Help Save Monarch Butterflies

First Monarch of the 2015 Spring Season Emerges!

2015-04-18T08:06:00.003-05:00

April 17th was an exciting day for our family! Our first monarch butterfly of the 2015 Spring season emerged safely, and it's a girl. :-) We have about 30 more chrysali left to emerge, and many many more caterpillars besides. Truthfully, we are just about out of milkweed leaves. I've already bought 2 milkweed plants this past Thursday, and the leaves on both of them are just about gone. (See photo below)

My children had fun releasing the first butterfly of the season.

If all of our caterpillars had made it, we would have between 60-70 chrysali now. Sadly, predatory flies have really done their damage. They have killed 30+ caterpillars thus far. The biggest hurt for us is the waste of milkweed leaves that occurs because of that. When you consider that each caterpillar eats about 20 milkweed leaves, and you multiply that times 30 caterpillars, this means 600 milkweed leaves were sacrificed for nothing. We lost 600 leaves and got no butterflies out of it. That really stinks. 600 milkweed leaves can go along way. I thought I was starting the season with amble milkweed, but now I'm not so sure.

When we saw how many were being killed by the flies, we immediately started bringing them indoors. But even then, about 1/2 died. In the future, all caterpillars will have to come inside in pavilions. That's the only way to insure theire safety. They will have to be collected early before their 2nd or 3rd instar to insure their safety.

Well, that's all for now. More butterflies to come in the upcoming days. This is the exciting part.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

Blue Vine Milkweed To The Rescue

2015-04-10T15:29:00.002-05:00

Well, we have had about 10 caterpillars to die because of the predatory flies. There may be a few more that will before we are through. It is good that we brought them in when we did.

The caterpillars are going through my milkweed leaves like crazy. Even my flowers are barely satisfying them. Then, today, I happened to think about my Blue Vine milkweed which is growing wild in my yard. It is a wild native species to Texas. I have to constantly keep it trimmed back. It will grow right between the wood siding planks on the side of my house if I let it. I don't have a lot of it right now, but I decided to harvest what I have for the hungry caterpillars. Below is a picture of them grazing on the blue vine milkweed.

By now, we must have close to 50 caterpillars in there! Hopefully, I will have enough leaves and flowers to hold out. I will let you know how it turns out.

(Extra hungry Monarch caterpillars eating Blue Vine milkweed)

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

How Milkweed Flowers Can Help You Rear Monarchs

2015-04-08T16:30:00.002-05:00

Well, the Monarchs have been coming through the area the last few weeks. Yesterday, after seeing some predatory flies trying to lay eggs on our caterpillars, we decided to rescue them and bring them inside to safety. The kids are getting leaves and milkweed flowers for the cats, which brings me to a little helpful tip for you.

If you are raising Monarchs, you know those little caterpillars can have a voracious appetite. One cat can consume 20 full sized milkweed leaves from birth to chrysalis. It doesn't take many to decimate even a large milkweed plant. If you're raising them indoors to protect them, it's not uncommon to run short on milkweed leaves. How can you get the most out of your plants?

Well, one way is to cut the flowers off and feed them to the caterpillars too. Yes, they will eat the flowers. Harvesting the flowers helps you and your plants out in a couple of ways. First, it stretches out your leaves so they will go farther. Second, when the flowers are cut off, this sends a signal to the plant to make more flowers. After a plant flowers and mades seeds, it begins to slow down because it has accomplished its purpose to propagate its species. Removal of the flowers suspends this "slow down" process and actually stimulates the plant to increase it's production of leaves and flowers.

Feeding milkweed flowers and even green seed pods to my caterpillars has saved me and my Monarchs on numerous occasions. Give it a try, and you'll no doubt be amazed at how much farther your milkweed plants will go in rearing your monarch caterpillars.

(Can you see the baby Monarch caterpillar on the underside of the leaf?)

(No shortage of milkweed flowers here.)

(Some of the many caterpillars we rescued today.)

Well, back to our story for today. We have collected some 30-50 Monarch caterpillars and have them in 2 pavillions in our house. Hopefully, most if not all will make it. Time to go harvest some leaves and flowers again.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

More Monarchs Released Within The last Week

2015-03-05T22:07:00.001-06:00

We took some of this last batch of Monarch chrysali' up to my daughter's first grade class and let them release them when they came out. According to their teacher, they thoroughly enjoyed the experience. When I was delivering the chrysali' to my daughter's class, it amazed me how all the students in the hallway were enthralled by the caterpillars and chrysali'. There's just something so appealing about butterflies. It's hard to resist them.

