First you need an understanding family! Growing caterpillars poop a LOT! I cover my dining room table with a plastic cloth and also put newspapers down so I can roll up a layer at a time. I just cut the stalks and put them in vases on the table. The process started tonight because I had to pull the stalks that were blocking the view of my Oriental Lilies. When I checked the pulled stalks I found one 1/4 inch caterpillar and several eggs. Without rhyme or reason, some cut stalks wilt immediately and others stay fresh for days in vases. The caterpillars eat and poop, eat and poop for 2 weeks. While they are little, I just leave them on the milkweed in vases on the table. They will shed their skin 3 times until they look like the one in the picture above. Last year I had way more than I wanted to care for because every time I cut fresh stalks to bring in I also brought in more eggs that hatched quite nicely. Most of the caterpillars were happy enough to form their chrysalis on the milkweed--mostly because the vase blocked their escape. However, a few managed to escape. If I found them crawling I moved them to critter cage (plastic box with air holes). Two formed their chrysalis on the underside of the table and another crawled into the living room, up a table and used the inside of a lampshade. I never knew when I was going to find a butterfly trying to get out a window. When formed on a milkweed leaf, I cut the leaf and used twisties to attach the leaf to my wire fence outside. I had a good 20 or so hanging at one point. My son passed others out to his friends with children and I took several to the nursing home where my mother lives for the residents to enjoy. They emerge as butterflies about 10-14 days after forming the chrysalis. The day or so before you'll start to see the black body through the membrane. Once the butterfly emerges, it will have small limp wings and a very fat body. It will slowly pump the fluids from its body into its wings--you can watch the body pulsing as the wings grow larger. (It will 'poop' out several drops of rusty red fluid that looks like blood--don't worry, it's normal.) Then it will hang for several hours until the wings harden. When it opens its wings, watch for a pronounced dot on the lower wing. No dot=female, dot=male. That's when you get to name it a 'royal' name. One year we had a tiny caterpillar that made a tiny chrysalis and became a tiny butterfly--he had a dot so we named him King Tut. Some caterpillars actually have personalities that demand names before they even make their chrysalis. We've had Shy, Charger, and several named Houdini. Have fun! Here is a link that might be useful: monarch pics--some with the male dot

Ha-Ha! WELCOME to the CRAZY BUNCH, Shayne! I grew up on Anaheims and Jalapenos in a little section of a small town in New Mexico. (That little section of town was, and still is, called Chihuahuito.---which means "Little Chihuahua".) I've always loved and 'needed' my peppers. (Almost starved to death for 20 years ordering "Mexican Food" when I lived in Colorado.) One day, out in the garden, I spied a ripe "Caribbean Red", popped it in my mouth...tasted GOOD!!!...for about 10 seconds...THEN I RAN FOR THE HOUSE!!!! I drank a quart of milk, ate 1/2 package of crackers, then drank some more milk.....while my "SWEETHEART" laughed like crazy!! Haven't grown any "Caribbean Red" since,... although I have grown some Habaneros (I like the 'citrus flavor')... But I mostly use the really hot ones for 'hot sauce' and/or seasoning. Like Byron, I prefer the flavor of "Anaheim-type" chile peppers. (Roasted Green, for me) But I like to grow a variety of hot peppers.....just to see what they are like! Also, I've noticed that the pain of arthritis is diminished by eating hot peppers (the hotter---the less arthritis pain) just my 2 pesos worth, WELCOME to the CRAZY BUNCH, Shane! Bruce (Junkmanme in New Mexico)

I would put up a second box for the HOSP. It doesn't have to be anything fancy (no baffles or anything since you'll be using it as a trap house). Set it up with the screws in place for a Van Ert trap. Let them get used to it and start building. Once they are attached to the box, put the Van Ert in and trap them. I know you're not supposed to put up the spooker until the first egg is laid, but in my humble opinion, I think you did the right thing under the circumstance. It is better than having them fight in the box and having a Bluebird killed. When the HOSP come back, if you have a spare box up, they will choose the box without the sparrow spooker (your trap box). Just plug up the hole in the trap box when you're not using it so no native birds try to nest there. I hope your Blues are already attached enough to their box that they won't abandon it.

You should check and see if there are any auctions near you. We have a wonderful antique auction near me and my friend has snagged some of the coolest rugs for as little as a 200.00. I had no idea the auction existed until she told me. Thought I would share. Here is one of her many various rugs. They are original and come from turkey, India, Bali etc. Super cool.