Thanks, everyone! BG, So far these are the hardest to raise for me,when they're tiny anyway. I lost quite a few. They'd just crawl away from the rue I had for them and die. Very disappointing. Maybe I expected too much. I thought out of allof thse, I'd end up with somehing like 90 or 100, but I'm lucky if I'll have 70 when all is said and done. I know, that still probably sounds like a lot though. I guess I had too high of hopes. I also love V. bonariensis. It's so pretty and the butterflies just love it! I see lots of different kinds n it. Nope, I never had GSTs in my yard before. I haven't seen them around for about a week or so, but I'm happy that they were here for awhile. Newbie in NJ, I might just get some of that fine bridal netting sometime. I don't need it now anymore but it would be a good idea for next year. I had some fiberglass screen left over from when I made my butterfly cage last year, so I cut that up into pieces to put over the top of my containers. That's a good idea to use the netting rounds. I've had my cats here in the kitchen too! :) It's just more convenient for me to work with them that way. I can sit at the table at night and feed them. I'm really not sure if it's best to keep them in or outside. Well, I'm gradually moving them all into individual containers and since I won't have room here to put all those in the kitchen I'll be moving them out on our back porch. I have so many Monarchs out there right now. It sounds like you are a very good caterpillar caretaker. I know what you mean, and I try to do the best I can too. I'll post adult pics of the GSTs when some eclose,which Im not sure if that will be this year or not until next spring. Sherry, Those are really nice pics! Oh my, I think those are really good and I don't know why you said you're determined to get good ones...you have already! :) Virginia, We were all newbies at one time, and you've come to a really good place to learn a lot about butterflies. I only have been at it a few years, so you're not much newer than I am really. :) I started out with birding and now am also into butterflies and have also gotten some of my birding friends into it and they really enjoy it too. I think it is a fascinating "hobby". I know there's got to be a better word than "hobby" though. Crocheting is a hobby, but something like this is much more than that when you're dealing with nature, I think. If you have rue or any of the other GST host plants, keep looking on them and you might find some eggs this year yet! Linda, Hey, whatcha been up to? Either I don'tget on here as much as I'd like or you don't. ;-) Yes, I hve been waiting awhile to get the GSTs but I guess not as long as some others. I'm not complaining and am really happy that I got them here. My rue thanks you for the compliment on their appearance. :) I have 14 big plants and about 20 more that DH just planted out for me a week ago. I really got behind this year because of my hands (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) and I have hung up my trowel for a long time. I might have to have an operation. :/ Anyhoo, I love to garden for the butterflies and now DH got pulled into it too. He was so sweet to volunteer to finish up my planting for me. Yep, I will keep you posted on their progress. The ones that made it are growing nicely and I'll post a pic sometime this week. Cathy

Thanks!! I was so happy that everything went well and she emerged properly, I was so afraid that I was going to come home and find a fallen butterfly that it was too late to help, now that I know more about the process of eclosing, I am not nearly as nervous about them eclosing when I am not here! It was smaller than I expected, the one I saw in my yard (first time I had ever seen a gst) looked to be a lot larger than the one that eclosed. Thanks to everyone on here for all the advice and info, it has been incredibly helpful, and I truly appreciate it! missherry, are those monarchs? very pretty! How many types of butterflies/cats do you raise?

I had 4 gsts eclose since yesterday afternoon, last two eclosed early this morning around 2am. I kept waking up to check on the last 2 that I knew were about to eclose, so I could make sure they were up and hanging and had not fallen. Around 2 am, when i checked, the last two had eclosed, and it appeared they had both just eclosed a few minutes prior to me checking. One of them kept falling, so I unzipped the reptarium and kept helping it back up because when it would fall it would just lay there on floor of reptarium, meanwhile, one of the two that had eclosed that afternoon, was flying all around the reptarium and knocked the one who was having trouble holding on to hang and dry wings, down more than once, but eventually, the newly emerged butterfly, climbed up the side of the reptarium and hung vertically, i tried to coax him up with a stick so he would be hanging upside down rather than vertically, but he would not. So I looked and saw that his wings were not touching anything and were not crumpled so I thought he would be okay if I left him like that, since he refused to move and seemed to be determined to stay in position he was in. This morning when I woke up (and I checked on him all through the rest of the night to make sure he was still up and his wings were not crumpled, and they were not) all of the others were ready to go, but this one was flapping his wings wildly and kept falling or flying side to side, like he could not fly up any higher, i looked closer and the little ""tail" part on one of his wings, was missing and I saw it on the floor of reptarium, he also has what looks like a tear or piece missing on another part of the same wing, like a small "v" shaped piece is missing toward bottom of wing, his wings do not look crumpled or deformed other than those two little pieces, I noticed that when he crawls, the same wing looks like it sometimes bends upwards, this is the left lower wing. I took them all outside this morning around 8, and unzipped the reptarium and the other 3 flew out and were ready to go, the other one, just crawled around but never flew out, so I cut some lantana and put it in the cage with him and put him back inside, thinking maybe he just isn't ready yet. He was still "flying" around the reptarium and sitting still and flapping his wings really fast, so I am hoping he will be able to fly, and maybe he just wasn't ready this morning, I am going to check on him at lunch to see if he wants to be released. I have seen pictures on here of gsts with tattered wings that are still able to fly and this one's wings don't look anywhere near as bad as some of the pics, so surely these two little tears will not prevent him from ever being able to fly!

it sounds like it should be ok...how is he doing?