All totaled, they released 4 females and 2 males. Additionally, we released one female here at home. So, that's a total of 7 more Monarchs which brings our grand total of Monarchs raised and released to 2,084.

There are 3 chrysali' left here at home in one of our pavilions. Also, my son has a Pipevine Swallowtail chrysalis that should be emerging soon. Hopefully, we can post some pictures of it too.

After Spring Break, we plan to do a milkweed activity with the students. If all goes well, each student will have a milkweed plant to take home and plant.

Happy Monarching,

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

The Latest Batch Begins To Emerge

2015-02-22T10:08:00.001-06:00

Last Thursday, February 19th, we took the first 5 Monarchs from this latest batch up to my daughter's 1st grade elementary school class. They were thrilled to see the butterflies. Later that day, after lunch, they released them. There were 3 females and 2 males. Due to the cold temperatures and smaller supplies of milkweed, they were slightly smaller than average.

Additionally, one female Monarch emerged this morning in our mudroom. She had fallen from her silk pad, so we tied some thread to her stem and hung her in the mudroom. She emerged just fine this morning. So, as of today, we have raised a grand total of 2,077 Monarchs!

There are 6 more chrysali' in the pavilion at school. One or two of them are Queen butterflies. We help them out too when we can. We will give you an update after they emerge. This year's 2014-2015 winter season has been unique in that we have not hit 32 degrees the whole winter. The lowest we have gotten to is around 37. So, we have had Monarchs hang around for the whole winter for the first time. As the climate changes and warms, so do does their migratory behavior. Hopefully the migration will not fall apart.

I am hoping that these new butterflies will be able to head north with their fellow monarchs when they pass through this area between March 1st - 15th. We will keep you posted.

In my next post, I will review a couple of different ways to propagate milkweed.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

Monarchs On The Gulf Coast Year Round

2015-02-17T10:32:00.001-06:00

This winter, I have observed something new here on the Texas Gulf Coast. Monarchs have stayed here through the winter. For the first time since I moved here in the fall of 2008, we have not had a winter freeze of any sort. The lowest temperatures thus far for this winter have been in the upper 30's. Today, we are having a cold snap. Last night's low was 40. As the climate continues to warm, this is affecting the migration of the Monarchs. The warmer it gets, the less numbers will migrate south for the winter. Previously, we have always had a true freeze 1-3 times during each winter. Without any true freezes, any Monarchs born after the migration period tend to stay in the area. Two times this winter, we have raised 2 batches of 12+ Monarchs and released them.

Currently, we have 12 chrysali'. The first Monarch emerged from its chrysalis last night. The 2nd one is turning dark today. As soon as the temperature warms up, we will release them. It might work out that some of these guys will join the northern migration as they fly through the area next month. Normally, the Monarchs migrate through here between March 1st through the 15th. We look forward to seeing them.

Again, I want to take this opportunity to encourage all my readers to plant as much milkweed as you can. Since one caterpillar can consume 20 full sized milkweed leaves, and since 1 female Monarch can lay 600+ eggs during her lifetime, you can see how strong the need for milkweed is. That is the #1 thing we can do to help the Monarchs. Also, do not put pesticides on your milkweed plants as this will kill the butterfly caterpillars. Removal of other insects by hand or by spraying them off with water is the best way to take care of unwanted pests on your milkweed.

One last note: On February 7th, my family was invited to do a presentation on the Monarch butterfly at a nearby Chamber of Commerce meeting. All went well, and many were educated about the plight of the Monarch. We mentioned that the area of Texas that we live in is called "Butterfly Alley". One landscpaper was there from the community. He said he will plant more milkweeed as he landscapes yards in his area. We felt really good about that. So, if you are hiring a landscaper to beautify your yard, please ask him to plant milkweed and not to use poison on it.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren

savethemonarch1@gmail.com

P.S. The first Monarch from this batch is a female. :-)

