butterfly.

[trail twister]

For some reason a monark catapiller went in the garage and spun its cocoon on the handle of a wooden tool box I use when doing major repairs away from home. Been a while since I have used it, thankfully.

Yesterday it hatched. Kare was worried when it turned black around 8:30 AM thinking some wasp may have stung it. I told her to start reading about them and she did. Google is a wonderful thing when looking for information isn't it.
She found out when it turns black the butter fly will emerige soon. So she started watching it and behold it came out about 10:00 AM. She also found out you should not move the butterfly while it is hanging as fluid flows down into its wings. At 12:30 AM it had moved from the handle side of the box to the front of the box. I told her to raise the door fully so it could fly out at that time.
I had a afternoon doctors appointment so we were leaveing at 1:00 PM and it was gone from the tool box. Kare saw one flying about the front door flower garden, it flew past her and landed on the damp approch to the garage. Worried Kare as several of her cats were about so she went to pick it up and it climbed on her hand. she took it across the driveway to a Hibiscus in bloom beside the honey house and put it on a petal.
It was gone when we got back from the doctors at 3:00 PM.

Al

 

[Silentrunning]

Al, Your pictures just show red Xs.

 

[trail twister]

I think I have posted before that we raise milk weeds both the common and the swamp milk weed.
Questioning if we are doing enough.
So may start collecting eggs and feeding the hatched catapillers.

I can pick leaves daily when I walk the dogs morning and evening.

Al

 

[trail twister]

Give me a bit to work red X that out.

Al

 

[trail twister]

Al

 

[trail twister]

Ever think about what has to be done to show some pictures here?

In this case Kare took the pictures with her phone, her phone for some reason can not send me the pictures. So she sends them to our daughter in Wisconsin who then sends them to me.

Once I get the pictures I have to place them in the Apple finder file, then move them to a down load file so I can upload them to a picture storage shareing site, then post them here.

Then I get a Like!!!!!!!!!

Al

 

[Sheal]

Amazing pictures Al !

 

[Mrsclem]

Warning! As those caterpillars grow, they eat a lot! We raised over 50 monarchs and about a dozen black swallowtails last year. Really interesting seeing the transformation but a mess to keep cleaning up if you keep them in a container. Monarchs will also eat pumpkin and squash if you run out of milkweed.

 

[trail twister]

Thanks Mrsclem for that information.
I raise both swamp milk weed and the normal stuff so I wouldn't worry about running out of food for them.

Trying to get more planted this fall and come spring.


Al

 

[DrCase]

Its a great picture Al
I remember seeing their cocoons when I lived up north