The last of the Monarch Butterflies have flown away . . . a magical and seasonal ritual comes to an end . . . for me at least . . . until another year. Monarch migration is well under way with millions of Monarch butterflies on their way to Mexico.
Tag: butterflies
Common Copper Butterfly
New England is seeing the last of this year’s common copper butterflies. Click on my blog, UrbanWildlifeGuide.net to read about them. Lots more about butterflies and wildlife in my book — the Field Guide to Urban Wildlife.
Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis: Part Three ~ Emergence
This is the crowning moment of the Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis. Seeing the butterfly pushing open its sheer chrysalis casing door and flipping out into the world whole and perfect is a joyous observation and one that causes one to pause and ponder at the marvels of our natural world. While we pause, the Monarch butterfly‘sover […]
Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis: Part Two ~ Chrysalis
The Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis continues with the jewel-like chrysalis that might be hanging under any twig or leaf in a field or garden where milkweed grows. Dreams about to become real.
Monarch Butterfly Metamorphosis: Part One ~ Changing Casings
The Monarch Butterfly‘s metamorphosis is a journey through clear casings beginning with an egg. A tiny caterpillar carves a hole in a clear intricately etched dome capsule and exits while entering the hairy leafy landscape of its host plant Milkweed. The teeny caterpillar then makes a meal of the nutritious casing and begins chewing its […]
Black Swallowtail Butterfly Metamorphosis
A striking male Black Swallowtail . . . the first of its kind to emerge in my barn studio last year. I was lucky early May to see this female attaching an egg to a Bishop’s weed leaf along the garden path. She may well have overwintered here in her pupa state. After she flies […]
Glimpses of a Metamorphosis ~ Raising Monarch Butterflies ~ A Sneak Peek
July’s ending finds all of my Monarch chrysalis casings empty. The joy of raising and releasing Monarch Butterflies is not finished for this year, however, for the process begins anew . . . with more eggs and small caterpillars to care for. It has been a fabulous Monarch butterfly season here at Flower Hill Farm. […]