Oh darn! My one lingering pupa has bitten the dust!
more likely to be disease causing crumpled wings. I always find I get ‘stumpies’ towards the end of the season when population is big and pathogens are more abundant. Its sad but all part of nature.
Looks like 2 of my 3 chrysalids are dead. But my one emergee is a strong female and she flew off yesterday and I suspect it was her flying circles outside our house today … gorgeous day :). that’s what makes up for the fails .. just as well 🙂
This winter, I have got a whole lot of swan plants still in pots, which I have got covered with frost cloth, (Or old sheet!) They still seem to be looking good at this stage. We are in Waikato, have had some good frosts already. My caterpillar was still just a pupa today, 2nd or even 3rd day, it’s in the unheated greenhouse. Hoping for a healthy winged butterfly to emerge, to carry on the cycle in spring!!!!! I think I’d tend to try & at least move eggs & caterpillars out of the frosts. . . to a more sheltered spot, but not indoors.
Hi. I have had 3 chrysalises emerge the past 2 weeks and all have had one or two crumpled wings that dont improve with time in the sun. Whilst waiting for the butterflies to hatch, i moved the chyrsalises from the swan plant to a branch that i have outside under an awning so out of rain, sheltered but subject to cold temps. Is the malformation due to extended exposure to cold temp? Should i bring the rest of the chrysalises (at least 10 still hanging in there on my branch and also swan plants and turning black very slowly) into the garage or a cool dark room in the house? With the hatched i gave them a feed from a honey solution and put them into the sun (when we got some) hoping that would give them some energy to pump up their wings but to no avail.
one of my chrysalids emerged today … she is perfect 🙂 don’t think there is much chance of her getting clever ideas … its 5 tonight outside and will frost in some places.
I’ve given her the highly original name Matariki lol. not sure about the other two, one may be dead and the other its hard to say.
So looking ahead to some halfway decent weather .. not holding my breath for a sunny low wind day anytime soon.
I have just released one today,a fair to middling day.
I note that there are still some caterpillars (& eggs!!!!) on the swan plants outside. The ones I have taken inside have not done well, I theorise that the food is not good at this time of year; the leaves are yellowish. So have decided to let those outside take their chances………… It is July after all
Nice to meet you Chris!
Hope you’re surviving this wintry weather today.
Jacqui
Hello there! (This is my first post) I am enjoying my learning journey as I work through the online Course on How to create a Garden Habitat. I have grown swan plants for sale at our local Trash & Treasure Market (Cambridge) for many years now & I so enjoy meeting other people who are passionate about providing food for the Monarchs. In season I always take a plant that has a variety of stages of the life cycle on it – creates a lot of interest!
Currently I have a single caterpillar hanging like a J , it is taking it’s own sweet time & seems in no hurry to turn into a chrysalis! I have placed it in my (unheated ) greenhouse – out of the wind & frosts. I’ll release it out of there, once it emerges – on a fine day. Guess I’ll need to ensure nectar of some kind available if that fine day is slow in coming. . . .
right so they can go in the spare room now? off they go lol.
Leslie, you can keep them in a dark, cool room until they pupate and afterwards. Because we like to have a comfortable (for us) temperature inside our home, to the monarch this is like midsummer and so they continue to develop as normal.
What is best is to simulate conditions outdoors (cold and dull) but protected (no wind, rain, frost, snow etc). When they emerge on the first day when there is a hint of sunlight put them outdoors where they will get any sunshine and under cover – I have used an umbrella and an outdoor table and let them sense what the weather is REALLY like. They usually fly away within 48 hours, just fine.
It should not be necessary to take them anywhere… this could give them the wrong message about what should be an entirely natural process, and interfering with their navigation and overwintering systems.
Hope that helps.
Jacqui
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