I saw the most amazing sunset tonight.
The kids and I were driving home from T-ball when I glanced to the west and did a double take. The sky was mostly dark blue in that threatening to storm way, but then there was this grand skinny streak of pink running up from the sun, splitting the dark blue sky in half. I've never seen anything like it.
Course, even better than the sunset itself was that as we drove over a bridge that afforded a better view, I spotted a vehicle pulled over to the side, also admiring the sunset. THAT'S the kind of stuff that retains my faith in humanity. We can all appreciate a sunset.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monarchs-Week 2
Turns out, I don't blog near enough to keep up with those fast-changing caterpillars. What were eggs a little over 2 weeks ago are now chrysalises. I myself wouldn't believe the changes that could happen over only 2 weeks if I hadn't been keeping track of the dates.
Wed., July 23
A tragedy in the other caterpillar brood! Overnight, the quartet of caterpillars in my other box (they are about a week ahead of the ones in these posts) were reduced to two. I can only assume that they crawled out the small opening and are hanging in chrysalises somewhere on my enclosed porch. I'd expect in the next week or so to rediscover them when they reappear as adult monarchs.
In the smaller box, the caterpillars have grown amazingly quickly. The first photo is from my last post and was taken on 7/18, so the lower photo shows their growth in just 5 days. If I'd been diligent in taking photos each day, I'm sure I'd have been able to pinpoint the exact day they seemed to triple in size, but I think it was just yesterday, since I noticed some shedded skin on the bottom of the box this morning. Based on my last butterfly-raising experience, once that happens, they just start eating (and pooping) voraciously.
They ate A LOT this week. I'd put in 2-3 milkweed leaves every morning, and they'd be eaten down to only the stems by evening.
Sun., July 27
Came home from camping to discover the caterpillars all attached to the lid of their box. This is different from the method the swallowtail caterpillars used -- they hung by silk threads from sticks, looking like little rock climbers. The monarchs apparently create a sticky substance that attaches them to a horizontal surface.
Mon., July 28 Morning
This morning, one is going into its chrysalis. Notice the bit of shmutz near the top? That's the caterpillar's skin. They don't create the chrysalis as an outer shell; it's actually inside them and is revealed when they shed the caterpillar skin. This is a little factoid I only recently learned, and I continue to be both amazed and grossed out by it.
Mon., July 28 Evening
By the time we all got home from daycare and work today, all four had entered their chrysalises. They are so tiny, about the length of the fingernail on your index finger. I've always thought the gold-flecked monarch chrysalis is one of the most beautiful things in nature. And seeing them up close in my own home, I also realize how fragile they seem, and how simply perfect.
So, not much left to do now but wait for the monarchs to emerge. I found one more egg on a leaf I'd plucked for food a couple days ago, so I'll probably raise that one, too. But then I think that will bring the caterpillar experiment to a close for this summer. Too much travel next month to be raising these hungry little suckers.
Wed., July 23
A tragedy in the other caterpillar brood! Overnight, the quartet of caterpillars in my other box (they are about a week ahead of the ones in these posts) were reduced to two. I can only assume that they crawled out the small opening and are hanging in chrysalises somewhere on my enclosed porch. I'd expect in the next week or so to rediscover them when they reappear as adult monarchs.
In the smaller box, the caterpillars have grown amazingly quickly. The first photo is from my last post and was taken on 7/18, so the lower photo shows their growth in just 5 days. If I'd been diligent in taking photos each day, I'm sure I'd have been able to pinpoint the exact day they seemed to triple in size, but I think it was just yesterday, since I noticed some shedded skin on the bottom of the box this morning. Based on my last butterfly-raising experience, once that happens, they just start eating (and pooping) voraciously.
They ate A LOT this week. I'd put in 2-3 milkweed leaves every morning, and they'd be eaten down to only the stems by evening.
Sun., July 27
Came home from camping to discover the caterpillars all attached to the lid of their box. This is different from the method the swallowtail caterpillars used -- they hung by silk threads from sticks, looking like little rock climbers. The monarchs apparently create a sticky substance that attaches them to a horizontal surface.
