Butterflies – Busy Bee Suz

Noting The Miraculous

Remember when I was complaining about the %$#%@#% plumber who never finished our water heaters and then I couldn’t get anyone else to show up to conintue the work? Well, Good Golly Miss Molly, the day I posted that, I dug deep into my soul and started calling new plumbers. The first one I talked to would actually come the next day to assess the situation. HELLS BELLS, they actually showed up and we were on their schedule.

Our new tankless water heaters were installed last Friday, thank you Plumbing Gods!

We’re so happy to have that behind us. There are still some plumbing issues we need to deal with, (repiping our entire house?!) but that was a good one to cross off the list and I can once again wash my sheets and towels in warm water.

Perhaps this isn’t a Miracle, but Publix was having a BOGO on their Florida Grown strawberries and I couldn’t pass them up. Heck, they remind me of my blog friends! I didn’t really inspect my berries, just tossed them in my cart like a psychopath, but look at how freaking ginormous they are?

*Is bragging about my big fruit a turn-off?*

Remember my Pet Monarch? Well, he is going on FOUR WEEKS old. This is unheard of. He is surviving on honey cotton balls, orange slices, now strawberries and my love, of course! Who wouldn’t flourish with my love and devotion? I mean, look at my husband, children and weird dogs.

I’m not sure, but I might have my own butterfly pandemic going on, because in the last week, I’ve added two more to the Hospice Department. The second one has the same virus as the first, and the third one is missing one wing completely; something ate his wing! RUDE.

Me shouting through the house: IT’S GETTING CROWDED IN HERE!

It always amazes me how they find me in the yard, though. It’s like there’s a sign on my forehead: BRING ME YOUR HUNGRY, BRING ME YOUR TATTERED WINGS

Any small or big miracles happening in your neck of the woods?

XOXO

Little Souls Saved By Suz

I’ve not posted much about my butterflies lately, but that does’t mean I’m not ~~knee~~ ankle-deep in caterpillars and butters.

*Side note, you’d not believe how many caterpillars and butterflies invade my nightly dreams. It’s a regular occurrence.

A few weeks ago, we had one of those rare ALL day rainy days. Non-stop. On one of my treks in the back yard carrying a Frenchie (Peanut) under the umbrella for forced rain potty time, I noticed a butterfly that had eclosed (hatched/born) that morning on my rose bush, struggling with wet wings and not looking so happy, what with all the wetness and no sun.

I brought him to the lanai area so he could have a dry spot to contemplate his existence, while his wings dried.

(See his empty chrysalis attached to the leaves? This is the equivalent to us carrying around Mom’s now empty uterus. Now, lets get that vision out of our head before it’s too late)

Would he have been fine if I’d left him in the rain all day? Of course, this is part of nature, but why make him suffer when I have room at the Inn. Plus, I have a savior complex with things in my yard.

A few days later, I found a newly eclosed boy struggling in the grass; I wasn’t sure if he was going to be a ‘flyer’ or if he had the dreaded disease (OE) that can keep them from having fully formed/strong wings, so I brought him inside and contained him in a small enclosure for a day. The following afternoon, I checked on him and he seemed fine; like he just needed some rest. I placed him outside where he was ready for some Vitamin D and was so appreciative that he had to flaunt his lovely colors.

I’ll never tire of their beauty; is this where someone got the idea for Stained Glass?

About fourteen days ago, I noticed a boy (what’s will all the males lately?) struggling in the grass. I knew at once, that this guy was not healthy. He for sure has OE, (a type of parasite) which is super contagious to ALL monarchs, in ALL stages. Euthanasia is the way a normal person would deal with this, but I usually try to give them some joy before their time is up by placing them in an enclosure inside, away from any caterpillars and feeding them with some sweet fruit, and/or a honey soaked cotton ball. Doesn’t that sound delish? I also move him to the window several times a day so he can get some Vitamin D.

I know, most normal people wouldn’t have a non flying, crinkled wing butterfly on their kitchen counter for weeks at at time, but I believe we’ve already established that I don’t fall in the normal category.

As far as pets go, he’s pretty easy and fairly quiet; although he does get a little flippy floppy a few times a day, usually after a little nutrition ingestion. I honestly thought he’d only ‘hang’ with me for a few days before crossing the butterfly rainbow bridge, but he seems pretty darn content. We have trip planned in a few weeks and I’m envisioning him in my carryon.

I’m not sharing this because I want applause or for you to think that I’m so darn special, because you already know that; I’m just sharing to share. 😉

A bounty of chrysalids that will be monarchs within 9 to 10 days.

Have you saved or nourished any critters in your yard lately?