Rescued From The Cat's Claw

2014-12-13T17:45:00.002-06:00

Two days ago, I picked my daughter up from school and brought her home. As we pulled up into the driveway, she noticed a Monarch butterfly on the cement. It looked like the family cat had just pounced on it and was about to again. We jumped out quickly and rescued the butterfly. She had emerged from her chrysalis that day, but her wings were not fully dry. The cat had probably disturbed her. Anyway, we got her, brought her inside and fed her. She rested for 24 hours, and then we released her. This brings our total Monarchs raised to 2,071.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren

Some Monarchs Didn't Go To Mexico This Year (Events From November 2014)

2014-11-27T11:05:00.001-06:00

About two weeks ago, we had a cold snap. Temperatures dropped down into the upper 30s. My 6 year old daughter Laura has an eagle eye for spotting Monarch butterflies and caterpillars. A few days before that, I had noticed a female Monarch hanging around our Milkweed plants. Apparently, she laid a number of eggs, because Laura spotted caterpillars on that cold afternoon. Well, we just had to bring them inside and save them.

The good news is that it looks like we will be able to successfully release 10 into the wild. Of course, their fellow Monarchs have already migrated to Mexico by now, so they will be forced to hang out here. But at least they will be able to enjoy themselves until the first frost. Who knows, perhaps that will be weeks from now.

We took these caterpillars and chrysalis' up to Lala's school so they could enjoy them last week. Unfortunately, they are all emerging during the holiday week off, so the kids won't get to see it this time. However, we are taking pictures and videos to show them next week. And, we have plans to work with Laura' teacher and class next spring to raise some in their classroom. We plan to post more about that then.

One last note: this past season, scientists say the overwintering Mexico population was down 50% from the previous year. That's substantial. One thing that definitely helps is getting Milkweed and growing it in your yard. It never fails to draw Monarchs too. They can smell it for miles away. Please check with your local nursery. They may well have Milkweed plants in stock. If not, ask them to please get some in. Thanks for your help.

Happy Monarching,

Caleb, Janae, Joshua & Laura Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

P.S. Our total Monarch rearing and release total is now 2,070!

First Monarchs of the 2014 Season Spotted in Aransas Pass, TX !!!

2014-03-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

Exciting news! Yesterday, my family spotted two Monarch butterflies in the area. The first was outside my son's school. The 2nd was in our yard! It always helps to have Milkweed present. They can sniff it out from astounding distances.

Today, my daughter spotted another Monarch in the yard again on our Milkweed plants. I took a picture of it. (See photo below)

(Monarch sited in Aransas Pass, Texas on March 21, 2014)

I think it's a female.

With all the tragic news I've heard recently about the overwintering populations having fallen by 50% or more this year, it is so good to see them coming through the area heading north to Canada.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren

Sad News For the Monarchs this past 2013 Winter

2014-02-14T22:29:00.000-06:00

I saw this article on CNN today and decided to share it. The entire Monarch population fit in the area about the size of a football field this past 2013 winter. It this continues, this species may not be around much longer.

The article points out that the loss of the Milkweed plant in its migratory route is one of the main reasons for the demise of the Monarchs. I have several plants in my yard and try to add a few more each year. Please help spread the word to plant more Milkweed plants. Every little bit helps.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/14/opinion/roberts-monarch-butterflies/index.html?hpt=hp_t4

Monarchs Are Heading South Again

2013-09-10T22:29:00.001-05:00

Well, Monarchs have left Canada and begun their 2000 mile trek to Central Mexico. Be sure to keep an eye out for them. I live on the Texas Gulf coast, and they usually come through here between October 1-15. I'll keep you posted if I see any coming through this year.

One bit of good news is that recent rains here are bring relief from the horrible drought this year. Last year, the drought made it very difficult for the butterflies to make their journey south. At least they will have plenty of water and flowers to get nectar from as they travel this fall.

On a sad note, Monarch habitat and numbers of Monarchs making the annual migration continue to drop. Below are a couple of articles with more information.

http://www.weather.com/news/science/nature/monarch-butterflies-threatened-logging-20130910

http://www.weather.com/news/science/nature/monarch-butterflies-mexico-20130314

Happy Monarching!

Caleb, Janae, Joshua & Laura Ann

Planting Milkweed In Your Yard Is Vital

2013-03-14T22:41:00.002-05:00

I just came across this article tonight. If this doesn't convince you of the importance of planting milkweed in your yard and on your property, I don't know what will.

