tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post5734104910145345773..comments2024-03-25T14:21:41.058-04:00Comments on In the Fields : The Beautiful Monarch Catherinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17371726009244498344noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-16198185640253976072015-11-13T17:10:59.905-05:002015-11-13T17:10:59.905-05:00This was stunning to see! Thank you for sharing y...This was stunning to see! Thank you for sharing your beautiful story.Laura Sudderthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17342155031425610582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-90851159816560424112015-11-12T12:59:05.631-05:002015-11-12T12:59:05.631-05:00What a wonderful, caring story! Thank you so much ...What a wonderful, caring story! Thank you so much for sharing it. In the past month or so we have enjoyed the migration of the Monarch through Texas but alas, I think they have all passed through the area. So glad to hear that someone appreciates their beauty as much as I do!Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15876991836265778961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-83528462145247184142015-11-09T07:46:58.604-05:002015-11-09T07:46:58.604-05:00lol...before reading everyone's comments, I ha...lol...before reading everyone's comments, I have to post, this made me laugh out loud! I am probably the only neighbor that grows milk weed, or let's it grow, because of these butterflies. And I explain why it's important to allow weeds to grow. I love that you did this for the "children" (you included), I am going to need to look into doing that for my granddaughters. Have a wonderful day! Lady Courtneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118924605331267248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-3401962925486385352015-11-08T12:35:32.946-05:002015-11-08T12:35:32.946-05:00This is a great story and a wonderful thing to do....This is a great story and a wonderful thing to do. Whenever we find ourselves in charge of a creature's life and well-being, it is an emotional thing. And something to take seriously. I understand the tears. <br /><br />When I was in elementary school in New Jersey, my class visited a butterfly farm. My mom came along as a chaperone. We bought a few different butterfly chrysalises and some praying mantis chrysalises too. I remember how wonderful it was to watch them hatch. There were hundreds of praying mantises. Releasing them was both joyful and sad. I was young, but I remember it well. Your children will remember this experience too. And I suspect it won't be the last time you take part in this raising of monarch butterflies. Isn't it amazing how they can survive such a long journey? Hummingbirds too. I'm in awe of nature and God's creations.<br />ClaudiaMy Little Bungalowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17661291354573889109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-54741818286960761132015-11-08T07:09:53.355-05:002015-11-08T07:09:53.355-05:00Yes, we drove around our entire valley looking for...Yes, we drove around our entire valley looking for a good supply of milkweed which was quite often found along the roads, but I'm not sure why that is. I wrote to Monarch Watch a few times with questions - one was asking if the milkweed had to be dripping of "milk' when it was harvested. In other words, was it the milk in the milkweed that was so nourishing for them. I never got an answer but I assumed so. So not only did we have to find the milkweed, but we had to find milkweed which still had plenty of milk running within its leaves. After such an experience, one cannot help but constantly be noticing milkweed - even after the Monarchs have flown! Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371726009244498344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-68900149184482221802015-11-08T06:58:59.522-05:002015-11-08T06:58:59.522-05:00I can totally relate to this story Catherine. I ra...I can totally relate to this story Catherine. I raised Monarchs in our school library a couple of years ago. Finding milkweed was our challenge - I ended up driving out to the edge of the suburbs where I found some growing at the edge of a very busy highway, There were hills (we definitely do not have mountains in South Australia), and a bend in the road, plus huge trucks hurtling past. I do wonder now why I risked my life chasing the blessed milkweed. But I also had extra caterpillars that were on the plant branches I picked. I was nowhere near as clinical as you about it though. I stood branches of milkweed in a large glass vase I have, which provided perfect viewing for the kids. It was late summer here, and they thrived. I ended up hatching 14 of the beauties.It is very hard to find milkweed here, but I have since found out the caterpillars will also eat a plant I commonly know as swan plant. I have some seeds of this plant, given to me by a parent. It grows in their gardens and they were inundated with caterpillars that year. I enjoy your blog very much, this was a surprise post. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-33165456021212655252015-11-07T16:59:13.651-05:002015-11-07T16:59:13.651-05:00"Due to our New England location, we ended up..."Due to our New England location, we ended up driving our butterflies about two hours south to where the temperatures were at least five degrees warmer."<br /><br />Incredible. Do you have any idea what a gem of a human being you are? You and Mike make me want to be a better person!