Mon., July 28 Morning
This morning, one is going into its chrysalis. Notice the bit of shmutz near the top? That's the caterpillar's skin. They don't create the chrysalis as an outer shell; it's actually inside them and is revealed when they shed the caterpillar skin. This is a little factoid I only recently learned, and I continue to be both amazed and grossed out by it.
Mon., July 28 Evening
By the time we all got home from daycare and work today, all four had entered their chrysalises. They are so tiny, about the length of the fingernail on your index finger. I've always thought the gold-flecked monarch chrysalis is one of the most beautiful things in nature. And seeing them up close in my own home, I also realize how fragile they seem, and how simply perfect.
So, not much left to do now but wait for the monarchs to emerge. I found one more egg on a leaf I'd plucked for food a couple days ago, so I'll probably raise that one, too. But then I think that will bring the caterpillar experiment to a close for this summer. Too much travel next month to be raising these hungry little suckers.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Monarch 101
This past Sunday, Owen and I were in the front yard when I spotted a monarch flitting around and laying its eggs on our milkweed. It was cool to watch its method. It would lay one on the underside of a leaf, then take off and fly around the yard a bit, then return to the same plant or one right next to it and lay another one. Almost like it was trying to throw off any predators that might be on its trail.
So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to really document some butterfly development, since I regretted that I didn't keep better track of the timeline on our swallowtails.
Day One - Sunday 7/13. Eggs
This is a monarch egg. You can find them if you look on the underside of milkweed leaves. They'll only lay their eggs on plants in the milkweed family because that's what the caterpillars eat. (And it also makes the resulting caterpillars and butterflies taste bad, which later serves as a form of protection from would-be predators). Other butterflies choose different plants (swallowtails on dill and parsley, for instance). The eggs look slightly elongated, not totally round.
This is the first time I wished for a macro lens. I could only get so close with our equipment. I included the second photo to give a sense of scale.
Day Four - Wednesday 7/16. They hatch
The eggs hatched today. The resulting caterpillars are so tiny, that it took awhile for me to locate all four. And now the eating begins.
Day Six - Friday 7/18.
Already, it's apparent that the caterpillars are growing. It's possible to recognize the colors of their stripes now, and see their antennae-like protrusions. I've also noticed that they prefer to eat on the underside of the leaves. If I rearrange them so they're exposed, they always end up on the underside by the next time I check.
More to come in the days ahead!
So, I thought I'd take this opportunity to really document some butterfly development, since I regretted that I didn't keep better track of the timeline on our swallowtails.
Day One - Sunday 7/13. Eggs
This is a monarch egg. You can find them if you look on the underside of milkweed leaves. They'll only lay their eggs on plants in the milkweed family because that's what the caterpillars eat. (And it also makes the resulting caterpillars and butterflies taste bad, which later serves as a form of protection from would-be predators). Other butterflies choose different plants (swallowtails on dill and parsley, for instance). The eggs look slightly elongated, not totally round.
This is the first time I wished for a macro lens. I could only get so close with our equipment. I included the second photo to give a sense of scale.
Day Four - Wednesday 7/16. They hatch
The eggs hatched today. The resulting caterpillars are so tiny, that it took awhile for me to locate all four. And now the eating begins.
Day Six - Friday 7/18.
Already, it's apparent that the caterpillars are growing. It's possible to recognize the colors of their stripes now, and see their antennae-like protrusions. I've also noticed that they prefer to eat on the underside of the leaves. If I rearrange them so they're exposed, they always end up on the underside by the next time I check.
More to come in the days ahead!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Back from the Shawangunk Mountains
So, yesterday morning, this was my view...
I woke up early before the meeting I was attending in NY to take a quick hike up to the "Sky Top" trail where, apparently, on a clear day (which it wasn't), you can see six states from the tower that sits atop the ridge.
Oh, and that castle-like building down there...that's where I was staying. Amazing place. The setting and the few hours of free time I managed to squeeze over the course of my 24-hour stay even made the 10 hours of flying, 3 trips through security (including two bag searches because I misread the liquid carry-on rules), the 3 hours of delays that resulted in a missed connection and an unexpected overnight stay in Atlanta, and oh, the 2.5 hours of sleep I got last night as a result of that whole shenanigan...well, that view and the beauty of that place made it all worth it.
