Follow

The last of the caterpillars we were sheltering has emerged from their chrysalis. Check out the retrotastic colorway on this buckeye spp. I guess it's time to go on a caterpillar hunt.

@peeppeepcircus We have a few of those acrylic habitats for our habit of catching jumping spiders and keeping them for a few months, no spiders at the moment. So I used those, giving them plantain leaves as that's what we found three of them on so it must be a favorite. I put paper towels on the bottom that were replaced daily, and there was a single stick for them to climb, but i kept the plantain fresh and made sure they had enough for hiding and climbing. Misted occasionally for water.

@peeppeepcircus The lawnmower blades of my next door neighbor, and his birds.

@peeppeepcircus Here's one I haven't cleaned out all the way yet. I took the plantain out when they were all in chrysallisises (chrysalli?) The oak leaf has one on the bottom, that's why it's still in there, low so they had a bit of space to dry their wings. It's too small. I almost bought a mesh shelter this spring, then decided on getting it the next month, and didn't. Next year for sure, maybe even next month if we manage to keep finding them.

@tippitiwichet i had a mesh shelter for butterflies. I put it outside when they were ready. but I don't think I will do that again.
(ants attacked them 😢)

@peeppeepcircus

i raised 'pillars last year-- bc one day i had 14 monarch 'pillars on my milkweed & the next day they were ALL gone, so i think birds got 'em :(

so i got a tent & started raising 'pillars, lots of swallowtails on my fennel, monarchs from a park i volunteered at. great success at first, but later on several didn't emerge & that broke me, i blamed myself (don't know what i did wrong but am sure it was me)

how's your success rate @tippitiwichet? do some just ... not? or just me?

@fernfren @peeppeepcircus So far, only lost 1 of 5, but the year is young. Growing milkweed now, but haven't yet seen any caterpillars. I had them outside on an invasive vining species of milkweed, I let the vine be so they could live, but lost all three caterpillars I found, thus the plan to start providing shelter. I heard the mesh ones outside are supposed to be better for them, they do better with the natural cycles and whatnot. Maybe with a moat to prevent ants?

Sign in to participate in the conversation

CounterSocial is the first Social Network Platform to take a zero-tolerance stance to hostile nations, bot accounts and trolls who are weaponizing OUR social media platforms and freedoms to engage in influence operations against us. And we're here to counter it.