HOW CAN I HELP THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY?

           The monarch butterfly is back in the news again. The Center for Biodiversity is petitioning the federal government to declare the monarch butterfly an endangered species.  An estimated 90% of the species has been lost over the past two decades.

          Why?  The monarch's migration is unique to this continent.  One small, fragile bug joins millions of others every fall to travel back from the northern area of North America to their overwintering grounds in the mountains of central Mexico.  That covers a vast amount of land! Then again in the spring, this same butterfly heads north, as far as Texas, to lay the first generation of eggs before dying.  Milkweed is the host plant of the monarch butterfly. This is a critical point.  Different butterflies lay their eggs on specific families of plants.  It is the ONLY plant they will lay eggs on, and the only plant the caterpillars will eat.  For the monarch butterfly, the host plant is Milkweed.

          Thus, milkweed in abundance is a necessity for the survival of monarch butterflies. There are over 100 different types of Asclepius or milkweed.  Different types grown in different climate zones of the continent.  It's important to know what native species grows in your area.  Over the past two decades a number of factors have contributed to wiping out the breeding grounds of the monarch.

1. Urban sprawl.  Open, weedy fields, especially across the Midwest, have been paved over for development.  Estimated loss of summer breeding ground is the size of Texas.
   
2. Genetically modified plants kill adjacent "weedy" plants.  These so called "weeds" include milkweed.
   
3. In Mexico, continued illegal plundering of the oyamel forests in the monarch sanctuaries are destroying habitat.  Doing this is like punching holes in the delicate microclimate in the mountains where the monarchs overwinter.  Recent storms killed countless monarchs.
   
4. Along the barrier island coast, residents cut back the shrubs (groundsel, sea myrtle) for a better view. The migrating monarchs depend on these shrubs as they journey south.

           If you're like me, when you read facts like this, your heart aches and you want to know what you can do to help.  Allow me to make a few suggestions of things we can all do in our own back yard to make a difference.

             In a nutshell, remember this:  SPRING  Plant host Milkweed!  FALL  Plant nectar flowers!

            1.  Plant milkweed.  That's the number one thing you can do.  It's an easy plant to grow, needs full sunlight and that's about it.  The spring and summer is when the monarchs are laying eggs and increasing the population.  In the fall, the migrating monarch goes into diapause, does not mate, and uses its energy to journey south to Mexico.

·       seeds  You can buy seeds on line and plant them in the spring or fall.  In the fall, pods form on the milkweed. They're just beginning now so it's a good time to harvest and collect seeds.  I sprinkle them on tilled soil now and let nature take its course!

·       milkweed plants  You can buy milkweed as plants at many local nurseries now, as well as online.  Here's what is important to ask: Has the milkweed been sprayed with pesticides?  If it has, the plant will kill your caterpillars! If the nursery doesn't know, it probably has been sprayed.  I wash mine thoroughly in the spring and let it sit out of the garden in pots for a month before planting it. And I try to only buy milkweed from an organic source.  Once you have your milkweed patch established in your garden, the plant should survive and seed additional plants.

·       resources for plants and monarchs:

     a.  Bring Back the Monarch  http://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/resources/plant-seed-suppliers

     b.  Live Monarch: I love this site. Great for getting seeds, plants, supplies!  http://www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds.htm 

      c.  Learner.org   A major source of information  for butterfly lovers. Great reports on monarch migration. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/indexCurrent.html

·       The three rules for all milkweed: 1. DO NOT EAT  2.DO NOT GET SAP ON SKIN OR IN EYES. 3. EDUCATE AND PROTECT OTHERS FROM #1 & 2.

I hate it when milkweed is referred to as a "weed."  I find it quite pretty!  I plant milkweed directly in my "nectar" show garden.  See how pretty it looks? Which is the milkweed?

                                                        

 I have a "rear" garden for host plants that can look raggedy after the caterpillars chew it up.  But that's what its there for! I refer to this patch as my "host" garden.  In the early summer I tossed in a few tomatoes, too.  There is milkweed, passion vine (for the Gulf Fritillary) dill, fennel and parsley (for the swallowtails) rue and paw paw.