There were no TVs or radios in the rooms, but there were balconies and porches equipped with rocking chairs to enjoy the views absolutely everywhere. And really, who would expect to come back from a work meeting with 160+ pictures of the scenery?
I woke up early before the meeting I was attending in NY to take a quick hike up to the "Sky Top" trail where, apparently, on a clear day (which it wasn't), you can see six states from the tower that sits atop the ridge.
Oh, and that castle-like building down there...that's where I was staying. Amazing place. The setting and the few hours of free time I managed to squeeze over the course of my 24-hour stay even made the 10 hours of flying, 3 trips through security (including two bag searches because I misread the liquid carry-on rules), the 3 hours of delays that resulted in a missed connection and an unexpected overnight stay in Atlanta, and oh, the 2.5 hours of sleep I got last night as a result of that whole shenanigan...well, that view and the beauty of that place made it all worth it.
There were no TVs or radios in the rooms, but there were balconies and porches equipped with rocking chairs to enjoy the views absolutely everywhere. And really, who would expect to come back from a work meeting with 160+ pictures of the scenery?
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The Metamorphosis
I have a nursery on my porch right now. A butterfly nursery. About 3-4 weeks ago, a neighbor gave us five black swallowtail eggs from her dill plants. We put them in a plastic container with air holes in the lid and checked them every day to see if they'd hatched.
About a week later, these tiny black caterpillars emerged and started eating. And eating. Oh, yes, my friends, I think given the chance, Eric Carle would have called his book the Extraordinarily, Insatiably Very Hungry Caterpillar. I was replacing the dill and cleaning out their little plastic home once or twice a day. What goes in must come out, I guess, but who knew five little caterpillars could create so much poop? I also discovered something I didn't know about the process. About halfway through their growth cycle, they shed their skin and that's when they go from being black to the green, yellow and white I was familiar with. Cool!
One by one, they each went into a chrysalis. They'd suspend themselves from a thin strand on the sticks I'd placed in their cage, and the next time I'd check, a green or brown chrysalis would be hanging from the spot where a caterpillar once was.
All five were in this state before we left town for the Fourth of July holiday. And when we returned, we had our first butterfly! Although it was nighttime, I thought it best to release it right away since I didn't know how long it'd been waiting to get out to go find some flower nectar. The little thing crawled up onto Owen's finger for a few seconds before taking off and quickly disappearing into the darkness. Today, a second one emerged, and I suspect we'll be releasing the rest of them this week.
Sometime during this whole process -- probably one morning as I was scraping caterpillar poo onto a paper towel -- I told myself that this was it; these were the only butterflies I'd be raising this summer. Well, I found three monarch eggs today, and I'll give you one guess as to where they are now. Yup. Porch.
About a week later, these tiny black caterpillars emerged and started eating. And eating. Oh, yes, my friends, I think given the chance, Eric Carle would have called his book the Extraordinarily, Insatiably Very Hungry Caterpillar. I was replacing the dill and cleaning out their little plastic home once or twice a day. What goes in must come out, I guess, but who knew five little caterpillars could create so much poop? I also discovered something I didn't know about the process. About halfway through their growth cycle, they shed their skin and that's when they go from being black to the green, yellow and white I was familiar with. Cool!
One by one, they each went into a chrysalis. They'd suspend themselves from a thin strand on the sticks I'd placed in their cage, and the next time I'd check, a green or brown chrysalis would be hanging from the spot where a caterpillar once was.
All five were in this state before we left town for the Fourth of July holiday. And when we returned, we had our first butterfly! Although it was nighttime, I thought it best to release it right away since I didn't know how long it'd been waiting to get out to go find some flower nectar. The little thing crawled up onto Owen's finger for a few seconds before taking off and quickly disappearing into the darkness. Today, a second one emerged, and I suspect we'll be releasing the rest of them this week.
Sometime during this whole process -- probably one morning as I was scraping caterpillar poo onto a paper towel -- I told myself that this was it; these were the only butterflies I'd be raising this summer. Well, I found three monarch eggs today, and I'll give you one guess as to where they are now. Yup. Porch.
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