Well, after growing milkweed for about three years, we finally had gotten a monarch caterpillar (see post from July 14) and were able to raise it all the way to adulthood. Turns out "Mona" was actually a male (you can tell by the 2 black dots on the bottom wings). What a great learning experience for both me and my little one! I'd never seen a butterfly go through metamorphosis and it was so truly amazing to see this huge butterfly emerge from a tiny chrysalis. In the picture below, the chrysalis is only about 2.5 in, but when the butterfly emerged, the wing span was something like 4.5 or 5 inches. I couldn't believe it all fit in there!
Although it emerged yesterday, we waited until today to release it, since it was pretty cold and rainy yesterday. The butterfly was super fast, and didn't stop to sip on the flowers, but instead just flew as fast and as high as it could into the sky; really a beautiful sight...
I'm thinking of growing a spicebush to attract the spicebush swallowtail butterfly ( and to use the leaves for tea). Their caterpillars resemble little snakes with false eyes, which I thought would be really fun for Maddie to see. The local nursery just got a shipment in, and a 3 gallon container costs $39...I'm tempted, but I also recently put in an order for a peach tree for the fall--a Burbank Elberta Dwarf Peach, as an homage to my husband's distant relative, botanist Luther Burbank. Then again, isn't any plant purchase really a gift for all, so you can never really have too many?
Also, a couple weeks ago I picked up a few flowing vines--a cranberry vanilla honeysuckle a blue ravine clematis, and a pink clematis that I can't remember the name-- Menard's had the clematis on clearance for just 50 cents each-- who could resist?
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