Plant It and They Will Come #8 Migration 2015

Thanks for the advice, coleup and CatMint. As soon as the last cat is a chrysalis, I'll try to reinforce that saggy web.

Hope it goes well, Muddy!

I'm really hoping the rest of my guys get into J position soon--they really need to get going to Mexico!! A lot of my BSTs will probably overwinter--several of them are only early instars still...

A friend sent me this interesting link on what butterflies do when it rains:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-do-butterflies-do-wh/

Also got some more info on tropical milkweed and the debate about whether it's a good thing to provide the Monarchs in regions where it is not native:
http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2015/01/plan-save-monarch-butterflies-backfires
The way I read it, it sounds as though it's most likely to be a problem in areas where it doesn't die back each year, so it sounds like it's fine around here!!

Interesting articles!

I hope people in the south stop growing tropical milkweed - or cut it back like the article says - so that Monarchs migrating through those patches don't bring more OE up here.

I thought the caterpillar tent would provide a good surface for the pupating cats to attach to, but it looks like that's not the case; another one is dangling this morning. I put a blanket under them for now until I can stitch them back up.

How do you get paper towels to stay at the top of the tent, coleup?

I have had all success with pupae on the tents.

I have two larger BST cats in my yard. Should I bring them in if it storms and then release them again? If I did bring them in, would they stay dormant until spring or hatch as butterflies because it's warm inside? I'm also concerned because the area they occupy is going to be cleaned up for a new bed.

I would bring them in. You could cut the parsley or whatever they're currently on, as well as some extra, and put it in a vase full of water (covered tightly with saran wrap so they don't drown; I secure it with tape or a rubber band). You could give them sticks to pupate on rather than release them.

I'm new at this myself, but last year I kept a BST pupa in the garage all winter (it was in a tent, so I hung the tent from the garage ceiling), then put it outside in the spring. I lost track of what happened to it because I left the pupa in a shrub when I went out of town, but I like to think it made it.

Agree--I would bring in the caterpillars, and then once they've pupated, I would put them outside in their habitat in a relatively protected space (eg, out of direct sunlight, maybe protected from the worst of rain and snow as well--an unheated garage sounds good). They'll overwinter as pupae, then eclose in the spring.

Yes, if you keep the chrysalises inside in a warmed space, they could emerge in the middle of winter, which would not be good. So, good to let them overwinter as pupae outside.

Agree about the tropical milkweed, Muddy!

Well, I had a mass migration today in the Monarch habitat--13 cats now up at the top, either as chrysalises or preparing. Only two left still munching away, but they should head up soon, too.

Counted 12 BST cats today--about half are big and should be ready to pupate soon, and about half are early instars. I decided it's time to wean them off of the fennel, which is looking scraggly now, so I tried putting some rue in today with the fennel. Hopefully they will eat it--esp the early instars!

Our garage is unheated, stays humid because it's far from airtight (chipmunks have no problem scooting in one side and out the other) and some light comes through the windows, so it was the best place I could think of. This year, I think I'll keep the tent and pupas in the garage until early spring, then put the tent back outside in my mini greenhouse. I could unzip the tent so they can fly out when they're ready after they eclose.

That sounds like a great plan, Muddy! I'm going to keep mine on the front porch where it's a bit sheltered, with big rocks in place to keep it from blowing around. I wish I had a place where they could stay and I could keep the habitat unzipped for them to come out on their own, but I don't, so I need to be able to see the habitat regularly, and so the front porch is really the best place...

At what point is it too cold for the caterpillars? Tonight is in the mid 40's.
Thanks for the info. I took some carrot leaves from the community garden. They are on a bronze fennel but I have rue and some other kind of perennial supposed fennel that smells nothing like fennel. I don't have a garage but I do have a covered porch?

hi, Loretta. I would bring them in and let them pupate indoors.

I found a good article on BST's.
http://www.joyfulbutterfly.com/overwinter-chrysalis/

Good article, Loretta; thanks!

I brought the BST tent inside tonight to clean it and rearrange the sticks I stuck in a pot for them to pupate on, then put it back outside in my mini greenhouse, which looks like this: http://www.hayneedle.com/product/gardman4tierminigrowhousegreenhouse.cfm
If I had a covered porch, I certainly would use it instead of the greenhouse and garage, but I don't...

This little guy fell off whatever it was eating while I was cleaning and I had a hard time getting it off my hand and back onto a leaf! I counted 7 BSTs tonight.

The second photo shows what I've cobbled together for them. They only seem to be eating the parsley, but I've left most of the other food in there because it's helping to hold everything up and to fill in the holes I've poked through the saran wrap covering the vases.

This message was edited Oct 2, 2015 8:56 PM

That's a great set up!
I left mine outside tonight . Its cool and rainy but no hurricane. I feel that the cold will trigger them to hibernate.

Muddy, your cats are adorable and that is a super nice set-up--my own BST cats wish they could hang out in your habitat!! :-) What a cool greenhouse, too.

Loretta, thanks for the link! What a great article. I agree with Muddy that a covered porch would be perfect once they've pupated.

My own front porch is covered. The main problems last winter were the wind and a habitat that didn't protect enough against predators--I think I lost about half my chyrsalises. :-( So, this winter I'll try to anchor it better with rocks, and I have a better habitat for them.

