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Category Archives: Monarch

Life Of A Pimp

Remember Alvin, the first of Timothia’s offspring who hatched yesterday (May 22)?  Today he had a brother who was born, and whereas Alvin couldn’t seem to care less about another Butterfly, his brother, Brutus, is an all out Pimp! First came this Painted Lady Butterfly trying to impress Brutus Shortly after the Painted Lady Butterfly…

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Alvin Says Goodbye

Remember Alvin, the first of Timothia’s offspring who hatched yesterday (May 22)?  I had mentioned that I brought him inside last night because he just sat on the Butterfly Bush and didn’t even flinch when another female Monarch came fluttering by. So today I took Alvin back outside to release him.  He calmly stretched his…

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It's Alive, It's Alive!!

This might be one of the most beautiful Monarch butterflies I have seen, but I am also kind of biased.  This is the first offspring from none other than Timothia!  You can tell by the two black spots on the lower part of his wings that he is a male.  He hatched some time today…

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Success Is Measured In Stages

I mentioned before that we have about 50 Monarch caterpillars.  Well, now we only have around 5 caterpillars.  The remaining have all turned into seemingly healthy Chrysalis.  Besides their birth, Monarchs have significant developmental challenges at their other stages of development.  Going from an egg to a caterpillar, then caterpillar to Chrysalis, then Chrysalis to…

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It’s An Infestation

Octomom would have nothing on Timothia.  Right now we have about 20 Monarch chrysalis, with several more chomping away at the milkweed.  Fortunately, we have enough milkweed (I hope) so that all of our current caterpillars have a chance to become full-fledged Monarch butterflies.

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Problem Solved..For Now

The monarch caterpillars destroyed my current crop of milkweed.  Fortunately Joshua’s had 18 one gallon milkweed plants in stock.  We cleaned him out.  Hopefully this will last until at least the weekend.  The image below is just one plant, and just at the top of the plant.  We’ve been able to count over 50 caterpillars…

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Timothia Lives On!

Despite Timothia no longer being around, her babies are alive and kicking!  I have built a protective enclosure around the milkweed where Timothia laid her eggs.  It’s amazing that after just 4 short days of a Monarch egg being laid, that they soon turn into caterpillars.  This will be an interesting experiment and learning experience. …

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