Wings in my garden

Raising Monarchs - Encouraged Egg Laying (How To Have Monarch Butterflie...

2015-07-23T22:43:00.001-04:00

New experiences ~

2015-03-06T14:47:00.000-05:00

     I recently decided to expand my knowledge of butterflies thanks to a wonderful woman that I know. She is very knowledgeable about them and has many connections with others who do also.
I went on my first butterfly count with her early this summer. Although we didn't see very many and the conditions weren't the best in some of the parks we visited, it was still a wonderful experience and was fun to hang out with someone who enjoys these beautiful winged creatures as much, if not more than I do. She is also involved with the local Audubon Society and is very knowledgeable about birds as well. She is always so interesting to listen to and talk to.
Today we went to a nature center and listened to the local Butterfly expert "Dick Smith" give a presentation on the butterflies we might find at that particular center, followed by a Butterfly walk. It was quite hot and humid out today but thanks to a few shady areas and a few brief gust of wind, we made it through. The walk was attended by 5 men and 4 women. Dick was our leader and was accompanied by a entomologist Richard, who also dabbles in other areas such as; fungi, mosses, plants, etc... The majority of butterflies that we spotted we types of skippers. Skippers are the tiny little butterflies that some people think are moths. Some of them are easy to identify, but many of them are not. They can have as such subtle differences in the number of spots, lines, mottling, etc... I have decided that I'm really going to work on trying though! The walk was through a preserved area that at this time of year, very few wild flowers were blooming. There was a lot of Blazing Star, which is a wild variety of Liatris. The Liatris I have in my gardens bloomed earlier this summer and seemed to attract quite a few butterflies as well. The path was mostly dirt and rocks, and very dry. We came prepared with water to drink, hats, sunglasses, cameras, binoculars, and bug repellent. I think I will be asking for a nice pair of butterfly binoculars for Christmas this year! I mostly used my camera to spot things but had a hard time focusing in on some of the smaller butterflies. All in all, it was a great day. Earlier in the day, since we got to the nature center a little early, Pat (my butterfly friend) mentioned that there was a unusual bird that was spotted at another nature center not to far away. So we decided to go to see if it was still around. I enjoy birds as well and was kind of interested to see what this bird would look like. The Nature Center was beautiful as were that grounds. The girl at the information desk showed us a path to take to a nice blind, where we sat and enjoyed watching a chickadee, nuthatch, titmouse, a couple chipmunks, and a new bird for me ~ an Oven Bird. There were a couple of them feeding on the ground. It's so nice to see these centers preserving areas for the wildlife.
     One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing "nature habitat" areas not taken care of properly. There is a local park that I've been to often and found many monarch eggs and caterpillars over the past few years. The first year I discovered it was by accident. My son had just picked up playing disc golf, so we googled parks that had disc golf courses. We stopped by on our way home from visiting my family, just to check it out. There is a large pond for fishing at the park, so I wanted to go look for milkweed, while my some threw a few discs. There was a lot of it around the pond, common milkweed and swamp milkweed. I didn't have anything to collect the eggs or cats in, so I told my son we'd come back the next day. He could practice the disc golf and I'd go looking for the eggs and cats. When we got there the next morning, I was shocked to find that someone had weed whacked most of the milkweed down. They had to have just done it, so I went around picking up the cut off stalks of milkweed and checked for any eggs or cats. I found around 66 eggs and a few cats on what had been cut down. I was furious. I sent an email out to the parks services about it but never heard back. The next couple of years seemed to be better. This year I stopped by only to find that they went from weed whacking it, to mowing it down with one of those huge mowers with the arms. Arrrggghhh!!!! This is supposed to be a "natural habitat". This time, I am going to do more that write an email. The county I live in, even mowed down all the milkweed along the road I live on while I was away on vacation this year ~ double Arrrggghhh!!!!
Moral of the story ~ we need to start planting more milkweed and stop people from cutting it down. On that note ~ I think I've rambled on enough for one evening. I will try to upload a few pictures from my adventures today. Take care and thanks for stopping by!