It's so sad to see species like this dwindling towards extinction. Monarchs are at an all time low. I wonder how many more years we will even have an annual migration if this continues.

Here is the link.

http://news.yahoo.com/monarch-butterflies-drop-ominously-mexico-023630858.html

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

Ahhhh Spring!

2013-03-14T12:32:00.001-05:00

Springtime is one of my favorite times of the year. Of course, here on the coastal bend of Texas, we have a much milder winter than other parts of the country, so sometimes the transformation is not quite as dramtic as the northern areas of the country. Nonetheless, it is still beautiful and breathtaking.

I took a few pictures this morning in my yard to share with you. I hope I get to take a pic of a Monarch passing through. I'll keep my camera nearby.

Sand Milkweed growing in my front yard. It returns every year.

Blue Vine Milkweed growing on my Lantana bush. Lantana is a favorite nectar flower of Monarch butterflies.

Blue Vine Milkweed growing on my chain link fence. I'm encouraging it's growth.

Milkweed bug. They eat up Milkweed that the Monarchs need. I usually remove them.

Blue Vine Milkweed growning on the ground. That doesn't work out too well when it comes time to mow the grass.

Blue Vine Milkweed growing near my children's slide

Wildflowers in our yard. They're just coming out.

More wildflowers. I love the diversity.

This year, my goal is to encourage Milkweed to grow in my yard. This will help the Monarch on its annual migratory route. Check with your local nurseries. Ask them to carry Milkweed. Buy some and plant it in your yard. It's pretty hardy. Here locally, I've found some nice plants every year at Turner's Nursery in Corpus Christy.

I tried to transplant some Blue Vine milkweed to other places in my yard, but it didn't turn out so well. It's strange - on it's own, it can spread just fine. But, if I try to help it along, it doesn't respond well. So, I'll just water and let it do its thing.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren

savethemonarch1@gmail.com

2013 Monarchs Have Been Sighted!

2013-03-14T11:12:00.000-05:00

Exciting news! We have had three Monarch butterfly sightings in the last three days! Sadly, I wasn't able to get a picture in time. They were moving through with haste. So, our first 2013 sighting was on March 11th. I never get tired to seeing them come through year after year.

Have the Monarchs reached your area? Have you seen any? Please let us know. Pictures are welcome.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

Amazing Sights This Spring

2011-09-19T09:16:00.001-05:00

Dear Readers,

So much has been happening this Spring, I hardly know where to begin. I have really seen some amazing sights this season. Before I share my experiences, let me mention that I've decided this year to focus on raising as much Milkweed in my yard as I can. I'm not ruling out the possibility of rearing a few Monarchs this fall, but my primary focus will be on Milkweed. Interestingly, if you plant Milkweed, the Monarchs will find you. It's amazing how they sniff it out.

1. Our first Monarch sighting was on March 8th of this year. Normally, the Monarchs reach our area between March 1st and 15th each year. It was such a pleasure to see them return as they are heading back north to Canada.

2. Just the other day, my children and I had the experience of a lifetime - something I have never witnessed before in the wild. We were playing in the front yard of our home, when suddenly, what looked like a Monarch butterfly came falling to the ground from a nearby tree. Upon closer inspection, it was two Monarchs - a male and female. The male had grabbed the female either in the tree or in midair, and the two fell to the ground together. I suddenly realized that I was observing a pair of wild Monarchs mating for the first time in my life. After about a minute or so on the ground, the pair were coupled, and the male suddenly lifted off carrying the female with him. He flew them to a nearby tree and landed on a branch there so they wouldn't be disturbed. It was quite a remarkable sight. I was hoping to get it on videotape, but by the time I got the camera, they were flying away and it was too late. So, I learned it's important to always have your camera/camcorder nearby when your outside watching nature. You never know what you might see.

3. Just yesterday, my family and I took my parents, who are in town visiting from South Carolina, to a nearby state park called Goose Island State Park. There we took them to see "Big Tree", an enormous giant Texas Live Oak that is over 1,000 years old! While there, we saw Monarchs traveling through on their way towards Canada.

Well, sorry for this belated post, but those are some of the highlights from this Spring here on the Gulf Coast.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb

Hummingbirds Are An Exception

2011-09-19T09:05:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone,

As everyone in the country knows, Texas has been in a horrible drought this year. Up until last week in which we got a couple of brief showers, we hadn't had any rainfall in about six months. Needless to say, that has made it difficult to do any kind of horticulture or work with my butterflies. It's just been to hot and dry.

