"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough."
-Rabindranath Tagore
Butterfly activity is still sparse in my neck of the woods. Haven't had many visitors lately. The American Painted Lady butterfly is still passing through town on their way up the coast to where ever they go and end up at. Saw a skipper or two several weeks ago, but they have seemed to move on for the moment.
The garden now features several different species of milkweed for Monarch butterflies, so it should be ready to receive caterpillars when the adults finally arrive. With the milder than average winter and early spring we're experiencing, it's hard to believe that we are still a few days away from April, so patience is a must when it comes to waiting for butterflies to show up in our gardens around here. My general observations have been that most species of butterflies make themselves well known by mid May, with June through September being the peak months for the majority of our local species.
YAY! The Butterfly Festival at the Dorcas E. Utter Memorial Butterfly Pavilion in El Cajon, California will take place on Saturday, April 5th. Sounds like its going to be a rather big shindig with scheduled activities and exhibitors listed. Check out their site for festival information and directions how to get there.
ALSO:
Found a real nice collapsible laundry hamper that looks tailor-made for a butterfly rearing cage. I bought one a couple of years ago with a model that doesn't have a zippered lid like this new one has. ¡Très chichi! On the older model, I have to put a light piece of cloth over the top and secure it with a section of rope so that the cats won't escape. the new one zips open and closed: ¡Voila! Sports two loop handles too. WOW!
One can buy "butterfly cages" specifically advertised for raising caterpillars and holding adult butterflies, but they charge a bit more for them, and are smaller than the one shown above. They are of the same design and quality as the laundry hampers, just different advertising and without the zippered top on some models.
Collapsible laundry hampers can be purchased online and at most - if not all - big box stores such as Walmart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc. When not in use, they collapse and fold up flat, making storage a cinch.
Found a real nice collapsible laundry hamper that looks tailor-made for a butterfly rearing cage. I bought one a couple of years ago with a model that doesn't have a zippered lid like this new one has. ¡Très chichi! On the older model, I have to put a light piece of cloth over the top and secure it with a section of rope so that the cats won't escape. the new one zips open and closed: ¡Voila! Sports two loop handles too. WOW!
One can buy "butterfly cages" specifically advertised for raising caterpillars and holding adult butterflies, but they charge a bit more for them, and are smaller than the one shown above. They are of the same design and quality as the laundry hampers, just different advertising and without the zippered top on some models.
Collapsible laundry hampers can be purchased online and at most - if not all - big box stores such as Walmart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc. When not in use, they collapse and fold up flat, making storage a cinch.
No need to make a special top with the newer zippered hampers! "Awesome!" he gushed.
It's easy to make a rearing bucket out of a 5 gal. paint pail also.
No comments:
Post a Comment