I agree that it is a bummer when caterpillars sicken & die. It does happen, my understanding is that there are both viral and bacterial pathogens. Here in Madison, Ophyryocystis elektroscirrha is the main culprit. I have seen this one classified as a protozoan, and also as a water mold. My experience with raising monarch caterpillars is that about 80% of them make it to adulthood, when hand-reared. Out in the yard, maybe 1% or 2% survive and emerge as healthy adults. It helps to raise them in individual glass containers, and I also wash the milkweed leaves in running cold water, and dry them off, before they are fed to monarch caterpillars. There is a lot of hand washing and glassware washing involved, as you might imagine.

Thanks.

Happy Belated Birthday!! It looks like both of us got to spend our birthdays in hotels this year! I know how good a long shower can feel - I had one this morning and am going out again today to get dirty again. Lars

Lori - If you and your DH enjoy road trips and don't mind gravel, IMO you might think about driving the Alcan Highway. We took a week and a half up, three weeks in Alaska, and a week and a half back (my parents were both teachers, so they had summers off). No blown-out windshields, but at one point the road was washed out and the crews were using bulldozers to pull the cars through the flowing mud. They told my father that it could break the axle on our car. He said "Go ahead", and the car made it intact. We had camping equipment for meals on the road, but only slept in motels and lodges, not at all fancy, but very colorful and rustic. We also had good rain gear, as it rains every day from the northern Yukon into Alaska. The rains aren't so bad, usually brief. Also a LOT of bugspray, as the mosquitoes are fierce. We saw so much wildlife - bear, moose, deer, and all sorts of small critters and birds. People were very, very friendly, went out of their way to be helpful. When we got to Fairbanks we checked into a "hotel" that my mother had reserved in advance. It was, ah, "primitive". The next morning she went down to check something at the front desk and rushed back in a huff and told my father and me to pack up, that we were moving out, as the "hotel" was off-limits to military personnel. I asked what that meant and she and my dad looked at each other, and my dad had a big grin on his face. As I wrote before, you will never forget this trip. Just plan it carefully, know where your stops are, keep your tires in good condition, and take everything you think you might need. I hope you go and that we'll read all about it here on KT someday! Sable