Cuties , originally uploaded by MeghanMarie’sPhotography.
Last year around this time I was seeing off the last of my Monarch caterpillars turned butterfly. I collected around 30 of those little guys and in the beginning they were only millimeters in length. I cared for them and watched them grow into two inch long caterpillars and then they’d go and hang from their bottoms to turn into a chrysalis. I had about 20 butterflies to release by the end of the summer. It was truly an amazing experience.
When we see butterflies in nature we rarely realize the constant danger these little guys are in. Monarchs specifically lay their eggs on wild milkweed plants which you can find along roadsides, fields, farms, etc. Many townships/farmers cut them down so the Monarchs don’t have places to lay their eggs. If they can find them, the little babies are in danger of being killed by yellow jackets, picked off by birds and weather.
This year, I have a heavy heart because I only found four caterpillars this year about a half inch long. The weather was a huge problem for them. The momma butterflies did not return from Mexico in full force but rather the majority of them stayed down south because of our uncommonly cold weather. At the time I found my four we were having our extreme heat/humid spell. Unfortunately, one by one each of my caterpillars perished. I think that the extreme heat and moisture in the air was too much for their little bodies to handle.
So here’s to hoping next years conditions are better and give these beautiful wonders of nature a fighting chance. <3