  

           In my zone I grow turberosa and curassavica "tropical" milkweed.  There is a debate as to whether the tropical milkweed, a non-native, is interfering with the monarch migration by providing a milkweed source for butterflies that, simply put, tricks them to staying and breeding rather than moving south.  I have also heard from local butterfly experts that late travelers stay in our region through the winter in SC and Florida where the weather is mild and nectar sources abundant.

          I strongly support the planting of native species of milkweed.  Here is an informative article to read to help you make your own decision.

http://texasbutterflyranch.com/2013/02/25/tropical-milkweed-to-plant-it-or-not-its-not-a-simple-question/

            In my area, a barrier island, however, we are having difficulty finding suppliers of native milkweed.  Frankly, if I lived in the Midwest I'd plant only native species that would die down naturally in the fall.  Here on Isle of Palms, tropical milkweed grows abundantly and I've decided to continue planting it to increase the species. I also cut it back in the winter.

             2.  Plant Nectar plants.  Nectar is the food of butterflies.  They need nectar during the breeding season and the really need it now, as they migrate south.  This one brave butterfly that travels thousands of miles must reach the sanctuary in Mexico having gained weight! Yes, gained enough weight to survive the winter months.

           
           My garden looks sparse by September, just when the monarchs are racing through searching for food.  Over the past few years I've planted only those flowers that I know will still be in bloom in the fall.  My favorites here include: penta, coneflower, Joe pyeweed, buddleia, sedum, Mexican petunia.  Even still, I'm going to the garden center this week to buy some "fall stock" for the garden. I'm pumping up the supply for migrating butterflies and boosting the garden's appearance as well.  Learn what plants butterflies prefer in your area, especially those that continue blooming through the fall.

            3.  Don't spray pesticides in your garden!  If it kills spiders, ants, etc it will also kill caterpillars!  I oppose aerial mosquito spraying, especially during the migrating season. Be aggressive in your own back yard to not let standing water stay in your birdbaths, planters, etc.  Try some of the fabulous mosquito "zappers" that use lure to draw the varmints in. There are alternatives to spraying with pesticides.  Your flower/milkweed garden should be a "no spray" zone.

            4.  Urge your local politicians to support the petition to put monarchs on the endangered species list.

              5.  Raise Monarchs   Finally, if you are really interested, and you want to share your passion with your children, try raising monarchs!  If I can do it, so can you! 

          It's not hard, but it does require daily diligence AND a big supply of milkweed--estimated one plant per caterpillar.  I wrote a children's book-- A BUTTERFLY CALLED HOPE with gorgeous photographs by Barbara Bergwerf to help you see what you should do to raise monarchs.  I find actually "seeing" the process is both educational and a relief. For more detailed information (which you will want) I highly recommend getting MY MONARCH JOURNAL by Connie Muther.  Also online, go to www.monarchwatch.com  for an excellent resource on rearing monarchs and all things monarch.

          Currently in my "nursery" I have 60 caterpillars chomping away! I have a number of swallowtails too.  I'm spending long hours every day alone in my office, finishing a novel. It's exhausting work.  Many times a day I take a break to go downstairs to the garden, with Buster and Maggie trotting faithfully behind me, to check on the nursery.  I replenish food supply then go out to the milkweed to scout for eggs.  I find some every day! This brief connection to nature nourishes my creative self.  I feel an "ahhh" outdoors with the butterflies that is instant gratification in my own back yard.  After my break I go back upstairs to work once more on my novel, my batteries recharged.

          The nursery will continue to grow as more eggs hatch into caterpillars.  I can only raise as many as I have milkweed to feed them.  When the milkweed is gone I must let nature take its course.  But next spring I will plant still more milkweed, and more the following year and share seeds with friends so they will plant milkweed, too. 

                                           If you plant it--they will come!

WHERE HAVE ALL THE MONARCHS GONE?

It's monarch migration season!  Have you spotted any traveling through your area?