WINTER BIRDS IN MY YARD

2015-03-06T14:46:00.000-05:00

The birds have been busy emptying my feeders this winter and with all this snow, it's been tricky keeping them filled. I have been slacking on putting out the suet cakes, so I haven't seen many woodpeckers lately. Guess I'd better get on that. I'm always curious why the the birds come out in droves when it is snowing or blustery outside. This past storm I set out a tray of seed on my deck and within minutes, there were plenty of birds filling their little bellies. Most of the photos I've taken recently have been shot through my kitchen windows. I'll be glad when it warms up enough to sit outside and take them. I've also heard of a pair of bald eagles that have been spotted several times in a field nearby, that I can't wait to try to get photos of. Here are a few of the bird that have visited my feeders recently. Nothing unusual but they are still beautiful birds!

Female Northern Cardinal

Male Northern Cardinal

Dark Junco

Goldfinch

Tufted Titmouse

Male Norther Cardinal

Female Northern Cardinal

Blue Jay

DON'T FORGET TO FEED OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS!

Thanks for visiting!

Good news for the Monarch Butterfly

2015-03-06T14:25:00.000-05:00

It's been a LONG winter and spring can't come soon enough. The temperatures in Maryland this winter, have been unbelievably bone chilling. Although, I'm sure they don't even compare with the weather they've been having in Boston. I guess I should count my blessings! I am anxious to start planting in my gardens and enjoying the beautiful butterflies that will visit. The numbers of butterflies last year were really low, in part due to the previous years winter. I hope that this years winter won't make an even bigger drop in their numbers. I can hardly wait to go on my monarch egg and caterpillar hunts with my Mom and sharing my passion with my family, friends, and patients. There has been some great progress when it comes to trying to save the monarch butterfly from demise that I would like to share with you. Even the government has gotten involved. Here is an interesting link telling just how!

www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/09/us-launches-plan-to-halt-decline-of-monarch-butterfly

You can do your part as well by planting milkweed in your yard, gardens, or evening in your child's school's gardens. Local parks are also great for starting butterfly gardens to help. If you are having trouble finding milkweed seeds or plants, check out Monarchwatch.com or Swallowtailseeds.com.
There are plenty of varieties to choose from that would look beautiful in any garden.

GOT MILKWEED?

Scarlet Tanager

2013-10-02T23:12:00.001-04:00

One evening, as I opened my mudroom door to toss something into the recycling bin in my garage, I saw something fly past me. At first I thought it was a goldfinch that had gotten trapped. I of course, grabbed my camera. Upon closer inspection, I realized that it wasn't a goldfinch after all. So I got out my bird guide and searched until I found out what it was. It was a Scarlet Tanager! I immediately closed my garage door and ran to call my neighbor who loves birds as well. She came right over and we just watched and took photos, while my 19 year old son, thought we were nuts! Here are a few shots ~

After the photo shoot, we opened the garage door and waited, and waited, and waited...

finally we decided that it would leave when it was ready.

It found a comfy spot to rest on an old antique bicycle that was hanging from the ceiling.

By morning, it was gone and I haven't seen it since.

It was quite a treat to see though ~ another check in my bird book!!!

Thanks for visiting ~ and keep your eyes open ~ and maybe your garage doors too!

Monarch rearing

2013-07-20T23:08:00.001-04:00

I have started my monarch rearing for this year. I was lucky enough to find 9 eggs so far, one on a milkweed plant down my road and the rest on the milkweed in my yard. I was also lucky enough to be able to video one of the eggs hatching! Here is a link to my video on youtube and a few photos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEsJW3Lj3Wc&feature=youtu.be

I was very upset to find that the county mowed down all the milkweed along the road I live on a few days ago. There must have been at least 30 plants. If it starts coming back up in time for the monarchs to use it, I will put signs in front of it ~ PLEASE DO NOT MOW DOWN THE MILKWEED. I was actually kind of sick to the stomach when I first noticed it. They have no idea how important milkweed is to saving the monarch population that migrates to Mexico. Even more importantly in my area, as the ones that hatch in this area are the 4th generation that do the migrating. So if you see milkweed growing in you yard or on your road, do whatever you can to protect it!

Thank you for visiting ~ and plant some milkweed!

