It's cool, but they sure are keeping me busy these days!! :O)

A couple of years ago I decided to cater to the Monarchs in our gardens. I became disappointed that our gardens were being decimated by the deers and discovered that most of the plants butterflies love are the ones that the deers hate. I read on one of the forums here that some folks raised Monarchs and so started growing Milkweed from seed. In the first year, we had caterpillars, but noticed that they disappeared and came to the conclusion that the birds got them.

Last year we had more, but the same thing happened. We were fortunate enough to be able to bring in a couple of 'cats' into the house and bring them to the chrysalis stage, but nothing happened after that.

This year is totally different. We have brought in 13 'cats' from the gardens. One was released as a beautiful Monarch on Jane's birthday, and another seemed to be ready to emerge from it's chrysalis today, but didn't come out. It will by the morning at which point we'll make sure it has dried it's wings, and we'll release it.

We still have 10 'cats' in the aquarium. One of them didn't make it, but the others are HUGE! There are also two huge ones out in the garden which should be going into the chrysalis stage within the next couple of days. We'll bring them in when they do so and release when they are ready.

They sure eat a lot!! The other morning I woke up at 4:45 to go to work and found myself in the garden, flashlight in hand, cutting some more milkweed for them since they had devoured everything given to them the previous evening. They poop a lot too - never did I ever think that of caterpillars. LOL!!

We have yet to see one come out of the chrysalis, so that will be a high point - especially for me. I sooooo want to see it happen.

We are still new at this, but it's definitely a yearly adventure that I can see myself looking forward to every year from now on.

that sounds awesome...can you take pictures of them? You know how we love pics!!!

Yep, I've got pictures. I'll post some by tonight. Just have to get DD to transfer them from the camera and have to find my Photobucket thingy since DH did something to this computer and everything I had got sent to some oblivious place...

I wanna see my b_day butterfly!! hee hee!!!