Suz, your semi-wackadoo friend

Educating The World, One Butterfly At A Time

I’ve not shared any butterfly stuff in a while, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. I’ve had SO many releases the last few weeks that it’s almost obscene. Wait, maybe that’s not the correct description, because the butterflies weren’t naked, spouting profanities and wielding sharp objects…let’s just say there’s been a lot of fluttering around here and this time it’s not me bitching about nonsense.

Speaking of obscene, my camera skills are lacking when I’m trying to handle butterflies and film these documentaries at the same time, sorry boo.

I’ve been blessed by Plenty O’ Monarchs and Queens; close to forty in the last month.

Do you remember that phenomena where women who gather together and their cycles become In Sync with each? This is nothing like that, but I wanted to make sure you remembered. I was doing my housekeeping last night in the Monarch Feeding Station and noticed so many of my cats were in the same state: Molting. One guy was a few steps ahead, and I caught him saying Ta Ta For Now to his old skin!

Oh, to feel lighter in life!

I was doing some major trimming of our Wild Lime tree this past week, which is something I’ve been putting off because

1) it’s still in the upper 90’s.

2) It’s covered in thorns.

3) It’s GIGANTIC.

4) It takes time because I inspect every.single.branch I trim, (for eggs, caterpillars and chrysalis) as it’s a host plant for the Giant Swallowtail. I can’t imagine the shape the world would be in if I accidentally threw out a butterfly egg, cat or chrysalis. YOU ARE WELCOME.

I’m sure you don’t remember it because you often go about your lives like they’re more important than what I have going on, but we planted this wild lime in December of 2020 and of course I wrote an entire post about it….so much excitement. I mean, what else happened in 2020? NUTTIN.

The After pic is After I trimmed it. It was ridiculous. My poor lawn guys now can at least get around it without the chance of losing an eyeball.

(I won’t allow them to trim any butterfly host plants because they won’t inspect for butterfly life, and heaven forbid, they’d just toss clippings and the world spin off it’s axis)

BTW: I found a good amount of eggs and caterpillars that would have been tossed by a lesser butterfly savior than I.

BTW 2: A huge branch came down onto my face and a thorn gouged me in my eyelid. Luckily I didn’t lose my eye, or also as dramatic, I didn’t damage my eyebrow.

If you care to learn more about my butterfly raising process, I previously wrote a fairly informative, but mostly funny post about it. OH MY! I just read that post and laughed at myself: I’m timeless!

Never-mind, it was just from last year….

Do you remember from my previous Wild Lime post what Giant Swallowtail caterpillars resemble so birds won’t eat them? If you don’t remember and you’d still like to be in my good graces, here is a recent save:

Now, who stayed awake in class today? You get a ~~gold ribbon~~ Butterfly!

Those of you who could not keep up, it’s likely you were up late last night, high on gummies and watching Trash TV, again. It’s ok, you are still my people, but you’ll have to read this post twice. Or Thrice.

XOXO

Mother Nature Has No Modesty, The Most Innocent Gang & The Big Rub.

TWO posts in one week. TWO. *phew*

I told you guys that I’ve been spending copious amounts of time outside because of Peanut. I get to see so much ‘activity’ out there; it can be mesmerizing. Like seeing Procreation happen right in front of ~~your~~ my eyes. There are two monarchs here, and the male, he’s got some time under his belt as his wings are tattered and almost see-through, but still has so much energy for activities.

How apropos to be a male in any species and still have all.the.energy.

Honestly though, I’m witness to so much sex happening in our yard that I don’t always pay much attention any more. What do you call that? Desensitization?

THE GANGS ALL HERE, LITERALLY

Remember last week when I shared about my Adirondack chair under the big ass oak tree? I’d noticed a chrysalis under the arm rest when I was picking up a dog toy, then I noticed more. Ya’ll I counted NINE chrysalis under that one chair. (here are four under one armrest)

Caterpillars so so funny because I often find them creating their chrysalis’s together; Power in Numbers or is it Gang Mentality?

RUB, RUB, RUB, PLOP

My yard is always my favorite place to visit, but sometimes I must go inside and clean something, cook something, launder something, pay ~~bills~~ something, work on something or email something.

I’m sure you’re wondering about Peanut. Suz, what does Peanut need to do? Well sometimes she likes to go inside for a good nap, or to chew on something that isn’t one of her 295 toys, but first she must rub all her hairs on our furniture.

Sure, she’s cute, but we know full well I’m gonna have to clean up after her, for her entire life.

Right?

*sigh*

(I’m pretty sure she’s experiencing allergies as this just started a few weeks ago; currently working on that.)

Anyone else see Mother Nature put on a show for you lately?