One of my favorite hobbies is raising caterpillars into butterflies/moths. It started 2 years ago (2009) when we adopted a few Monarch caterpillars from a friend. I had so much fun that I couldn't wait to do it again the next spring. That year (2010)I started..or attempted to start..a butterfly garden. The garden didn't do as well as I hoped but we adopted some more Monarchs and found a chrysalis and a cocoon. There was no doubt I was hooked then! This year, I've had much better luck with my butterfly garden. I still have plans to grow it bigger next year! We still haven't had any luck with Monarchs finding our plants but it didn't take much for the Black Swallowtails to find us! I bring in eggs when I find them and raise the caterpillars until they are ready to be released as butterflies because I've found a few predators (spiders and wasps) near our garden. I've come to love a few moths too so I've included them in this area.
Posts about butterflies and moths we've released:
Red Spotted Purple Butterfly
Monarch Butterflies
Polyphemus Moth
Black Swallowtail Butterflies
Coming soon...
Luna Moths
Other posts about butterflies and moths:
School Days: Butterflies
Project 52: Week 27 -- Black Swallowtails and Luna Moths
Difference Between Butterflies and Moths
Butterfly Raising: Tanks/Cages
Facebook albums:
2009
2010
2011
2012
Recommended Books:
Butterfly
The Family Butterfly Book
The Life Cycles of Butterflies: From Egg to Maturity, a Visual Guide to 23 Common Garden Butterflies
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