I'm like you in that I feel that we have taken away the habitat of these creatures. I know that if I leave any caterpillars in my garden/yard, the chances of making it to adulthood are slim and none. I have created a "creature haven" in my yard which includes all kinds of insects, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and an occasional mammal that might wander through. So I choose to protect the moth and BF larvae that I find. Sometimes it gets to be an overwhelming job, though.

At one time, where I live was countryside. I am sure there were wild asclepias as I have a volunteer of a kind I didn't plant. Once there were "weed" trees which provided food. And there were all kinds of grasses and wildflowers. All these have been replaced with manicured lawns, specimen trees, and flower beds that look beautiful but don't attract bugs! Pesticides and herbicides are used to keep all this looking immaculate.

My yard is free of those things. I actually have weeds in the lawn including a lot of cudweed! But, I am known as the Butterfly Lady in the neighborhood. People over look the weeds and bring their kids over to see the caterpillars and participate in BF releases. I have to say I enjoy sharing my hobby with them. They are not interested in making a habitat of their yard or in raising BFs. They see how much time and energy is invested, and they don't have it to give.

Don't judge your friend too harshly. She appreciates what you are doing. She just isn't into raising caterpillars. She may not want them in her house. And she may not feel she has the time to take care of them, or the desire to take care of them. She can feel this way and still be into nature.

There are people on the BF forum that don't raise caterpillars. They support the BFs by providing nectar plants. So, to each his own. There is room on our forum for all kinds of people, and also in our lives.

All the above is MHO.

Sandy

Oh, I completely understand if someone doesn't want to care for them. If she had said "Oh, I don't think caterpillars are our thing" (she babysat tadpoles once!!! Maybe that's the problem....) that would have been completely cool. But to imply that what I was doing was unnecessary and silly because "they have been taking care of themselves for thousands of years" just doesn't make any sense.

I bet your yard is wonderful, Sandy. I am very slowly getting there in mine. I grow cultivated plants, but also lots of natives. The weeds in my grass? You don't even wanna know.

But I am thrilled beyond words to find a robber fly in the yard, or watch the wasps trolling for sawfly larva. I used to have five acres on which to spread out; now I live on a quarter acre in town. But regardless of the size of the land I live on, I always wanted it to be a place where "nature" could let her hair hang down, so-to-speak. (Except those sassinfrassin Japanese Beetles. Theirs is an instant death sentence.)

Hence my screenname on the various forums I visit or have visited and posted.

Hm. I'm a small-scale "raiser" myself, and I do it in order to incrementally increase the abundance of butterflies.

Seems to me that if butterflies are appealing enough to us that we want to raise them, then that should increase their fitness to survive through symbiotic relationships.

So there. :O

Jeff

LOL! Ya, Jeff! Excellent point.... ;o)

Because we care.
Because we can.
Every little bit helps.
Beats sitting on the couch, watching Oprah and eating bon bons. Wait, I can change milkweed and pop bon bons at the same time...

Tracey, before I read your last line about changing milkweed and popping bon bons at the same time I was a little worried about you...LOL. A little milkweed for them and a little candy for me. Seems only fair.

I just recently started raising them on a miniscule scale.

I do it because they're beautiful and their life cycle is wondrous to watch.

There's so much intended or unintended ugliness in the world that any little bit of beauty I can help bring the world has to make someone's day a little better when they see a butterfly. That's the little kernel of idealism that hasn't been knocked out of me when I'm willing to admit it.

It's the same reason people donate to food banks all year round, collect school supplies this time of year for needy children or "coats for kids" in the fall and lots of other things we do.

I do it because my late Mom loved Butterflies her whole life and I put in a butterfly garden at Dad's house in her memory.

I do it bBecause I get a sense of participating in the wonder of nature when I'm close enough to watch them grow.

I've never been a big conservationist but since taking care of my father's "outdoors" I've come to hate the way native trees and plants have been gobbled up by invasives and endless development. Whatever is gone isn't there for the right balance of critters so they proliferate beyond a natural level. Things are out of balance and I take it upon myself to try and make a difference in one tiny little corner of the world.