This year's 4th or 5th generation of Monarch's have already left Canada now and are on their way to Mexico. Last year, I noticed that they began to appear in our area close to Corpus Christi in the first two weeks of October. It will be interesting to see if they come through at the same time this year or not.

In other news, a couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law Heather sent an email out to everyone about remembering to have our hummingbird feeders out because they are migrating through, and it being so dry, they need our help. I'm so glad she did that, because I had taken mine down due to repairs and painting on my house and had forgotten to put them back up.

Well, I went ahead and put them back up again, and to my surprise, two hummingbirds were feeding from them the very next morning! Fast forward to this morning and there are eight feeding together and getting along pretty well. I filled up the feeder yesterday afternoon, and it is almost empty this morning. I have two feeders, but one seems to work better than the other. The other one tends to leak. I plan to get a few more feeders when I have the chance. They are facinating to watch.

I came across this video on YouTube which shows hummingbirds eating out of people's hands. I think you will enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=EUEZkwJulBY&feature=fvwp

Additionally, I have posted below some pictures and a video clip of my feeder. I hope you enjoy them. As I mentioned in an earlier post, normally I don't encourage birds to reside in my yard because they tend to eat butterflies. However, the hummingbird is an exception since they eat only nectar.

I hope you enjoy the hummingbirds and Monarch butterflies that will be migrating through your area this fall.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

(Hummingbirds feeding at my house - 09/19/2011)

(Up to eight hummingbirds were feeding together at this one feeder!)

(Someone's getting a cool morning drink of nectar.)

2011 Monarch Butterfly Season Coming Up Soon

2011-01-19T18:04:00.001-06:00

Hello Everyone!

What an exciting year 2010 was. Personally I raised over 60 Monarchs bringing my lifetime total to 2060. At first, I was disappointed that I didn't raise more. I'm typically used to rearing hundreds a season. However, there were several factors that contributed to my low numbers.

1. Environment. The environment here in south Texas is a bit different than what I am used to in Georgia. It's hotter, more humid, and more arid at the same time. It's an unusual experience living here on the coast.

2. Predators. There are predators here that I didn't experience in Georgia. The Tacinid flies are particularly rough here. Fire ants too decimated close to one hundred of my caterpillars.

What I will Do Different This Year:

1. Start Early. I plan to start earlier this year than last. Hopefully we can get an early jump on the predators and raise a batch or two before the flies and ants get too bad.

2. Keep The Caterpillars Cool. I think some of my caterpillars and butterflies overheated last summer. Again, it's way hotter down here than what I am used to. So, I plan to relocate my butterfly pavilion to a spot that will get more shade and less full sun. We'll see how it goes.

3. Keep It Simple. I like to go all out on projects that I work on. However, a lot can be accomplished with a minimal investment. So, my goal is to raise as many butterflies as possible on a small budget.

So, I'm setting a small goal for myself of raising 70+ Monarchs this year. Will I make it? I'll keep you posted.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb Warren
http://helpsavethemonarch.calebwarren.com/
http://shop.calebwarren.com/

Are You Ready For Fall 2010 Migration?

2010-08-20T18:16:00.001-05:00

Believe it or not, around this time the Monarch Butterflies in Canada are getting ready to start their fall migration. They will start to leave Canada around September 1st. They travel, on average, about 50 miles a day. It takes them about two months to reach their overwintering sites in the mountains of Central Mexico. So, Monarchs maybe coming through your area in the near future.

So far this year, I've raised and released 63 Monarchs, bringing my total raised to 2,063. My goal this fall is to raise and release 100 Monarchs. Currently, I have 16 chrysalises in my outdoor pavillion. It's a good start. The challenge will be to get them to mate as soon as possible so we can get the next generation here. All my butterflies will be tagged with migration tags, in cooperation with the outreach program at the University of Kansas program called Monarch Watch. Migration tags can be purchased at the Monarch Watch website: http://www.monarchwatch.org/ The tags are affixed to the right wing of the butterfy in a specific location, and does not harm or inhibit the butterfly's flight whatsoever. Who knows, maybe some of my tagged butterflies will make it to the migration site this year and be recovered next spring by the scientists in Mexico. We'll see.