Viceroy and other butterflies ~

2013-07-20T22:50:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, I was sitting on my front porch, drinking my coffee, enjoying watching a few butterflies on one of my butterfly bushes, when I notice what I thought was a monarch on it. I grabbed my camera and when I got closer, I realized it wasn't a monarch at all. I was a Viceroy! The very first one I have ever seen, other than at a butterfly house. I also saw two of them the next day at a little park about 10 miles away, that has a naturalized butterfly area. There really seems to be a huge decrease in the number of butterflies I am seeing in my yard so far this year.
Today I saw three Tiger Swallowtails, a few skippers, and a few Clearwing hummingbird moths on my largest butterfly bush ~ in the past, I have had as many as a dozen Swallowtails on it at one time.

Viceroy

Great Spangled Frittilary

Red spotted purple

Black Swallowtail ~ male

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Black Swallowtail ~ male

Eastern tailed blues

Skipper

Clearwing hummingbird moths ~ multi-tasking!

Red spotted purple

Clearwing hummingbird moth

Silver spotted skipper

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail ~ female

Fiery skipper

Eastern tailed blue

Clearwing hummingbird moth

Easter Tiger Swallowtail ~ male

Eastern tailed blue

This is a garden art deal I purchased at my favorite nursery.

I had been noticing it for years and happened to mention how much I liked it to the gal behind the register. She looked for a price tag but couldn't find one. It definitely had some wear (Patina) on it, which gave it a little more character. She said she'd give it to me for $10. I couldn't pass it up!

Now it rests in the upper part of my backyard, in the area I let go wild, throw in some divided plants and wildflower seeds.

Thanks for visiting !

Bluebirds

2013-07-20T22:19:00.001-04:00

I saw a male bluebird trying to entise a female to build a nest for him. I will take a look in the box in a few days to see if she decided to accept him as her mate. After the last nest of bluebirds fledged earlier this summer, I cleaned out the old nest and sprayed the box with Clorox, left the door open for it to dry, then it was all ready for the next family to move in! I put mealworms out everyday to try to keep them in my yard! I buy live mealworms at Petsmart ~ 100 of them for about $5. I tried the freeze dried ones a few years ago, but they wouldn't eat them. I store the container of mealworms in my garage refrigerator to keep them alive and fresh.

Carolina wrens ~

2013-07-20T22:07:00.000-04:00

The Carolina wrens chicks have fledged. I had just taken a final photo of them in the nest, went in for dinner, and when I went back out side, I heard a lot of chirping going on. The parents were coaxing their little ones to spread their wings and fly! I grabbed my camera in time to catch the last little one making it's first flight. First it flew into the sturdy lilac tree, then to the not so sturdy butterfly bush. I hope they hang around for awhile!

Thanks for visiting!

Monarch season has begun!

2013-07-12T20:38:00.001-04:00

I was out walking this evening in search of more Spicebush swallowtail caterpillars (found one!) and thought I'd check out a few milkweed plants along my road. I must have searched 20 plants and finally found one egg! I got home and in the rain, decide to check out a few if my plants. I found 5 eggs before it started raining harder and getting darker. I can't wait until the morning to search for more!!! I really hope to photograph a monarch laying the eggs so that I have photos of the complete cycle! Here is the photo of my first egg!

The photo was taken with a microscope attachment for my iPhone. I bought it on Amazon for $5.00.

Hope to be able to take an image of the egg hatching! Take care all and get out there and plant some milkweed!

Carolina wrens

2013-07-12T17:31:00.001-04:00

The babies seem to be doing well. Momma and Daddy seen to be sharing the load of feeding them. I guess it won't be long before they fledge and start making nests if their own?

More Black Swallowtails!

2013-07-08T14:19:00.000-04:00

This morning I was talking to my Mom on the phone while on my morning run/walk. I was still talking to her as I got home and went over to sit on the deck steps to rest, when I noticed a black swallowtail flying around in the direction of my herb garden. I ran inside and grabbed my camera and was lucky enough to catch her laying eggs on the fennel. She really searched around it, trying to find a safe, secluded spot. She took a few breaks, going to feed on the Mexican sunflower in a nearby flower bed and then went back to lay a few more. She laid 7 in all, or at least that's all I could find. Here are a few of the pictures I was able to take. This was a first for me!