I thought I was deluding myself when I planted milkweed thinking I'd EVER see Monarchs here. Well, I still haven't "seen" a Monarch butterfly but I've got the cats to prove they were...LOL.

I feed wild birds and am thrilled with all the little babies pestering parents for food right now. It's truly a symbiotic relationship as with butterflies...help keep natural beauty moving through more generations and feel a simple joy that's sometimes hard to find in other parts of life.

ALL the time I was raising the 4 BSTs my father kept saying, "Let nature take its course!" That would be okay if "nature" wasn't thrown out of whack in these parts with invasives and overdevelopment...plus I'm a sucker for anything I consider "innocent" and endangered in some way.

When those butterflies came out of their chrysalides my father was the one who ran for the camera to capture them in the enclosure and upon release. HE felt the wonder and joy right along with me...but now he's singing the same old "let nature take its course" song since there's a Monarch cat in an enclosure sitting on the desk in his kitchen...LOL. I did move the vase of milkweed to the basement fridge, though. I can compromise...LOLO.

Do I have other things to do at times (pay bills, clean, try to get some work done, etc.)? Sure...I find the time for all that stuff but, except for paying the bills and some work, the rest can wait for this short season of helping some beauty survive for a while longer.

I have to understand that not all the people around me who, although very into animals and nature, don't see the need or have the time to give to raising even the couple of cats I've raised. I consider myself LUCKY to be able to take the time from other obligations to raise these few.

Everyone has different pursuits and activities to feed their heart and soul. You never know how life leads you to the ones that matter to you for whatever reason at some point in your life so I figure just go with it...and let other people enjoy their thing.

Newbie, a very eloquent post...thanks.

I started raising them because I wanted to put my new digital camera to good use. This was about 5 years ago and a BST just happened to lay eggs on the dill..and one cat just happened to migrate over 20 feet to pupate on a gerbera daisy at my doorstep.

Since then, and my discovery of like minded people at this forum, my natural curiosity has led me to raise BST, Baltimores, Spicebush, Monarchs, Cecropias, Mourning Cloaks,Painted Ladies, Copper Underwings, Isabella Moths, and probably a few more.

Everytime I raise a species, I learn so much about it's life cycle and environment.

It's like every brood is an adventure and a learning experience.

