The Big T’s monarch rescue programme is proving to be incredibly successful. Over the last few days about twenty five butterflies have emerged; fourteen of them today.
Here’s a video I made this afternoon; just a few of the hatchlings getting ready to take flight and leave us forever. Apologies for the slightly out-of-focus bits.
Good morning ๐
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How wonderful! The miracle of nature!
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It is amazing that so many have survived given all the predators around!
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It’s beautiful, Su! Thank you so much for the lovely video! I enjoyed it and the music very much! ๐ (thanks for adding the music title, saves me from begging you to tell me ๐ ).
Those beauties were worth every pumpkin and plant! ๐๐๐
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Thank you Sarah. I had such fun making the video. And I agree; totally worth the effort. We’ve now hatched over 30 caterpillars and are feeling so happy.
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Thatยดs wonderful! You must be so proud! ๐ Are they staying near or do they instantly fly away? Have a lovely weekend! xxxxxx
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They hang around (literally) for a couple of hours then fly off. Some flutter around the garden for a while but then disappear. Apparently Monarchs in NZ don’t migrate they way northern hemisphere butterflies do, although they do form winter colonies in the warmest parts of the country. Can’t believe I have learned so much about this!!! I was the kid who hated “nature stuff.” Hope your weekend is going well. xxxxx
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Haha! That’s the way it goes sometimes ๐ But having become such a passionate butterfly foster parent it was bound to rub off sooner or later. ๐
How did this idea evolve actually?
Wish you a lovely weekend and Happy Easter! xxxxxxx ๐
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It was all T’s idea. I planted the milkweed (mainly to hide the ugly side of a shed) and assumed we’d get a few caterpillars, do some good for the local Monarch population … win, win. No stress or effort. But when it became clear that wasps were eating the caterpillars and none were hatching, T got very concerned and started trying to rescue them. I still am not quite sure how it became such and all-consuming project, but I’m kind of glad it did. We figure we’ll end up having 40-50 viable butterflies hatch and leave.
Hope you are having a lovely Easter Weekend. It has suddenly become sunny again here. xxxxx ๐
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WoW! Thatยดs exactly how things can turn sometimes, right? Wasp can be so mean, theyยดre also the enemies of bees, and one wasp can decimate a whole colony in an hour or two… Iยดm so glad you rescued the caterpillars from them! I often feel that projects that one didn’t intend to get overwhelming and that finally do, are always the best ones, no matter if itยดs about art or saving the lives of dozens of butterflies! ๐
Have a lovely Easter Weekend too! ๐ Around here itยดs raining every 5 minutes and freezingly cold! ๐ xxxxxxxx ๐
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My next project is to learn how to get rid of the wasps in our neighbourhood!!
I hope your weather improves soon. It is very wet here, but quite warm. Warm enough for the mosquitoes to feast on me overnight. ๐ฆ
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There are several birds and other insects that eat wasp, but I donยดt know if theyยดre native in NZ, like the red-back shrike. Also hornets, cross spiders (Araneus diadematus) and dragonflies.
I wish you good luck with your war against the wasps!
Ugh! Mosquitoes! Poor you! Thatยดs a thing I could happily live without ๐ Not really looking forward to the first one thatยดs going to wake me this year with its annoying “Zzzsss!” in my ear… as much as to the second, third… well, you get the gist ๐
xxxxxxxx
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We’ve been quite lucky this summer/autumn; there don’t seem to have been many mosquitoes around — until last week. I found out that NZ doesn’t have natural predators for lots of wasp species because they are not native to the country, and haven’t been here long enough for nature to do its thing. Several species are a real problem because they thrive here and do lots of damage to bee hives and are threatening lots of native insects and other invertibrates. Serious sad face! Sometimes I think ignorance really is bliss.
Anyway, I hope your week is going well. xxxxx
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I was aware of the problem of immigrated species in NZ and Australia before, but hearing about how they do damage to one of the most essential link in our survival, and nothing else are bees since it mostly up to them to go and pollinate all our crops, is a bit terrifying. Normally nature will come round to it to take care for it itself but this could take a while – more time than us silly little humans might have left on this planet ๐
As you say, ignorance can be a bliss sometimes… at least in the short-term.
Need to hurry to my window now and check if the bees are doing their job on my little black currant plant! ๐
Have a lovely week too! xxxxxxx
P.S. My sock-post is out with the promised link for you ๐
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Cool. I haven’t been very good at keeping up with WP this week, so I’ll go and look now. It’s starting to feel cold and I’ll need socks soon. Thanks so much xxxxx
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Acrobats practicing. Sweet!!!!
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Amazing and beautiful video. Thank you for sharing Su. ๐
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Thank you Terry. I really enjoyed making the video.
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Lovely Su. They are so beautiful.
Leslie
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This is a beautiful meditation on nature, color, mindfulness and awareness. Gorgeous, Su.
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Thank you Angeline. Being part of the butterflies’ lives has been such a joy.
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Truly awesome in the real sense of the word.
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Thanks Amy ๐
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That was so lovely.
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Thanks Anabel
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So pretty and well done with the video! Nature’s own stained-glass. Is that milkweed they are on?
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Thanks Jude. Yes, milkweed. It’s been almost as much fun to watch as the butterflies.
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So beautiful! โค
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Thank you Andrea ๐
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We may have to start calling you Madame Butterfly ๐
… although preferably without the dramatic seppuku at the end!
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Hehe. Did you know that at the end of the original short story, Madame Butterfly, Suzuki and the baby leave so that Pinkerton and his wife can’t have the boy? No seppuku involved.
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No, I didn’t know that. All I knew was that the original had been rewritten. I just really like the thought of being called Butterfly ๐
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๐ I can’t imagine anyone looking at me and thinking Butterfly would be a good name. Parakeet maybe; loud, colourful, but solid.
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LOL!!! Thanks for the laugh!! ๐
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So beautiful! What a treat to get to watch a butterfly get ready and take off! Thank you for sharing.
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I’m glad you enjoyed it ๐
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