The first group of eggs, earlier this spring produced 18 butterflies so far, with 2 chrysalis' still to hatch of these Black Swallowtails. This female could have been one from that group ~ wouldn't that be great?! I will continue raising these eggs and any more I find. I am also currently raising Spicebush Swallowtails, if you haven't seen my previous posts about them. The caterpillars for those are really neat looking. I have one that is a chrysalis, 2 hanging - that should be chrysalis' by tonight or tomorrow, 2 large green cats, and one small brown cat to go. I am always looking for more while on my walks. Luckily, there are plenty of spicebushes, sassafras, and other host trees along the road I live on. They are very hard to find though, as they like to hide during the day and feed at night. I am anxiously waiting for the monarchs to come to my area. I have more milkweed planted in my yard this year and have seen alot growing along the road I live on. I have ordered 100 tags for my monarchs this year from "Monarch Watch" out of Kansas University. I ordered 50 last year but raised 66. I'm hoping to use up all my tags this year! I have my mother hooked on raising butterflies now too! I have read many posts on how other people raise their butterfly caterpillars, seems everyone has their own way of doing it. The way I do it is farely easy. I use the little watering tubes that you get from the florist to keep their food fresh and have different sizes of plastic critter keepers. I keep them in the smaller containers until they get big enough to put in my large cage. My large cage is made similarly to a rabbit cage, totally screened in so that they can't escape! I do have the Spicebush caterpillars in their own large cage, since their food source is different. It really is a lot of fun raising them and a great hobby for anyone, of any age! One hint though, ALWAYS wash your hands before handling their food or the caterpillars.

Hope I inspire more people to start!

Thanks for visiting ~ )!(

Milkweed

2013-07-07T15:24:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited to see so much milkweed growing along the roads in my area. There are even fields of milkweed, more so than I have seen in the past few years. Hopefully they won't be mowed down so that the monarchs can find a lot if host plants and make a huge comeback. The numbers of monarchs over-wintering in Mexico is way down. Part of the problem us due to the road crews mowing along the sides of the road and the farmers spraying insecticides. I can understand the latter because of the damage insects can do on their crops but, it is still part of the issue. So if you have any milkweed growing on your property, let it grow! Better yet, get some seeds and plant some! For some who aren't sure what milkweed looks like, here are a few images if the common milkweed you can easily spot!

Thanks for visiting and please stop back!

First Spicebush Swallowtail chrysalis

2013-07-07T15:24:00.001-04:00

My first Spicebush swallowtail cat has made it's chrysalis successfully! I currently have 4 more cats of different stages to go. I have really enjoyed raising these cats because of their unique cartoonish features. Here are a few images of the chrysalis and the other cats.

This last cat should be turning green by tomorrow ! The chrysalis should hatch in another 7-10 days!

As a side note ~ not all eggs found under leaves are worth collecting. I found this egg the other night and this crazy looking thing came out of it. Luckily I kept it in a separate dish, since I wasn't sure what was inside !

Yikes! Thanks for visiting! }!{

Spicebush swallowtail cat

2013-07-07T15:23:00.001-04:00

Here are a few shots of my Spicebush swallowtail cats! I now have 2 green cats, 2 smaller brown cats and one itty bitty baby I found last evening!

I tried uploading a short video, but doesn't seem to be an option from my phone.

Thanks for visiting and Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Baby wrens hatched today!

2013-07-07T15:12:00.001-04:00

Momma wren (Carolina wren) is very cooperative and let's me take photos without yelling or trying at attack!

Should be fun watching the grow!

Carolina wren chicks update.

2013-07-07T15:09:00.001-04:00

Mother wren is still being rarely cooperative and allowing me to snap a quick photo of her chicks. They have feathers now and are looking a little more bird-like. They are a few days old. My previous post about them didn't upload correctly so the exact daybeds are not accurate. Here is what they look like now!

ZThis is the second batch of wrens to hatch on my front porch this year. I have another nest in a wren house in my yard as well. I read that they will not use the same nest twice, so I cleaned out two of the other houses and hope so see them used again! I will try to continue taking photos of this brood, as long ad the Momma tolerates me! Have a great week!