Maryann

My faith in humankind has been restored on this beautiful Lord's Day! As I prepare to go to Church & worship my God above, the one who has been taken out of schools, courthouses, & many homes in this day & time, it is so good to see a great bunch of people that are 'back to the basics I was brought up with, in rural NC. I feel that my love for nature & the 'calling to raise b'flies' has been given to me from God, it is the greatest therapy for a person that lives in daily agonizing pain, & I have done that since '82. It has gotten me off of the sofa, looking at soaps. Never was one to pop pills, though there were pills given by the various drs, for Lupus pain, Fibromyalgia pain, which is unrelenting, pain from 3 failed lower back surgeries, & so on. But I can go outside, among my plants, (with a very moderate amount of pain medication), which have always been a hobby all my adult life, & find a peace, unlike any other. Seeing the seeds planted, growing each day, & the growth spurt after the evening t-shower, more than if I had given a good dose of fertilizer, knowing the purity of the water released from the heavens above has a growing power unlike anything man can make. I am not a fanatic, but I do find a special inner peace watching the creation emerging from the chrysalis, knowing it "went in as a caterpillar", came out as a beautiful creation, & that amazing change was done by One greater than I or anyone I know, on this earth in the flesh, today. We all are doing our part to make this world a better place to live in. We are, I believe trying to help get back to that time when the earth was a cleaner place; before the dirt & smut was so in control. I can remember when a young teen guy wouldn't go out without his jeans being starched & ironed, with that sharp crease, & that button down collar wasn't just right. Some of you probably don't remember those days. But in sharp contrast, the more ragged, & dirtier they can look, the better they like it. No more neat clean hair styles, but unkept unruly, & dirtier they look the more "in" they are. I am not being judgemental, to each to his own. But to get out among the plants, gives me a sense of being in contact with something good & clean, no matter how bad the pain, or what is on my mind, I can find a sense of peace unlike any other place, during the normal weekday. I enjoy my Church & what I find there, but I feel I bring part of that home with me, in scripture I hear, sometimes it is reflected in my activities outside during the week. None comes to mind at the moment, but God is so good, to give us these beautiful creatures, & place the love in our hearts to want to help them. To go beyond planting the flowers, but to go that step further that some don't understand. Let them take one egg, watch it go through the stages of growth, into the pupa, then the beautiful chrysalis of the Monarch, especially, like a piece of jade that a master artisian sculpted, & flecked with gold, I sat in total awe when I saw my 1st one, & then to watch when it gets transparent, & see the new creature inside. And, on to the final stage, when that beauty of the spread drying wings is present, they are magestic. Nobody can tell me that came as a result of the 'big bang theory'! Not even sure what they say made the ocean that this big bang or whatever it was supposed to have been. Some magical force? No, a Creator, that loved us enough, & I won't go any further, but we are all giving nature some help that the world has taken away. And we wonder why there are guns in schools, & knives.. I well remember the shock in our small town when the "No guns or knives allowed on school property" sign went up! The very thought of this was shocking, & then the rest is history. We are doing our part to help keep our world a better place to live. I don't know of too many men or ladies who raise b'flies who shot their c-store operator, or robbed the bank, or turned out to be serial killers. Didn't mean to go on so, but I see God Almighty in every butterfly that I release, & I thank Him for giving me the 'want to' to do this hobby. I just found a picture that I took of my first BST & a little saying I felt inspired to write "For by watching the phases of the butterfly, from the egg, to the caterpillar, all the way tp the final stage, the beautiful butterfly; surely we see the Hand of God at work, before our eyes, in today's world, as in the days of old, and appreciate even more His Wonderous Love for us daily." The photo is old, & the ink of the writing is a bit smeared, but it is so special to me. This was before I knew anything about butterflies & the terms, etc. Love to you all & In God I do trust..monarchs

Last year I did it because I thought it was a neat thing to do. Kind of a selfish thing as well. Figured I'd do something that no one else does around here.

This year is totally different. Because of an illness in the family, I had to let the first brood fend for themselves while I went away. If they survived, I should see a few Monarchs in the next few days since they were BIG before I left. Crossing my fingers and toes.

When I came back, I found a stink/soldier bug stinging one of the small cats on the plants. That's what changed my whole perspective. In five minutes I found 5 others dying or dead from stink/soldier bug bites. Just not fair. Can't let it happen.

Since then I've spoken to another gardener up the road about this year's experience and not being able to take in the first brood. She has reassured me that if this ever happens again, she would be more than happy to take care of any babies if I have to leave the house. :O) Hope you find someone to do the same for you. It's a blessing!

Why? hmmmI started because Tifanny, my dog, 'led' me to that butterfly who was laying eggs that one day and my interested was piqued. It turned into a scientific, environmental, educational MISSION of sorts (hey, anything to get out of doing anything as humdrum as housework!). Not really.

My husband and I have always loved being in the garden and my job had always been the 'weeder' and 'pruner' which isn't much fun. If I'd find a bug of some sort, I'd be fascinated and would often get a container to keep. Since coming back to teach children, my fascination with critters has been well-received by them because I have always believed in what I call 'teachable moments' and would try to learn all I can about anything new I'd find.

So, the same thing happened with that butterfly that tdog led me to. The only thing is, in this particular instance, I found out WAY more info than I'd have thought possible. It made the researcher in me delve further into the environmental impact people have had on butterflies and their habitat. It got me thinking, "Hey, why haven't I seen many butterflies around here? What's going on? What can be done to change this?"

