-
Fall Marsh
“I’m not here.” 
“Too hungry. Truce.” 
“You STILL here?” 
Flicker 
Woodland sunflower 
Lilies 
Droplets 
Forget-me-not 
White wood aster 
Lady’s thumb 
Flicker foreground 
Ready to launch -
Creekside
There is a creek that runs along the edge of the church grounds where our homeschool co-op meets. I used my free period today to sit in the colorful, multitextured world of the stream. I wasn’t feeling antisocial — just quiet. It was a lovely diversion in an otherwise busy day.
-
Even Better than Monarchs in the House
When I took a picture of this trail in the spring, I never would have guessed that it would bless me with a wonder in the fall: my first ever glimpse of a chrysalis in the wild.
I was so excited I came back later with my daughter, and we discovered another… sadly, it had been robbed. Monarchs are poisonous to birds, so the culprit must have regretted it.
But our spirits lifted at the sight of another. Ultimately we saw eight healthy ones!
#2 
#3 & #4 
#5 
#6 
#7 
#8 Not a single one was on a milkweed plant. Several chose goldenrod; #8 was on a stalk fallen nearly flat across the trail, and must have been that way almost the whole time. A few chose other plants that I didn’t recognize. One — #7 — chose a stalk of grass!
Several of them looked ready to hatch, so after lunch I went back. #5 had hatched!
#5 emerged I had been a little worried about #7. Rain was predicted, and that stalk of grass looked so fragile… But the chrysalis was looking ready to pop, so I set up my tripod to try and video its emergence. Amazingly, it came out just as a very gentle shower began.
#7 Emerged 
Growing 
Hanging around 
Larger still 
Wings almost ready I did video its emergence, and it’s amazing to watch! If I figure out how to make the file smaller I’ll post it. But these pictures tell the story of transformation.
It was a gift. I’ve looked before for chrysalises, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen any in the great outdoors, and it was a jackpot sighting. I woke this morning heavy-hearted over various things going on in our often messed up and confusing world, but this was a glimpse of something working marvelously right.
-
Latest Monarchs
Only two chrysalises left. Today’s hatchling was the first to be greeted by a cool, rainy day. I hope he will make out all right!
Yesterday’s fluttered immediately up into a tall tree and spent the day there.
So far we’ve had 5 males and a female.
-
Ted
Caterpillar #2 took flight yesterday. Adios, friend!
-
First butterfly
-
Mrs Hummer
-
Metamorphosis
It’s an amazing thing to watch this process of caterpillar to butterfly. First they’re tiny…
Even little ones need to hide now and then… 
…snug as a bug in a rug. They eat, sleep, shed several times, and grow restless for the heights…
Mirror, mirror on the wall 
Caterpillar Pilates 
…then fasten themselves to a good, secure spot.
Next comes the most amazing part. As a child when we did this, I never saw the chrysalis formation happen. I pictured the process as being similar to the moth that spins a cocoon around itself. But the chrysalis is within the caterpillar, waiting to neatly trim away all the stuff the butterfly will no longer need.
Monarch Metamorphosis from Snaphappy on Vimeo.
It takes perhaps a half an hour before the process is really complete.
The old skin, discarded, lies on the ground beneath the finished chrysalis. Now it’s a matter of waiting for a week or 10 days till a butterfly emerges. We have 4 chrysalises and 4 caterpillars at the moment. Hopefully all 8 will emerge as healthy butterflies ready for their trip to Mexico.
-
Pathway ponderings
Older Daughter and I took a walk down a familiar trail the other day. It was midafternoon and there wasn’t much wildlife to be seen. But this woodpecker tree was one of several reminders that the woodland inhabitants were alive and well.
The trail wound invitingly among ferns and trees. We’ll have a few months of color, then the winter monchromatic palette will be back in play.
“Green thoughts in a green shade” I thought this fuzzy fungus was a mouse at first.
We descended to a favorite spot along the creek, a small waterfall that always invites us for a picnic (though we never have one packed).
The picturesque scene hides a tragedy. The water was low enough that we walked up the creekbed instead of returning to the trail. At the base of the falls, hidden here by the pile of flood debris, was a dead rabbit, soaked with mud, eyes still open in panic. Somehow it had been washed down the creek and killed.
It was a disturbing sight. I’ve often noticed the waste of roadkill — animals hit by cars by accident. Nature is usually more purposeful, and a favorite mantra of nature writers is “the economy of nature.” But this was an example of pure accident. I couldn’t help brooding over it as we walked on.
Looking back downstream Raccoons had left their prints along the edge, attracted by the crayfish and frogs.
Did someone say “frogs”? It was a nice walk, though we were out at the wrong time of day to see any early warblers coming through on their way back south. The almanac predicts another harsh winter, and I saw some warblers on the move when we vacationed north of here a few weeks ago. Hopefully we’ll see a few in the days to come.
-
Stages
Things are looking up around here. At least, caterpillars are. Two of our now seven monarchs have made their silk buttons and dropped into their J’s. I hope I’ll be able to see the chrysalis form for at least one of them. We have one more big guy that I picked up today, thinking he’d climb right up to the ceiling with these two and follow suit, but so far he’s munching with great dedication on the milkweed, occasionally pausing mid-bite for a nap.
Still, it won’t be long. I won’t have to worry about supplying fresh milkweed for him for long.
Not the case with this one.
What can I say? I was ready to stop collecting caterpillars, but Younger Daughter was along and felt otherwise. So we have the three big guys, two medium-sized ones with a couple of instars left before they’re ready for chrysalises, and now two tiny ones.
At least they grow quickly!
I think it may give them a better chance to be safe in the aquarium while they’re in the chrysalis state. But I have mixed feelings. Life in the wild looks pretty good too: soaking up the sun and the breezes, eating and napping.
I know monarchs are poisonous to birds, but I’m not sure if other predators eat them: spiders, frogs, milkweed beetles. Maybe the tiny ones have a better chance if we help them out too.
In any case, it’s encouraging to see so many of them this year!