Spicebush swallowtail

2013-06-26T23:20:00.001-04:00

This caterpillar is such an amazing and interesting creature. Today it turned yellow and emptied it's gut, which means its getting ready to become a chrysalis. The cartoon looks have helped endear this species to me. This is what it looks like tonight. It has attached itself to the side if the cage already.

I hope I am able to watch it change but something tells me, it will happen over night. I will post photos of the chrysalis soon. I am lucky enough to still have 4 more cats of different sizes and will continue the search for more! Thanks for visiting and hope you check in again soon! Take care }!{

House wrens

2013-06-22T01:46:00.001-04:00

I have always had a special place in my heart for wrens. The connection comes from a poem my Grandmother wrote for me when I was a teen, entitled "Jennie Wren"! She always did spell my nickname wrong, but that's okay. This year, I have been fortunate to have 2 nests of wrens right on my front porch. This first nest was made in a decorative little birdhouse I picked up at HomeGoods.

The second nest was made in a hanging basket filled with fuchsias.

The first nest isn't accessible to take images of, but luckily I should be able to get some nice shots from the second one! Stay tuned for more images of their progress!

Thanks for stopping by and have a spectacular weekend!

Spicebush Swallowtail Rearing!

2013-06-22T01:45:00.001-04:00

I started rearing butterflies a few years ago and until recently, I have only reared Black Swallowtails and Monarchs. This year, after careful searching, have started rearing Spicebush Swallowtails! I found 4 eggs so far, 3 of which have hatched, and one caterpillar. I love this particular caterpillar because of it's whimsical appearance. Initially, it looks like bird droppings but as it grows, it changes its looks as it has several instar stages. Here are some images I have taken ~

Keep posted for more images as this adorable cat continues it's journey to become a beautiful butterfly !

Monarch rearing season is here!!!

2012-08-17T22:33:00.001-04:00

I have been busy hunting for monarch eggs and caterpillars on any milkweed I can find. Most of them have been found on the road I live on. Here are some of the photos of my experiences so far ~

This was an exciting find for me ~ and a first!

And so it begins ~

Next ~ the egg hunt

I can't walk by or drive by a milkweed plant without wondering what might be hiding underneath those leaves. Many times, I will stop and check each individual leaf to see what suprizes are hidden. Sometimes I luck out and find a caterpillar, which gives me a better chance of having a butterfly in the end, as many of the eggs never hatch.

The caterpillars start out very tiny (about 1mm) ~ someday I will get a good, clear photo. I actually was able to watch a little caterpillar crawl out of it's egg just yesterday for the first time. They eat part of the egg shortly after hatching and then start munching on the milkweed leaf.

After about a week and a half, the caterpillar is now large (about 2.5") and ready to make it's chrysalis. I have witnessed this many times now and still am amazed at the process. The final result is as beautiful as a jewel.

Shortly before it's ready to hatch, the chrysalis looks dark.

You can see the monarchs wings through the clear shell of the chrysalis.

Usually within 24 hours, the butterfly will emerge.

The monarch emerges with it's wings all crinkled up and pumps fluid from it's abdomen into it's wings to inflate them. It will then hang for several hours, allowing it's wings to dry out for flight.

Once it is ready to go, I place a tag on it's wing and release it into my garden. Sometimes it will hang around for awhile, other times it will take flight immediately towards the tree tops to rest.

I get my tags from the "Monarch Watch" out of Kansas City University. The tag has a phone number and a "tag" number on them. The tags come with a log sheet that is sent back to Monarch Watch, where the information is loaded into a database.

The form asks for the date the monarch hatched, the tag #, the sex, whether it was reared or tag in the wild, and where it was released.

This was a lucky shot taken as the female monarch took flight.

You can see the tag through her wing if you look closely.

This chrysalis was very small ~ only about 2/3 the normal size.

I didn't think it was going to make it, but it finally hatched.

When it did, he was much smaller than the other ones that had hatched.

It also had a crinkled up left hind-wing and it's left antenna was only half the normal size.

Unfortunately, "Flutter" as I named him, won't be making the trip to Mexico, since he can't fly.

I will take care of him for as long as he lives. Last year , I had two hatch with defective wings and took care of them until they died around Thanksgiving. I fed them fresh fruit, applesauce, and a honey/water mix on a sponge once all the flowers stopped blooming.

