200!

Posted on August 22, 2022 by SweetButterfly Bliss

My daughter and I began our first butterfly house on June 13, 2021. Since then the size and location has changed, but the raising of butterflies has not. On June 23, 2021 we had our first successful monarch butterfly hatch after raising it from caterpillar. Today, Aug. 22, we have successfully raised 200 monarch caterpillars, therefore releasing 200 healthy monarch butterflies into our butterfly garden.

It’s quite simple to raise caterpillars. All they need is a fresh source of their host plant, in this case milkweed, and a secure “house” to put them into. My husband built a wooden “house” and screened it and I put branches inside giving the caterpillars areas to climb, rest, molt, and on occasion create its chrysalis.

The monarch butterfly will hatch 10 to 12 days later. The transformation is incredible to witness as the green chrysalis eventually becomes translucent revealing the beautiful black and orange body within. The butterfly emerges headfirst with small and shriveled wings. As it pumps body fluid through its wings they grow in size. The butterfly will remain in the same spot for up to two hours drying its wings, hardening them getting ready for flight. According to Arizona State University School of Life Sciences, during the two hours it is also waiting for air to replace some of its fluids.

Success!

Posted on May 23, 2022 by SweetButterfly Bliss

Another monarch butterfly emerged successfully from its chrysalis in our butterfly house, making our total rise to 140 healthy hatches.

You would think after so many, it might become a little boring to witness. I have to admit the excitement only enhances, as we have witnessed that for one reason or another, not all are able to hold on tight, hanging with its wings downward drying successfully to flap and fly away. Those who end up with crumpled wings live out their lives in our butterfly house with plenty of nectar.

A calmness

Posted on May 22, 2022 by SweetButterfly Bliss

Another successful morning in the butterfly house with three new beauties, two males and one female monarch butterfly emerging from their chrysalis.

There is such a calmness that washes over me when I watch these butterflies enter the world, climbing onto my fingers and taking its first flight after their wings are dry.

More success

Posted on May 12, 2022 by SweetButterfly Bliss

This morning as I was cleaning out our butterfly house and replacing some of the plants for the caterpillars within, I heard a small cracking noise and looked up to see a monarch butterfly slowly emerging from its chrysalis. It is such a spectacular sight to watch, especially knowing how the life of the butterfly began.

It emerges by splitting the now translucent chrysalis along the length of the proboscis near its head. The monarch then slowly moves its legs out, holding on while removing the rest of its body. The body is swollen with fluid when it first emerges. The monarch will begin pumping fluid from its body to the veins of its extremely soft wings. According to “Florida’s Fabulous Butterflies” the wings expand by the pressure of the fluids moving through the veins on its wings. Once completed, the body shrinks to a normal size. The monarch then hangs upside down, we have seen for more than two hours at times, drying, hardening, its wings before it’s ready to take its first flight.

Today we had six successful hatches in our butterfly house, all of which emerged before 10 a.m. Once they began flying around the butterfly house we released them into our butterfly garden. Some flew to the branches of trees, while others flew to areas where they could sit longer.