Saturday, July 18, 2009

We Have Butterbabies!

“Butterflies... not quite birds, as they were not quite flowers, mysterious and fascinating as are all indeterminate creatures.” - Elizabeth Goudge

We have butterbabies! In Pillar Place: Monarch we hatched two butterbabies yesterday: Maria and Nancy! My camera won't take the super-duper close up pictures of this, but Bird Chick has this amazing post about Monarch's hatching. The baby is actually far harder to see than the egg! If it didn't have it's little black head, I'd probably never find it on the milkweed.

I found this cool video of a pillar hatching (filmed through a microscope, which should tell you how tiny they are!):



Monarch tidbit: Monarch butterflies are one of the few insects capable of making transatlantic crossings. They are becoming more common in Bermuda due to increased usage of milkweed as an ornamental plant in flower gardens. Monarch butterflies born in Bermuda remain year round due to the island's mild climate.

In Pillar Place: Swallowtail, we had another release. Bugsy emerged and was another female. Welcome Bugsy:



As an aside, we found a pile of Milkweed Tussock Moth eggs, and DD wants to raise them inside, too. I've said "NO", but may cave in a moment of weakness. They ARE really cool to look at, don't you think:



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You Are an Ice Cream Sandwich



You are well grounded, reliable, and very balanced.

You love to work hard, but you also know how to take it easy.



People might be surprised to know you have a very goofy side to you.

You like to let loose and have fun. You just don't let yourself go too crazy!



That's remarkably close! ...

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6 comments:

groovyoldlady said...

I love your butterfly habit. We try, but we have about an 80% accidental kill rate.

My eldest daughter's nephew is 5 and he is a butterfly/moth WHIZ. He can identify most of the northeast varieties and knows their habits and habitats. Pretty amazing!

Dru said...

The swallowtail is beautiful.

wow...very interesting video. Do they eat all of their casing?

re quiz: I'm an Ice Cream Sandwich too.

Have a good Saturday.

anno said...

Hooray! Monarchs on the way! Love to the new swallowtail as well.

As for the quiz, I am soft serve:

You are laid back, peaceful, and accepting.
You are easy to please, and you enjoy letting others do things their way.

People might be surprised to know that you're experimental and funky - at least in your own mind.
You are open to wherever life takes you, even if it's very unconventional.


Pretty close to the mark as well...

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Tori Lennox said...

That moth 'pillar looks like a bottle brush I used to have! LOL!

Brandy said...

Sad to say we don't have the milkweed or anything like it near us to even try. I'm glad they are finding homes some where and Bugsy is gorgeous!

Have a wonderful Saturday!

Anonymous said...

Wow very cool!