Interestingly, almost all of my current 16 caterpillars made their chrysalises on the underside of the Milkweed plant leaves. It looks like a butterfly bush for real. See the photos below.

39 and Counting

2010-07-18T20:24:00.000-05:00

Hello Fellow Monarch Enthusiasts,

I just wanted to give you a brief update. Daily, the Monarchs from Wave 3 are emerging, and we are promptly releasing them every evening. My two year old daughter Laura Ann enjoyed releasing them, and my nine year old son does too. Yesterday, we released one mail that emerged. Today, four more emerged - 3 females and one male! I am so happy to see some more females. We have had so many males this season.

This evening, we released the four Monarchs, and the kids really enjoyed this. My little girl waves bye and gives each one a farewell greeting.

Additionallly, I noticed 3 more Queen caterpillars on my outdoor Milkweed plants. Since they don't eat nearly as much as the Monarchs do, they are no real threat to my Milkweed plants, and I do not bother them. Hopefully, no predators will get them.

I am hoping to have a good number of Monarchs to release this fall. Timing is everything. I sure hope that some of my tagged Monarchs will make it to Mexico and be found by the researchers next Spring. How very exciting that would be.

So, our total releases to date is 39! We only have one left from the 3rd wave to emerge. Then, wave 4 will begin.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

Miracle Monarch Makes It!

2010-07-16T20:07:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I reported on an extremely small caterpillar that, while in the J Shape, fell from its perch. Amazingly, it pupated while laying on its side. It's rare to see this since a fall usually results in the caterpillar bursting open and dying. However, this one did not.

Well, yesterday, the little tiny butterfly emerged, and I'm happy to report that the little female is doing fine. We released her last night along with four of her brothers and sisters. Today, two more healthy males emerged, and we released them this evening.

(Very small female Monarch the successfully emerged after having pupated while laying on her side!)

Thus far, we have released a total of 34 Monarchs this year. Six or seven more are still left in this 3rd wave. We anxiously await to see how they do.

I went ahead and ordered migration tags for my fall batch of Monarchs this year. I decided to get 100 of them. We'll see if I can raise that many this fall. The tags are afixed to the right wing in a specific location. If they make it to Mexico, they might be caught and their tag information retreaved. This info is all housed in a main database at the University of Kansas. Tagging Monarchs is a fun exercise with your children or students and does not harm the butterflies in any way. For more information or to order your tags, visit http://www.monarchwatch.org/

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

Miracle Monarch Pupation

2010-07-13T13:54:00.001-05:00

Here's an interesting story for you. One of my recent caterpillars in the 3rd Wave was about to pupate. He was in the J Shape. For some reason, he fell from his silk pad. There was no way for me to reattach him. So, I simply laid him in a tuperware bowl to see what would heppen. My 9 year old son and I had a lively discussion about the possibilities. I told him it was possible for the caterpillar to successfully pupate even though it's on its side. Well, to our great surprise and wonderment, that's exactly what happened. The caterpillar successfully shed his 4th instar skin while lying on his side! I've only seen this happen one other time when I was raising Monarchs in Georgia.

(Monarch caterpillar pupates while lying on its side!)

One unexpected side effect of this is that his chrysalis stuck to the side of the tuperware bowl. So, I simply stood up the bowl. We'll see if the butterfly emerges properly or not.

So, this batch of Monarchs has some interesting butterflies in it. It will be interesting to see if all 14 chrysalises make it. We'll keep you posted.

Happy Monarching!!!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

Pupation - A Critical Time For Monarch Caterpillars

2010-07-13T13:44:00.000-05:00

Well, all of the caterpillars from Wave 3 are now in chrysalises. We currently have 14. One, however, had difficulty shedding its skin entirely when it pupated. I waited 24 hours and then I removed it manually. However, the skin had covered up the cremaster and upper tip of the chrysalis. This area was weak, soggy and wanted to pull away entirely from the chrysalis. I carefully removed the skin, tied a piece of thread around the cremaster, and hung it on a nail in our mud room. I am very uncertain if it will make it or not. However, I have seen worsely formed chrysalises come out as unscathed beautiful adult Monarchs. So, we will wait and see. One lesson from this is the importance of the caterpillar fully shedding the skin when it pupates. It's a critical time for them. If they don't, it prevents them from forming properly inside the chrysalis.