<br /><br />-Flo<br />Amelia Island FLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-81884142836057307512015-11-07T15:40:52.290-05:002015-11-07T15:40:52.290-05:00Sorry, the link hadn't gone through so I went ...Sorry, the link hadn't gone through so I went back and fixed it. But here it is again: http://www.monarchwatch.org/Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371726009244498344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-29052903056794663202015-11-07T15:39:44.803-05:002015-11-07T15:39:44.803-05:00Yes, I think it will be our annual tradition as we...Yes, I think it will be our annual tradition as well! It is hard to see a Monarch and not wonder where it came from. Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371726009244498344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-83422834372179437042015-11-07T11:57:12.623-05:002015-11-07T11:57:12.623-05:00Take her some cookies. Cookies make everything be...Take her some cookies. Cookies make everything better. We don't see nearly the amount of butterflies as in years gone by and so when a monarch flits by, we get very excited. I would so like to go to the monarch sanctuary in Monterey CA when they come through. <br /> http://www.cityofpacificgrove.org/visiting/monarch-butterfly-sanctuaryVickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04092314449327044507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-51190319956035664862015-11-07T10:57:25.492-05:002015-11-07T10:57:25.492-05:00Loved the Monarch story. I am a preschool teacher,...Loved the Monarch story. I am a preschool teacher, every fall I search for monarch caterpillars on the milkweed that grows around our area. I have been doing this for years and always find at least 4 or 5 that I take to preschool and we watch them grow and change. What a wonderful miracle for the children to observe. We always let them go near our playground and when we see a monarch flying by we wonder if it is the one we watched grow into a beautiful butterfly...at least that is what the children think. I always find that the younger the milkweed the better it is to find the caterpillars. Our success rate for our monarchs is high, we have only lost a couple over the years. We then make beautiful butterflies using giant coffee filters, watercolors and sticks from the forest. Have a wonderful weekend! MickeyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-66068633206561314222015-11-07T10:41:26.048-05:002015-11-07T10:41:26.048-05:00Catherine, this post brought tears to my eyes! (An...Catherine, this post brought tears to my eyes! (And I was laughing out loud at the end)<br /><br />I grew up in Carmel, CA, which is next door to Pacific Grove, famous for the monarch migration gathering. And then I relocated to western New York, where our property has several acres of meadows filled with milkweed. When we arrived here ten years ago, we had hundreds on monarchs every summer. So I rather thought monarchs were just everywhere, having never lived anywhere there weren't clouds of them! <br /><br />Then I learned about the decline and sure enough, in the past two summers, I saw fewer than half a dozen monarchs on our property in total - so absolutely sad, it breaks my heart. I didn't know you could raise your own and now you've inspired me to do the same for next year. Did you order yours through Monarch Watch? Perhaps you could post a link for interested readers? <br /><br />Thank you for the work you are doing on behalf of the monarchs. It's important people learn about how critical it is to plant native species in their gardens to support all of our wildlife, from the tiniest to the largest creatures. As someone above mentioned, if purchasing milkweed to plant, everyone needs to make sure get the right kind for their area. Try to find a local nursery that specializes in native plants. <br /><br />Thank you again for all you do to support our precious environment.<br />RC at Catbird Farm<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-44160408740318275022015-11-07T10:09:53.434-05:002015-11-07T10:09:53.434-05:00This had me laughing out loud and I had to read it...This had me laughing out loud and I had to read it to my husband who was wondering what cracked me up. We are up on a mountain in North Carolina with a lot of conservation land around us. Though we're mostly in the woods, we have milkweed that grows along the drive and at the road, where there's more sun. We have left all the milkweed intact, and I always spread the downy seeds around in the fall, but I have yet to see a monarch butterfly. :-( We do have lots of pipevine swallowtails, though, and we've let the Dutchman's pipe vine grow wild. At the end of summer it was covered in swallowtail caterpillars who ate it up.Carolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10021913578112308091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-44297895136622203092015-11-07T08:06:50.510-05:002015-11-07T08:06:50.510-05:00Oh, what a great story! It is so beautiful...and ...Oh, what a great story! It is so beautiful...and funny!osageacresfarmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12817038538515297205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-37673973911072884822015-11-07T08:06:47.806-05:002015-11-07T08:06:47.806-05:00I'm certain that they've probably raised t...I'm certain that they've probably raised them, perhaps only if in the classroom. My not contacting them was pure convenience on my part - so that I may tend the the caterpillars without delay. And I've always thought that if they were looking at me from the window, watching me pick milkweed, they would know my motives. Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371726009244498344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-25581106773036725332015-11-07T08:03:06.920-05:002015-11-07T08:03:06.920-05:00I agree! Sharing the butterflies with the neighbo...I agree! Sharing the butterflies with the neighbor's children may have inspired them to raise monarchs themselves after you have moved on and in to the new house.CheraleeShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07868575410528001444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-6801168557631771092015-11-07T07:34:50.528-05:002015-11-07T07:34:50.528-05:00Yes Monarch Watch has a great deal of information ...Yes Monarch Watch has a great deal of information on tagging. It is so extraordinary to imagine such delicate little wings flying so far. A true miracle really. Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371726009244498344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-8528963539471428052015-11-07T07:15:57.901-05:002015-11-07T07:15:57.901-05:00Thank you anonymous. Exactly. There is enough va...Thank you anonymous. Exactly. There is enough variation in monarchs that they are milkweed specific. Glad this story had the right milkweed. Otherwise, they would have died. <br /><br />Great joy, this is a fabulous story with happy ending.<br /><br />XOTTara Dillardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16233493520013405385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-50493732908873214112015-11-07T07:09:55.231-05:002015-11-07T07:09:55.231-05:00I love this post! I planted a lot of milkweed in ...I love this post! I planted a lot of milkweed in my Maryland garden this summer, and was rewarded with Monarch butterflies for the first time ever. I was absolutely obsessed with them. When I first found the first caterpillar, I was sure it couldn't possibly be a monarch, so spent many hours trying to figure out what else it might be - but no, it was a monarch! I checked on them hourly, built little leaf tents around them so that birds couldn't see them, and took about 500 pictures of them. The worst thing about having them outdoors is that eventually they just disappear. Apparently they crawl some distance away to build their chrysalis, and they are actually very fast. So, to keep myself from turning into a sobbing mess, I chose to believe that they had crawled away to a nearby tree rather than being eaten by a bird. :) It was a magical experience, and I am going to add a lot more milkweed next year. You, or any other butterfly gardener, would be welcome to pick as much of it as you needed! I wish I could share my pictures - there are some beauties! Pamela Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04390848504267331090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-82138493461967488322015-11-07T04:23:03.720-05:002015-11-07T04:23:03.720-05:00Do you know about the Monarch tagging. I live in P...Do you know about the Monarch tagging. I live in Pacific Grove California and there isa monarch sanctuary here were they track the monarch's with tags and if one is found there is a website where the number can be reported, so eventually it can be tracked from where it started to where it completed its migration. If you are interested in learning more about this process and to know if you would be able to do this with the monarchs you are raising and releasing, I'm sure the website is listed online. Bless you for helping these beautiful animals. Oh, and if the neighbors have little kids, they might appreciate you showing their kids the process as a learning experience and perhaps the kids would even like to help grow more milkweed plants for you and the butterflies in their garden, also another good learning experience. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-39846136288194676002015-11-06T22:42:07.763-05:002015-11-06T22:42:07.763-05:00I love this in so many ways...
"we ended up ...I love this in so many ways...<br /><br />"we ended up driving our butterflies about two hours south" is my favorite part.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-34189232064135916332015-11-06T21:57:57.346-05:002015-11-06T21:57:57.346-05:00Absolutey beautiful post . . .
A treasure . . . gi...Absolutey beautiful post . . .<br />A treasure . . . giving birth . . .<br />Monarch . . .<br />Stealing milkweed in your pj's . . . <br />Loved, loved, loved this . .,.<br />Lynnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08723721131329150461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-54140626879500621992015-11-06T19:53:48.147-05:002015-11-06T19:53:48.147-05:00I was in my lavender Damask pj's (two seasons ...I was in my lavender Damask pj's (two seasons ago) from Target. They have a couple of missing buttons so good thing I threw on the jacket. ; ) xoxoCatherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371726009244498344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-42384888212358208872015-11-06T19:51:18.212-05:002015-11-06T19:51:18.212-05:00Yes, it has been wonderful for our children to wat...Yes, it has been wonderful for our children to watch this whole process (minus the thievery) and especially, to play the role of caretakers. Our family will never look at another Monarch butterfly the same. Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371726009244498344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3804818183817823900.post-23600871880601567322015-11-06T19:49:39.299-05:002015-11-06T19:49:39.299-05:00I know that they wouldn't mind. That is probab...I know that they wouldn't mind. That is probably why I didn't feel compelled to follow up with them. When we do see them next, I will tell them the story and you're right, I think it will be something we laugh about for quite awhile! Catherinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17371726009244498344noreply@blogger.com