Although we are still waiting to see evidence of the Monarch population in our milkweed garden, the Press Enterprise just published an article that they are emerging.
We are so very blessed to have this beautiful Monarch Butterfly protected habitat. If you’ve never seen the progression here are some pictures for you to enjoy.
Freshly laid eggItty bitty caterpillar… can you see it?As the caterpillar gets bigger it will eventually start to turn into a J and form a chrysalis around itself.When the chrysalis starts turning black, we know that a butterfly will soon enter our world
We are so excited to see the Monarch Butterflies coming back to enjoy our butterfly garden. Board member Rose was gracious enough to bring some caterpillars from her garden to ours since we weren’t seeing any and she had an abundance. They almost immediately went into a chrysalis stage and we are awaiting the release.
This year, we have a gate around the garden that they are forming on and we have decided to let nature take it’s course rather than bringing them inside. They look like they’re doing a pretty good job of camouflaging themselves. We’ll keep you updated on their progress.
Over the winter I watched squirrels burry peanuts in our butterfly garden, never thinking they would sprout. Surprisingly enough, as I was pulling weeds, I pulled one that had PEANUTS as it’s roots! I was so excited to see so many more still planted. I looked it up and can’t wait to see the final results. Thanks squirrels!
If you’re interested in the video I watched, click here.
Has Mother Nature gifted you with any unexpected foliage? We’d love to see it.
The sun is shining, the birds are building, and the foliage is blooming. We have the first buds starting on the apple trees and aphids have already found the milkweed. Ladybugs are in short supply and we are looking for any leads on LARGE quantity of live lady bugs.
We are happy to report that a few ladybugs have found their way to our milkweed but with the amount of aphids we’re seeing, we need a whole army. Local suppliers seem to be out and we are wary of having ladybugs shipped and end up arriving dead. Do you have a lead on ladybugs? Let us know so we can help keep our Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary free of aphids without using anything that will harm the butterflies or their larvae.
There is no doubt that mulching builds soil, reduces the need to water, and helps control weeds. But what does it do to protect plants from the cold? In many climates, perennials will survive just fine without any protection. In cold areas, snow is an excellent insulator; it keeps plants underground at a temperature around freezing and protects them from the worst of winter conditions. If we could be sure that there would be a good layer of snow throughout winter, our gardens wouldn’t experience many problems at all. Without snow or other mulch in tough winter months, however, plants may suffer heaving and freezing, which can damage their root systems.
The best time to apply winter mulch is just after the first hard frost. By putting mulch down at this time, you will help stabilize the temperature of the soil right around freezing. Applying mulch too soon may delay freezing and encourage heaving and thawing. Applying it too late may cause the roots of plants to experience temperatures below that which they can handle.
Pine bark or wood chips are the best mulches; they enrich soil as they degrade. A layer of mulch about 4 to 6 inches deep over the plants works well. Most perennials will pop through the mulch in spring. If the plants are young, small, or newly planted in fall, you may need to clear some of the mulch in spring so that the plants can emerge without difficulty through the winter protection.
Organic mulches cushion the soil from compaction and erosion caused by heavy winter rains while safeguarding the soil’s storehouse of nutrients. In addition, winter mulches can enhance the cold tolerance of perennial vegetables, herbs and fruits, helping to insure a strong comeback in spring.
Recently laid wood chips to keep the roots nice and cozy
The what, why, how, and where
What are woodchips? Woodchips are small pieces of wood.
Why would I want woodchips in my garden design? The most common way of using woodchips for gardening is to spread them on the ground as mulch.