To help celebrate the phenomenon of this annual occurrence is the release of my second children's book, A BUTTERFLY CALLED HOPE.  Kids and adults alike will enjoy this photographic journey with a little girl named Hope who discovers a caterpillar in her garden and witnesses the miracle of metamorphosis!

To mark this special occasion, I've asked my friend and monarch mentor, Linda Love, to write today's blog entry.  We worked together on this book, along with my friend and photographer Barbara Bergwerf.  Linda is better known as "Nana Butterfly," and her words are informative and encouraging.  Read on to see how all of us can help sustain the monarch migration phenomenon.  And I hope you'll add A BUTTERFLY CALLED HOPE to your child's book collection.  

Written by:  Linda Love

When Mary Alice Monroe, Barbara Bergwerf and myself started putting together the book A BUTTERFLY CALLED HOPE, all we had to do is get in the car and go to several different local butterfly gardens.  The monarchs were there and all we had to do is put Hope, my granddaughter and main character in the children’s book, in the center of the garden and Barbara just started shooting away. 

But today that situation has changed.  Everywhere I go to give my butterfly presentations I get the same question, “Where are all the monarchs?”  All over the United States nature lovers are trying to find the Monarch butterflies, eggs and caterpillars. 

In October citizen scientists to the north are waiting every day for the Monarch Migration to start their trip to Mexico.  Migration is inherently risky. Monarchs must find habitat to meet their needs every day of the journey. Like links in a chain, the loss of one habitat component could break the monarch's annual cycle.  There has been a downward trend over the past decade but the numbers traveling south now are drastically reduced.

There are many reasons for the population decline.  First and foremost are the weather extremes we have had over the past year.  Drought and excessive heat resulted in low reproduction. Next came the excessively cold spring we had in early 2013.  The generation that over wintered in Mexico was slow to start the migration and had a hard time finding milkweed in their travel North through Texas and Kansas.

Many blame the use of herbicides for wiping out their natural habitat, namely milkweed.  As you can see, many things can be to blame but the best thing we can do is start the ball rolling in our own backyards.


We can’t change a lot of these factors, but first and foremost, we need to plant milkweed and lots of nectar plants that will attract butterflies to your backyard.  We should never use pesticides if we want butterflies, bees and hummingbirds to come.    One very positive thing to do is get our new book, A BUTTERFLY CALLED HOPE, and follow the lead of little Hope and how she learned to cultivate a caterpillar and then release it to the Heavens. 

The number one thing we can do to preserve butterflies and other animals is to teach the next generation how to protect our environment.  If you start with children we can be sure that they will inherit and preserve our wonderful earth and inhabitants.

Click here to learn more about or purchase your copy of A BUTTERFLY CALLED HOPE
Click here to follow Linda Love "Nana Butterfly" on Facebook.  

Where Have the Monarch Butterflies Gone



Monarch in alfafa field


Many have been reading in local newspapers reports on the sightings of monarch butterflies as they fly south by the millions to their overwintering grounds in Mexico. What I’m not seeing, however, is mention of the sad reality of the crisis monarchs are facing.

The trend of decreasing numbers of monarchs has been going on for decades. The reasons for this are largely the disappearing milkweed across the great American prairies due to loss of open prairies, the heavy use of herbicides, and genetically altered crops. “We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of acres of land that are virtually sterilized except for human food crops,” said Lincoln Brower, professor of biology at Sweet Brier College who has been studying monarchs for decades.

To compound this problem, in 2009 fierce storms ravaged the sanctuaries and, coupled with the problem of illegal logging, devastated the monarch population from 50-70 %. Now the smallest population on record is on the wing, flying south to the sanctuaries--and they must pass through Texas.

Unfortunately severe drought and wildfires there have torched much of the vegetation and flowers. According to Chip Taylor, Univ. of Kansas and director of Monarch Watch, “They’re going to be encountering a thousand miles of hell as they go through a nearly waterless, flowerless, nectarless landscape.”

Whether the butterflies will arrive in the sanctuaries with enough weight to survive the winter is a serious concern.

