Pillar Place Update

“How does one become a butterfly?" she asked. "You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.” - unknown

The pillars in Pillar Place have grown by leaps and bounds. Yesterday, the last black "bird poop" pillar shed its skin and is now parsley worm green. It was an amazing thing to watch as she slipped out of the old skin--what a lot of work! She's still tiny, but is well on her way.

We have one, Diana, who looks big enough to go on walkabout soon. She'll wander the box and find the perfect spot to make her pupa. I need to put in some sticks for her to use if she wants, instead of just the lid (which is incredibly inconvenient). One or two others are getting close, too, though they'll probably take a few days longer than she will.

Today, though overcast so far, is not raining -- so we'll go on the hunt for more pillars. Soon we should be getting monarchs. According to my last two years of Monarch Ranching records, we typically get our first Monarch butterbabies about two weeks into July. I'll start checking the underneath of our milkweed leaves for eggs next week.

I'll take some pictures today of the Swallowtail butterbabies and post tomorrow. I tried to video one eating, but I had to put the camera quite close, and they stop moving when they feel threatened -- or they "horn" us.



See the yellow horns on its head? When the pillars are frightened, those come out. They actually release a bad smelling odor that deters other critters from eating it. We try not to make them "horn" much because if they do it too often, they die. We've lost a couple that way and it's very sad :-(

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Your Address Says You're Brainy

Right now, you have so many interests and hobbies that you hardly have time for anything else. You live a rich life, and you find the world to be very fascinating. At your best, you're discovering new literature, art, music, and food that you love. At your worst, you are a bit picky. Sometimes you find it hard to be open to new things.

What Does Your Address Say About You?

LOL... oddly, this is remarkably close!

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