How? It is important to remember that, as with any permaculture technique, every site is different and every plant species has its own unique requirements. You may find woodchip mulching in one part of your site does not work, while in another place it does wonders. • Spread the woodchip mulch at least 2-3 inches deep • Plant seedlings in the soil just below the woodchips • It may be too difficult to move the woodchip layer for seeds which are small or closely spaced, such as carrots, beetroots, spinach, and onions, so maybe use a different mulch material if you are planning to grow these kind of crops • Squash grow particularly well in woodchips
Where can you get woodchips? We currently have a large pile at our Dutch Flats location that Pine Cove residents can go and gather as much as they’d like for free. Special for December – have a truckload delivered for only $100
We have had an exciting season of hatching monarch butterflies. We are proud to be certified and registered as an official Monarch Waystation through www.monarchwatch.org.
Our new sign reads: This site provides milkweeds, nectar sources, and shelter needed to sustain monarch butterflies as they migrate through North America.
We really enjoy watching the process from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to hatching. Over the last week, we have released almost 20 healthy monarch butterflies and we still have a baker’s dozen more chrysalis’. I hope you enjoy our pictures through this journey.
Click here to read a story about another beautiful soul trying to raise the population of monarch butterflies.
Want to help the monarch community? Keep your eyes out on our blog and newsletters for a fun give away coming up soon.
What’s the difference between a chrysalis and a cocoon?
The words cocoon and chrysalis are often used interchangibly when talking about monarchs and other butterflies. However, they are two completely different things! Cocoons are specific to moths, while chryslises are formed by butterflies. Moths spin silk around themselves and molt inside the silk casing. This provides extra warmth and protection from the surrounding environment. You can usually find cocoons attached to the side of something or burried under ground or in leaf litter.
Chrysalises, on the other hand, are not silk. Butterflies molt into a chrysalis, which is a hard exoskeleton covering that protects the developing butterfly beneath. Chrysalises are typically found hanging from something. For example, monarchs spin a small silk button to hang upside down from before molting from head to abdomen! (information taken from Monarch Joint Venture)
We were so excited this morning when we went out to look at our milkweed and found 16 NEW MONARCH CATERPILLARS!
We get to start over! They are SO cute.
Of course we are very careful about what we use to take care of our garden. Did you know that there are reports saying glyphosate weedkiller like Roundup is killing the Monarch butterfly growth?
According to a recent article from Genetic Literacy Project; media and advocacy groups are not fully reflecting the issue. “Why are Monarchs in decline? It’s a hotly-debate issue, with many studies with competing conclusions. Anti-biotechnology activist groups have singled out the herbicide glyphosate as a major driver of the decline, so the issue is embedded in a wider, inflamed debate over the controversial weedkiller. Which makes it all the more important that any new science on this issue should be contextualized and reported with nuance.”
From what I’ve read, it seems to be a domino effect with the weedkiller being used on the milkweed and killing that, leaving nothing for the caterpillars and butterflies to eat and lay their eggs on.
Of course there are conflicting studies that say there is a much bigger issue than the glyphosate theory. Some say the real issue is ‘how do we restore weeds’. My definition of weeds has always been a plant that I don’t want growing in my garden bed. But milkweeds are ALWAYS welcome.
Bottom line in my mind – use natural remedies on your plants to maintain the natural balance of nature. And I always recommend that people read multiple sources if interested in a “controversial” subject and form your own conclusion.
In the meantime – enjoy our little guys.
A little baby caterpillar we re-located to the milkweedA bigger caterpillar on the milkweed
Looking for a Halloween hand out to promote milkweeds and future Monarchs? I came across this promotion: Milkweed seed Halloween Promotion. (I have never ordered from them before and cannot validate their product)
We are trying our best to help the Monarch Butterfly population with planting milk weeds, bringing the caterpillars in to a safe habitat when they look like they are about to form a chrysalis, and releasing them into our garden when the butterflies emerge.
Our season looks like it’s complete as all of the caterpillars we had have hatched and flown away. We are happy that a couple have decided to stick around and play in our milkweeds and look forward to next year when we can help the community more.
Here are some pictures of the development.
Caterpillars starting to ‘J’ and form chrysalisesA chrysalis almost ready to openJust hatchedBeautiful Monarch released
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