What can we do to help save the monarch butterfly? Plant nectar flowers and do not spray them with insecticide. Plant milkweed (Asclepius) in the early spring. Milkweed is the monarch’s host plant, the only plant on which a monarch lays her eggs and the sole food of the caterpillar. By dedicating a small sunny area in our yards and parks for butterfly-friendly plants and flowers we can support the monarch during it migrations.

Milkweed is available at many local nurseries. This past year I’ve given away 10,000 free milkweed seeds. I’ll offer them again for spring planting. If anyone wants a free packet of milkweed seeds, contact me on my website or Facebook. Together, we can help the marvelous phenomenon of the monarch migration continue for future generations.

10,000 seeds of change

The book tour just finished.  What an incredible adventure!  As some of you know, when I set out on this five-week adventure promoting THE BUTTERFLY'S DAUGHTER, I also began a personal mission to help save monarch butterflies by pledging to get 10,000 milkweed seeds into readers' hands during book tour.  I had no idea that I would receive such a tremendous response from readers.  It was amazing! I was inundated with requests for milkweed seed packets.  Thanks to the volume of readers eager to plant this vital monarch food source I actually surpassed my 10,000 seed goal, even before the tour was finished. 

"Plant a seed. Make a difference," was my motto.  Monarch butterflies have been struggling to survive in the U.S., in part because their habitat has been disappearing due to development.  Milkweed is the only food source for monarch caterpillars.

For anyone interested in growing milkweed, I recommend that you visit http://www.livemonarch.org/ where you can request free seeds.  But at this point in the butterfly season, my advice is to order the milkweed starter plants on that site.  They're cheap and you'll get a 45 day jump on the season.  It's worth it.  The sooner you have milkweed in bloom, the sooner you can enjoy seeing monarchs in your yard.  I ordered quite a few rooted milkweed cuttings from Live Monarch and have had great success. 

Do you have milkweed growing in your yard?  What's your monarch butterfly experience so far?

It's Fiesta Time

Wow!  The day has finally arrived for THE BUTTERFLY'S DAUGHTER.  The book release date comes just ahead of the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, and it's rather fitting.  The main character of my novel is a young American woman of German-Mexican descent.  And the story culminates in Central Mexico at the breathtaking site of the monarch butterfly sanctuary. 

In honor of the new book release and Cinco de Mayo festivities this week, I'm sharing with you a delicious refried beans recipe from a Moosewood cookbook that I've whipped up many times for family, friends and my book club.  It's a perfect dish for any fiesta! 

Refritos

2 c. raw pinto beans

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. chopped onion

3 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 c. minced green pepper

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. coriander (optional)

3 Tbsp. olive oil for sauteing peppers and onions.

Cook beans (over-cooking is desirable).  Reduce liquid.  Mash beans with potato masher. 

Heat oil in skillet.  Add onions, garlic and peppers and cook till translucent.  Add cumin, salt and pepper at beginning of cooking.

Add mashed beans to veggies and seasoning and mix well.  If too soupy, may be reduced over low heat at this point. 

Serve hot.  Feeds 4-6 people. 

5 Weeks, 29 Stops

In less than a week, I’ll hit the road for THE BUTTERFLY’S DAUGHTER book tour. It will be a five-week adventure filled with 29 stops in both the big cities and charming towns from Chicago to Ocean Isle, Austin to Hartsville, and Kansas City to Amelia Island. I will feel much like a migrating monarch when the tour is over!

I look forward to meeting new readers, re-connecting with others from book tours past, and sharing in conversations with guests during book tour events. I cherish all of the stories shared and friendships made. I may not remember everyone’s name, or immediately recall each face. But I treasure the experience to interact with readers.

And this time, I’ll have something extra special to give readers in an effort to help save the monarch butterfly. My mission is to hand out 10,000 milkweed seeds during book tour. If everyone plants their seeds, the small effort will make a big difference in helping sustain the monarch population. Milkweed is the only plant on which a monarch will lay her eggs. And the monarch is the only bug species that migrates thousands of miles each year across the United States, like that of a whale or a bird.

Will you join me in helping save the monarch butterfly?