Flutter has already been feeding on butterfly bush blossoms.

This next photo captures the tail end of a caterpillar shedding it's skin.

This female hatched today. Her front wings seem a little darker than normal ~ but she is very beautiful. She hung out on the sedum for an hour or so before flying off.

Zebra Swallowtails

2012-07-08T23:30:00.001-04:00

Recently, I was invited to a friends house for a pool party and was excited to see my first Zebra Swallowtail! These butterflies are just amazing ~ their colors and their long tails are incredible. The host plant for Zebra Swallowtails is the Paw Paw tree, so unless you have them near-by, your chance of having them is slim. I shared my excitement with my first patient the next day, while cleaning his teeth =) He told me he had hundreds of Paw Paw trees on his property and lots of Zebra Swallowtails! He graciously offered to give me some to try to transplant. So ~ after work, still in my scrubs, we road around his property in his golf cart, hunting for the perfect specimens. I also had my eyes out for butterfly eggs or caterpillars, but was unsuccessful. I planted the trees as soon as I got home. I looked on-line to see how to take care of them, so I am hopeful that at least a few of them will make it. Here are a few photos I took of the Zebra Swallowtails ~

This first one was a little tattered ~ it actually lost it's long tails :(

This female was drinking water that had splashed into the crack in the sidewalk.

Just beautiful~ I'm hoping to have a few of them in my yard next year. If the Paw Paw trees make it, I will probably order some of their eggs or caterpillars on-line to get them started in my area.

Wish me luck and as always ~ thanks for visiting!

Even birds have good Daddy's!

2012-06-18T22:05:00.000-04:00

Recently I have noticed quite a few immature birds around my feeders. This evening I found it to be especially cute, with Father's Day just a few days ago ~ to find a male Cardinal feeding his little one with safflower seeds that fell from the feeder. I think the little one is a female.

Check it out ~ I think you'll think it's cute too!

This next one looks as if the little one is pleading with it's Dad to have some more ~ Pwease !!!

See you next time!

Hummingbirds and more backyard birds ~

2012-06-18T17:27:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I've updated ~ life's been crazy with my parents celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and my son graduating high school! Things are finally starting to slow down a little. I've been taking lots of photos of the birds eating from my feeders and a couple hummingbirds that have been hanging around. So far, I have seen two different males and one female ruby-throated hummingbirds. The female hasn't been around much, which hopefully means that she is sitting on a nest somewhere up in the trees! I've also been experimenting with different settings on my camera to catch these speedy little birds. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Gray Catbird

Goldfinch

Piliated Woodpecker

Brown Thrasher

Female Ruby-throated hummingbird

Gray Catbird

Goldfinch

The following photos are of the male Ruby-throated hummingbird.

I tried shooting with a flash to get clearer shots of his wings. They seem to be most active between 8-8:30 in the evening. They are getting used to me being out there and don't seem to fly away as quickly!

Immature male Cardinal

Blue Jay doing a little acrobatics to get a snack!

Immature female Cardinal

A few more hummingbird shots ~

Thanks for stopping by ~ come back again soon!

Some new faces in my backyard ~

2012-05-07T23:09:00.001-04:00

I have seen a few new birds in my yard this spring ~ maybe I just wasn't paying attention before but I can't believe that I missed noticing the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I was in my kitchen eating breakfast when I noticed a new bird at the feeder. I grabbed my camera and was lucky that he decided to hang out awhile. I read that they are common to woodlands but somehow they have eluded me ~ til now.

The next two photos are of the Yellow-rumped "Myrtle" Warbler.

The funny thing is that they are sitting on my Crep Myrtle!

The first one is the female ~ the male has a yellow spot on the top of it's head.

Now for a few more common wings in my garden ~

I purchased a bag of 1500 ladybugs to help control the number of aphids attacking my herb garden ~ I don't think they have all hung around but the one who did have been mating!

This Northern Flicker pretty far away, still I wanted to add it to my list!

The Ruby-throated hummingbird is the only hummingbird common to our area. Occasionally a Rufous hummingbird has been spotted on the east coast ~

This next photo shows the hummingbirds eye-lid/membrane closed~

More to come soon~ thanks for visiting !