(Chrysalis with soft top. This is due to not fully shedding the 4th instar skin at time of pupation. The chrysalis may not properly form due to this.)

As for Wave 4, well they're coming on with a vengence. They are in the outdoor pavillion, and they are almost ready to pupate now! Literally overnight, about half of the Milkweed plants have been virtually denuded of leaves! These guys sure can eat. I have no idea how many are in there. I won't have a full count for a while yet. However, many of them are in instar 4 already! One thing that I have learned from this is that they mature much faster outdoors than indoors.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

Here Comes Caterpillar Wave #3

2010-07-05T12:16:00.001-05:00

Well, we are past the bad weather now, and everything is starting to dry off. I noticed my Blue Vine Milkweed is doing well. My sidecluster Milkweed plants have bloomed and are attempting to set seed.

One thing I've noticed about Blue Vine Milkweed is that the leaves tend to last longer than those of the Tropical Milkweed plant. In other words, they do not shrivel quickly after they have been removed from the plant. That is a real plus when you need to feed the caterpillars apart from a live plant.

This weekend, I released the last three butterflies from batch #2. So, we started with 50+ caterpillars and ended up raising and releasing 20 adults. Our total for this year is 27, and our all time grand total is 2,027.

Many of our caterpillars were killed by fire ants. I am now attempting to poison them and remove them from the area. Also, the installation of a water mote system around my pavillion has discouraged insects from getting on the pavillion. Don't forget to put 1-2 capfuls of bleach to further discourage insects and to prevent mosquitos from breeding there.

Of course, we also had numerous caterpillars die due to predatory flies. When we buy plants from the nursery, most of the caterpillars on them are infected this way. It's very sad to see them die this way. So, to have 20 make it to adulthood is not so bad. In fact, it's a way higher average than would naturally occur in the wild.

So, being totally out of butterflies, I went to the nursery and bought one plant this weekend. We gathered up a number of caterpillars and put them on the plant. Interestingly, since we brought it home, we have already had a dozen or more caterpillars die. Most died no doubt due to bacteria infection. The shrivled up and turned black.

(Our caterpillar tree. Numerous cats from the nursery.)

Even though there are so many ways for Monarchs to die, if you get a good pair and are careful to keep things clean, you can normally have a good percentage of success.

Right before I let my last female go, she mated and layed numerous eggs on the Milkweed plants in my outdoor pavillion. Hopefully, many of them will make it. I will keep you posted.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com
http://www.savethemonarch.calebwarren.com/
http://www.shop.calebwarren.com/

Wet, Wet, Wet!

2010-06-30T13:10:00.000-05:00

With Hurricane Alex threatening to hit this area, it's been quite busy the last 24 hours. I went ahead and released the three female Queen butterflies yesterday. Even though we've had some rainfall in the last 24 hours, I'm sure they found shelter and are safe and sound.

I have two male Monarchs and one female left. I'm hoping they will mate soon and she will lay a few more eggs for me. I have them in a small pavillion with a Milkweed plant. The presence of the plant encourages them to mate.

It now appears we will not get a direct hit from Hurricane Alex but will merely get some rain and a little wind. I sure am enjoying the break from the severe heat. It has been quite rough the last month or so.

(It seems Hurricane Alex will not hit us directly. Whew!)

Our new eggs have yet to hatch. We're watching them closely and will keep you posted.

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com

Two Queens Emerge!

2010-06-28T21:16:00.000-05:00

Well, we have some exciting news today. First off, our first Queen butterfly emerged from its chrysalis which was hanging in our Mud Room. Being a female, it's truly a queen. Additionally, our last of two Monarch chrysalises emerged today- also a female. So, we'll have the possibility of getting some more eggs soon if all goes well.

(Queen chrysalis - it greatly resembles a Monarch's, but is smaller)

(Our new female Queen butterfly)

We have had so few females this season. My wife Janae wonders if temperature has anything to do with the male/female ratio? That's good question. I'll have to do some research and see what I find. Irregardless, female Monarchs have been few and far between. I'm very excited to have one at the moment.

Our Corpus Christi area was put under a hurricane watch today. I've just got my pavillion set up the way I want it, but I may have to dismantle everything in a few days. We'll keep you updated. We may have to evacuate some butterflies with us. That may be a first eh?

Happy Monarching!

Caleb & Janae Warren
savethemonarch1@gmail.com