THE MONARCH AND THE AFTERLIFE

Have you ever experienced the presence of a deceased loved one through nature? Maybe it was the kind gesture of a total stranger that came when you prayed for a sign from above. Or it was a bird that landed nearby and peered at you the moment you began thinking of that loved one.
The monarch butterfly has a centuries-old symbolic connection to the afterlife in many cultures. I was fascinated by this fact, and so I started asking people about their personal experiences. I was amazed to discover how many said they’d had a personal connection with a butterfly after a loved one died. Perhaps at the funeral, or later when they thought of the person, a butterfly appeared.

So I included this element in my new novel, THE BUTTERFLY’S DAUGHTER, through a few of my characters who have there own experiences with the comforting presence of a deceased loved one during a monarch sighting. Little did I know that shortly after writing those scenes I too would have my own experience.

The lingering butterfly

My father-in-law passed away during the writing of this book. My son and I ceremoniously released three butterflies I had raised in his honor. Two flew promptly away, as they all want to do. But one butterfly lingered for a long time, alighting on my arm and my son for a long time. He seemed reluctant to leave. I was astonished. It was just as I’d described it in my novel! I released many butterflies that summer but this was the only time one lingered so long. It was memorable and poignant. I believe we have connections with nature that we simply do not understand.

Have you had a similar experience with a butterfly?

The Myths of Monarchs

The delicate, exquisite beauty of butterflies as they flutter through the sky is poetry in motion to the eye of the beholder. The Mexican culture has long revered all insects, the butterflies in particular. The local people believe the monarchs are the returning spirits of their deceased relatives. Every year, millions of migrating monarch butterflies arrive at the mountain sanctuaries in Michoacán, mysteriously coinciding with the Day of the Dead. Although the rest of the world discovered the location of the overwintering sanctuaries in 1976, the locals knew for generations. The link between myth and the monarchs’ annual return spans centuries. Worldwide, many of the ancient civilizations believed that butterflies were symbols of the human soul.


For my novel, THE BUTTERFLY’S DAUGHTER, I researched the phenomenon of the migration of the monarch butterflies as well as myths and the Day of the Dead holiday in Mexico. I was amazed at how many people I met had a personal experience with the monarch butterflies. Many told of seeing a monarch at a loved one’s funeral and again when they thought of the departed. They believed it was the spirit of their loved one.

My father in law, Oscar, passed away last June. He was a great man, a gentleman to the end. He is missed by all his family. Oscar was a very spiritual man, but not a church going one. He didn’t want any service when he passed, and his wishes were honored by my mother in law. For me, however, who was not at his bedside when he passed, I longed to have some sort of ritual to mark his passing. To say goodbye.

Today the storms of the past week at last moved north and the sun broke through the gray clouds, warming the earth. The flowers in my garden lifted their droopy heads. I had two male monarchs that had recently emerged from their chrysalis and I was eager to release them to the garden. One I named Oscar. Mindful of my intention, my son Zack and I went to the garden to release the monarchs with thoughts of Oscar in our hearts and minds. The first butterfly flew off without hesitation and disappeared.

The second, Oscar, did not fly off. He climbed onto my finger and stayed there, seemingly reluctant to leave. Zack took photographs and we waited patiently, enjoying the moment and giving the young butterfly time to catch a breeze and alight. Yet, Oscar stayed. I couldn’t believe it--I had written a similar scene in my novel!

Oscar seemed perfectly content to stay on my arm for a while. I offered Zack the opportunity to hold the butterfly, too. Oscar stepped onto Zack’s hand and roosted.

We were both amazed how long the butterfly lingered, and would have remained longer, but after a while I suggested that Zack put his hand beside a flowering penta, one that butterflies love. He did so. Oscar wasn’t interested in the flower. He flew off and circled us, then alighted on the tip of a palm frond over our heads. There he stayed for another hour. One moment he was there. I turned my head, looked again, and he was gone.

Today we had a beautiful experience with a beguiling butterfly that chose to linger while our thoughts turned to our dear “Pop Pop.” I like to think Oscar was with us in spirit. Both Zack and I felt closure, having had a moment to say goodbye to this wonderful man we loved. 

