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Butterfly Garden

such a sad sight. :(

Michelle Reynolds

16 years ago

hi all

yesterday I went to my usual place down my the river to get fresh milkweed for my cats. I stoped at the largest patch ( at least it was) what I saw made me so mad, someone had come by and mowed the entire patch to the grownd. there was over a hundered plantd in this patch. so I went down the road a little farther, it looked like they didn't finish yesterday, and would probubly finish today.

so we went all down the road and carfully checked each milkweed for occupents. there was a female flitting around laying eggs, so I followed her and when ever she layed eggs on a plant I felt was in the mowers range I took the leaf off the plant. this went on for far longer than I expected to be at the river, but I just could not bare to think of all the eggs getting mowed.

in the end we went home with 22 eggs and 4 very small cats.

I have never collected eggs before. I cut a small area around each egg and stuck them to a sheet of paper and hung it from the side of my butterfly cage.

is there anything special I should do for them eather before or after they hatch?

I will be planting a milkweed patch at my in-laws house next year, I think the spot will be able to hold about 50 plants, so I have another question, when do you pick the seed pods?

thanks for any help

michelle

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Comments (5)

bernergrrl
16 years ago
Hi Michelle--I am so sad too! I e-mailed my town about mowing the roadsides because they always do it at the peak time for the monarchs. I haven't heard back.

Sympathies!
susanlynne48
16 years ago
Michelle - you might just want to put a few leaves of fresh milkweed in your containers each day, so that when the eggs hatch there will fresh food for them to climb onto.

Doesn't it just make you sick at your stomach to see them mow all that milkweed? Ugh.....it would make me sick and mad and disappointed, and probably a phone call to whomever might be doing the mowing (the city, county?) to let them know this area is a habitat. I might even put up a sign stating "Monarch Birthing Center" or something similar. Maybe they would leave it alone.

Susan
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caterwallin
16 years ago
That is really sad. Why can't people just leave things alone?! They have to be such neat freaks. Geez, years ago things weren't like this!
tdogmom
16 years ago
How awful! Makes me sick to even think about...Thank you for saving the potential butterflies.
kek19
16 years ago
I can totally sympathize, I feel the same way everytime I mow my yard. Except I'm the one doing the damage! But at least I check for eggs the night before, and again just before I mow.

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?what to do with this little guy?

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