It made me go on a mission, of sorts. There's nothing worse, or better, as DH would say, than Sherry on a mission. The good that has come of it is that we have changed what we use in our garden as far as fertilizers and 'pesticides' (I pretty much make my own or use organic stuff that has passed my stringent ingredient inspection). I believe that Tifanny's diagnosis of Lymphoma could have been the result (or a contribution to her cancer) of some of the products we used (although there weren't many but we had used Round-up and some Ant sprays). I've become better educated about cancer-causing products in the process. And, our garden has benefited because I've learned ways to combat many of the annoying things like White Fly infestation in a natural way.

As far as the butterflies? It all started with the Gulf Fritillary (around here, so many people think they are Monarchs unless they are MY neighbors who ALL know the difference between a Gulf Frit and a Monarch, LOL). I just HAD to help the butterflies, of course, knowing what we humans have been doing to THEIR habitat. So, after asking DH for a 'spot of land' pretty please, of my own, I started a butterfly sanctuary and began learning about what butterflies should live in Orange County or did. I made it my mission to bring them back. Monarchs were my goal so I went and got some Milkweed (talk about a DIFFICULT plant to find, too! "You want a weed? No, we don't sell that."). It took three years before the first Monarch found my garden but since then, I have had them come through each year. :) This year, for the first time, even the Queen (Danaus gilippus) came through as well! This is another Orange County butterfly but I never thought I'd have one in MY yard.

My neighbors all love having butterflies fluttering about and will stop to ask me about certain ones, "Hey Sherry, what was that black and yellow I saw?" (Anise SwallowtailÂlike the Black Swallowtail) or they'll ask about other bugs. My one neighbor, this big burly guy, said something that cracked me up about Carpenter Bees. I guess he loves seeing 'those big dark bugs that buzz around and sometimes have some yellow stuff on them."

Raising butterflies takes a lot of time. Not everyone will want to do it. It's understandable (peak season is a four hour daily 'job' on top of teaching Kindergarten for me). DH worries about my larvae when he wants to plan a vacation but I tell him not to since I've got my own 'methods' for dealing with them now. It's given me an opportunity to learn and to share my learning with my students. It has also led to another part-time job as an instructor for Beckman Science (I go above and beyond when I teach the butterfly course!). My iPod has more pictures of the life-cycle of butterflies than anything else and when I got to someone's house, the first thing I look at in their garden is what types of host plants they have. I share my knowledge and enthusiasm everywhere I go.

Back to answer your original question: It's to help give the population a little boost. It's a way to get my mind off of everyday stressors then sit back and relax and enjoy the living palette that I've helped create.

PS: The Wasps can eat all the other bugs, just not my caterpillars! They leave me alone and now I just let them be. :)
(Here's a picture of me holding an impromptu butterfly class, as DH would call it, using my iPod, at Hurkett Park in Ontario, Canada, with new friends, during our recent vacation). {{gwi:523666}}

Greenhaven, Like many of the posters here, I rear caterpillars for the same reasons (all beautifully stated too--love the symbiotic idea!).

From the outside, from someone who hasn't had the experience, it can seem like a questionable enterprise, and maybe your friend was just giving a knee jerk reaction like many people do. Perhaps as she sees and hears about your rearing activities and releases, she may come to appreciate what you're doing. Who knows, she may start rearing them too.

I love watching the caterpillars change, and I love finding new species to raise. Walks and runs have a whole new dimension to them as I stop to check out trees and plants to see what's there, what can I bring home.

In rearing them, I learn new things. Also since I have a very nurturing personality, I feel fulfilled when it comes time to releasing the butterflies.

So many butterflies fall prey to parasites and predators--creatures that haven't always existed in our area or the U.S. Many of the predators are introduced (used as beneficial insects to control other unwanted insect populations), so to me it seems like a no-brainer that butterflies could use a little help from humans.

Anyway, as upsetting as her reaction might have been, it's always good to take a hard look at what you are doing and be able to answer the question for yourself and then when you deal with other people, you will have a (at least for yourself) a seal-proof answer.

Happy rearing!