As an artist, I am aware of how and why myths and stories are created in cultures throughout the world to help us through difficult times. I treasure them and hold them close, recognizing the power they have to elicit our deepest emotions. Butterflies hold some power to make us stop whatever we are doing when we see one and to point and smile. I call them flying flowers. But the monarch is unique among all butterflies and insects in that they migrate thousands of miles, like a bird or a whale. This king of butterflies is a messenger to the gods and holds the spirit of our beloved, recently departed.

Or so the myths say.

Farewell Oscar!

The Butterfly Project: Update on Mariposa and Luz

What a day for monarchs! Outside it was stormy and raining all day, but on my porch, it was a day for new beginnings. The last you saw caterpillar Mariposa, she was climbing up to the top of the habitat to go into chrysalis. Since then, both Mariposa and the second, Luz, went into chrysalis. Today they eclosed (emerged)!

Mariposa and Luz both turned out to be males! Both are very big, handsome boys with luxurious wings. How do I know they are male?

Look at the picture. See the small black dots in the lower two quadrants of the wings? Those are his pheromone sacs and it indicates a male.

Now it’s a race to the finish for the dozens of other caterpillars in my four habitats. Several chrysalis and lots of hungry cats of all sizes. This group will likely be the generation of monarchs that will make the long journey to the overwintering grounds high in the mountains of Mexico!

Milkweed for Monarchs: Part 2

Okay, so you want to plant milkweed in your garden. Great! The monarchs suffered a blow in their overwintering grounds last winter, suffering as high as a 70% mortality rate. So the more milkweed out there the better!

If you are planting milkweed into your garden for the spring, you can start with seeds. It’s easy and cheap. Click here for a website that offers FREE seeds!


If you want starter plants that are safe, I recommend these sites:

• http://www.livemonarch.com/store_plants.php

• http://www.butterfliesetc.com/butterfly-host-plants/host-plants-h-p/milkweed/tropical.html

• http://www.educationalscience.com/milkweed.htm

What do I mean by “Safe?”

Let’s say you want milkweed immediately so that you can go out and find eggs this season, or you have caterpillars and are running out of milkweed. Please ask your supplier whether the plants have been treated with anything (chemical or organic) that can harm caterpillars. Big store nurseries, like Home Depot, might have milkweed but it will likely have been sprayed with pesticides. Most nurseries will be honest. However, no matter what the reply, ALSO check to see if the plants have been at the nursery for 8 weeks. If not, there is a chance that the nursery that grew the plants used insecticide on the plants. Certified Organic parsley, fennel, and other plants can—and often are-- treated with Bt - deadly to caterpillars.

If your caterpillar plant/food has been treated with any insecticide within the last eight weeks, it can be deadly to your caterpillars. It is heartbreaking to find all your caterpillars dead from ingestion of poisons.

So whether you plan to plant the milkweed in your garden and simply sit back and watch the butterfly saga unfold in nature, or whether you hope to hunt for eggs and caterpillars and raise them in your habitat, please be certain that:

• The milkweed you use is pesticide free
• You have plenty of milkweed for your hungry caterpillars! Or else you’ll be frantically asking your friends, “Do you have milkweed you can spare?”

Next—hunting for monarch eggs. Stay tuned!

Milkweed for Monarchs: Part 1

What is it and where do I get it?

Among monarch caterpillar enthusiasts, a common cry for help is “Do you have milkweed you can spare?”

First off, you have to understand that for monarchs, milkweed is IT. It’s the Holy Grail. Their everything. If you want monarchs to come to your garden, you need to provide nectar plants for food and its particular host plant, milkweed, on which the females will lay their eggs. Nothing else will do.

Monarch caterpillars begin their life as a pearly egg the size of pin drop. (see earlier blog for photo). Eggs are eaten by many predators including wasps, spiders, anoles, and as low as one or two in every one hundred eggs will survive. When the caterpillar emerges three to five days later, it is the size of an eyelash. The average time from larva to chrysalis is 9 – 14 days. (though I find the heat can speed things up) and in that time the cat will grow 2000 times its hatch size!