I have another guy building his sling at the top edge of the habitat. The sticks I've angled in remain unpopular. :-/ I might try Muddy's idea of bringing in something more branchlike and anchoring it in a pot!!

So far, most of them have made the transfer from the fennel to the rue. Hopefully the others will, too!

Thanks, CatMint!
Last year I hung the tent from hooks that we had put in the garage ceiling to hang bikes. It was convenient because I was in the garage multiple times during the day. I wasn't sure the chrysalis was viable, though, because it had fallen and didn't look right. If I had read Loretta's article and had known it might not emerge until May, I would have kept better track of it. Next time!

If I had an unheated garage that I used regularly, I would put mine in there till spring--seems safer and more protected. As it is, I have no garage--only a driveway! :-D

Oct. 2nd--Here is the last of the Mahicans in one of my Parsley pots.
May be the same I saw a week or so ago--just bigger now.

I put the pot under a table as we will be getting slammed tomorrow.
Just a bit of protection....

G.

I've found two of these guys lately, huddled near the ground under an old pot, or between boards, etc

http://www.chotelaboratories.com/garden_diary/?p=29

Very cool, Sally!

Gita, your BST cat looks like he will pupate soon!

All 15 of my Monarchs are now at the top of the habitat--2 in J position, the others chrysalises. Yay! No more worries about the milkweed supply! :-) (Thanks again, Muddy, for carrying us through!!)

2 more BST cats making their slings. There are four instar 4/5 cats and four 2nd instar. Fortunately, they've adapted to the rue but still prefer the fennel if it's available! Who would ever have thought caterpillars would have such discerning palates? :-D

That was nice of you to give it some shelter, Gita.

Nice find, Sally! I wonder whether they hibernate as caterpillars?

CatMint, I'm glad I had milkweed to share.

As I was dead-heading the Butterfly Bushes tonight, I found a handful of bees hanging out in them. I'm not sure what they were doing. They weren't moving, but they were alive. They wouldn't get out of the way, so I had to look carefully before grabbing old flowers! They were really cute.

Cute little guys with their wet fuzz!
I've noticed bees huddled motionless in blossoms in the early morning and at dusk, waiting for some sun and warmer weather to come along before they buzz into life...
I saw a few bees clinging to the remaining blossoms this weekend, but not many. Most of the pollinators seem to be gone from my yard.
It's supposed to get a little warmer over the next week. I wonder if we'll see more bees and butterflies again, or if they're mostly gone for the season? :-(

I just went outside. It is still there--Took a couple of pictures.

Should I move the parsley pot somewhere sunny so the cat can find a safe winter home?

Does it have to hang to assume a "J" shape? Do you think it looks a bit "J'ed"
already hugging that stem? Or- is it just vegging from the cold morning?

What next? g.

hi, Gita. Cute little guy you've got there!
BST caterpillars usually take off from the plant they've been feeding on when they're ready to pupate--they can travel quite a ways before they choose a spot.

I generally keep both my caterpillars and the chyrsalises out of direct sunlight.

When they're getting ready to pupate, they don't hang in Js like Monarchs. They build kind of a sling.
1) A BST cat in pre-pupation position
2) shortly after pupation

Thanks, cat---

I loked at it again today. Been working outside al day.

It is sitting in the stem of the parsley. Not moving at all.
I have tried looking closer to see if it is still munching away--
but I do not see either end of it moving--as in chewing...it is just sitting
in this one stem. See pic. #2 above.
There are NO parsley leaves anywhere on this stem. Close-by...yes.

Will check again tomorrow AM. G.

It looks like it's still an instar 4. It could be molting to instar 5. They get very quiet for a couple days while they're molting.

My BST caterpillars spend quite a lot of time seemingly not moving at all, too. I guess as long as they've got food, they don't see any particular reason to pupate, because they have all winter long to hibernate.

Gita, if you leave it where it is, it probably will vanish at some point to choose a winter hibernation spot.

One of mine moved off the fennel. I marked it so I don't forget to skip over it when cleaning up.

Anyone recognize this little butterfly or maybe moth? It was out during the daytime at the end of July.

that's a pretty one, Loretta!

Thanks, catmint. I thought it was a cute one too. I don't remember seeing it before but it is very small. I haven't been able to match it to any of the NJ butterfly sites so far.

I can't place it either, Loretta! Maybe Flapdoodle in the insect ID forum would know? He's my go-to guy when I'm stumped!!

Checked on my Parsley pot just now---

The BST caterpillar is lying on the soil--DEAD!
I thought it was weird that it was always just clinging to the bare
stem--not moving at all for over a week. Not munching...nothing.....

What do you think happened here? G.

That's too bad, Gita. Hard to know. Sometimes they get parasitized, or catch a caterpillar disease.

Flapdoodle came through! Pyrausta orphisalis - Orange Mint Moth!

I'm glad you got an ID for it.

My Monarch chrysalises are still green, but I'm really hoping they emerge this weekend. The first ones formed chrysalises almost 2 weeks ago, so I should see some action soon, right?

Muddy, quickest for mr was 7 days and longest 19. Are you keeping them inside or out?

Loretta, what a neat moth, and your pic really appeals to me. Is that Mountain Mint it's on?

I'm keeping them inside in an area that probably stays between 70-80, near a window but out of direct sunlight.

neat-o moth Loretta!
waiting on last two green monarch chrys's