So be forewarned--your caterpillars will need lots of Asclepius, commonly known as milkweed. There are many varieties of milkweed, hundreds in fact, and like most perennials, the choice of the plant best for you is based on your location.

Some people are worried that milkweed is invasive because of the word “weed.” Again, like most perennials the plant will increase in size and number over years, but if you choose plants suggested at butterfly sites, those varieties are not invasive. I live on the southern coast and use tropical milkweed. I find the two-foot plants with their showy flowers quite pretty in my garden. I have a big patch of it and guests always comment on it --and the monarchs fluttering by!

Interested in planting milkweed?  Next blog entry later today will explain where you can get free seeds or starter plants.

End of Caterpillar Stage!

The recent hot days here in SC have spurred the caterpillars to fast growth. This is normal and I’ve been amazed.

Today two caterpillars left the milkweed leaves and began travelling up to the screen top.  When caterpillars are ready to pupate or go into the chrysalis stage, they will crawl to the top of their cage and form a silken knot. They hang from their feet like an aerialist without a net. Then they form a “J” and begin twisting until they shed off their last skin. This is the end of their time as a caterpillar!

Build It and They Will Come!

Someone asked where I get the monarch eggs from. From Milkweed plants!

Milkweed in my aquarium

All butterflies need both nectar plants—flowers that provide food—and host plants. A host plant is the only place that a specific butterfly will lay her eggs on and the only food that the caterpillar will eat. For example: for the swallowtail, the carrot family, including parsley, is the host. I know many of you might have found a big caterpillar eating your parsley! For the monarch, the host plant is Asclepius, commonly known as milkweed. There are many varieties, but I plant only tropical milkweed here in SC. It is not invasive, as the “weed” name implies. It’s actually a pretty, tall plant with lovely orange and yellow flowers.

This year I planted a butterfly garden and I’ve had so many monarchs come by! They flutter around my milkweed, delighted to find a place to lay eggs. Then they go to my butterfly garden flowers to eat. It makes me happy to watch them and I forget my stress for that glorious moment. I encourage you to plant milkweed in your garden. And please do not spray pesticides! Remember, pesticides kill all insects, including the butterflies!


Checking my milkweed leaves for monarch eggs

I go to the garden each day and hunt for the small, pearly white monarch eggs found on the underside of the leaves. I bring them into my aquarium to raise, because wasps, spiders, and other insects prey upon the eggs. In nature, as low as 1% of eggs will survive to butterfly. So I bring them in to raise. It is critical to have enough milkweed to raise the caterpillars. They eat more than you will anticipate. I suggest one milkweed plant per caterpillar as a good rule of thumb. Next year I’m already planning on doubling my milkweed plants!

It’s a joy to see so many different butterflies visiting my garden this year. I promise—build it and they will come!

My Butterfly Blog: What an Appetite!

It’s amazing how fast these critters grow.  Caterpillar “Mariposa” is already a quarter inch in size. 

The second egg hatched, and I call this one “Luz.”  She’s still quite small but eating, eating, eating.  I’ll need to put more milkweed leaves out and check it twice a day now. 

If you raise a caterpillar at home, the rule of thumb is one milkweed plant per caterpillar! 

The Butterfly Project

My Butterfly Blog is beginning today to parallel the migrating season of the Monarch butterflies. Follow me each Tuesday as I update you on the progress of a monarch butterfly from egg to butterfly!

Today I’m showing you my first egg of the season. I’m calling it “Mariposa” which is the Spanish name for butterfly. It is also the name of the character in my upcoming novel who loves monarchs. I found the egg several days ago.

This amazing photo (thanks Barb Bergwerf!) shows the young, eyelash sized Mariposa and another egg due to hatch soon.

Welcome to the world, Mariposa!

The Last of my Monarchs... For Now

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” -anonymous

The monarch butterfly’s annual migration south to Mexico typically begins in early fall in the north when the days grow shorter and the nights cooler. For me, the fall is an introspective season, a time to prepare for the winter ahead. Over the past summer I’ve raised dozens of monarchs. It was inspiring to watch the monarch grow from a microscopic egg to a caterpillar, then to climb to the top of the aquarium to form an amazing, jewel-like chrysalis the color of jade. Then, finally, to witness the magical metamorphosis and celebrate as it emerged a butterfly. On Halloween it was bittersweet to release my last butterfly in my garden.

Or so I thought. After several blustery days, courtesy of Hurricane Ida, we enjoyed a balmy sunny day on Isle of Palms. As I did garden chores, my eyes widened in surprise when I found several tiny, newly hatched caterpillars chomping away on my milkweed plants! Delighted, I brought them indoors to my butterfly habitat. I see them now outside my office window on my screened porch. To think…In a few weeks I will again witness the miracle of metamorphosis.

This last, late, and unexpected batch of monarch caterpillars was a gift. A second chance for inspiration. Last week’s sudden blast of cold came too quick and my mood grew depressed at the thought of the end of my summer season. Now, however, I’ve been inspired to take advantage of this quieter, introspective season. If I see my time indoors as a chrysalis, I am inspired to effectively use this duration as a period of growth and transformation. I choose to withdraw from distractions and to go inward, quietly and with reflection. I will use this as a time to create something new.

And when the days grow long again and the sun warms the earth, I hope I will emerge transformed to greet the return of my sister butterfly, my own creativity shining as bright and vivid as wings the color of flames.

Day of the Dead

Since I’ve been researching and raising monarchs, many people I’ve talked to have shared an amazing butterfly story with me. Most of them involve an almost mystical experience after the passing of a loved one that involved a butterfly—a monarch butterfly in particular. I get goosebumps listening to the stories, sometimes am moved to tears as I make connections with natural and spiritual phenomena.

Since ancient times, many cultures around the world have created myths and lore associating the butterfly with the human soul. We resonate to this beautiful insect that flutters by. The word for soul in Greek is psyche and this is the name Aristotle gave the butterfly. The Christians adopted the metamorphosis of the butterfly as a stirring symbol for the resurrection and marked November 2nd as All Soul’s Day, the day of prayer for the dead.

In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is a joyous festival with origins dating to the Aztec culture that dominated Mexico for centuries. They believed that monarch butterflies were the souls of the recently departed. Later, the colonialists moved the celebration for the dead to coincide with the Christian All Souls Day on November 2nd. Today, the Day of the Dead celebration is a major holiday in Mexico. The festivals throughout the country are festive, mystic, spiritual, and in some places, touristy. For some, the holiday is frivolous with music, dancing, and traditional sugar skeletons. For others, it is a time of reflection as they welcome the spirit of a beloved with offerings of flowers and favorite foods.

I’m most moved by the fact that this holiday coincides with the arrival of the migrating monarch in Mexico. Every fall, as the sunlight dissipates and the days grow shorter and the cold nips the air, monarchs migrate south to their overwintering sites, now sanctuaries high in the transvolcanic mountains of Michoacán. This single bug flies thousands of miles from as far away as Canada, joining millions of its kind to cluster in the oyamel fir trees. In the spring, when the light shines longer and warms the earth, the butterflies awaken and follow the blooming of their host plant, the milkweed, north.

Both science and faith elicit wonder and awe in our hearts and minds. Many myths are created in attempts to explain natural phenomena. When myth and nature collide, as they do on November 2nd in Mexico, we are compelled to reflect upon the power of nature to heal, to inspire, and to guide us.

All the people who have shared with me their story of seeing a monarch soon after the passing of a loved one believe they made a sacred connection with that relative. This moment is as profound and convincing to him or her as it is for any person in Mexico sitting at an ancestor’s grave who looks up and sees a cloud of a thousand monarchs passing and believes they are the souls of the departed. At such a moment we also feel a soul stirring connection to the vast cosmos, and to all souls in the great beyond. We are all one. We will never see a monarch butterfly again without remembering that connection.

On November 2nd welcome your memories of your relatives who have passed. Perhaps write a brief memoir, or paint a portrait, or tell a story about your relative to your child or grandchild. By sharing memories, we keep our passed loved ones alive.

And if you see a monarch passing through, all the better.