Tag: Butterflies

Weekend happenings and how I use my special power(s) isn’t up to me.

On By SuzIn As blogged by Suz22 Comments

We had all three kids (Linds, Lolo & Nathan) and Coach’s Dad and step mom over for a cookout Saturday; Y’all, it’s so nice to be with my PEOPLE.

Shortly after Lolo and Nathan arrived, they rode off with the Coach on a little errand and left their dogs here, Mattis the Husky and Max max the little nut job. I went in to shower and when I came out of the bathroom, I found this scene:

The rule has always been NO dogs on the couch, but that rule doesn’t apply to little Max; he’s designated to either corner of the couch that has a blanket on it. Well, Mattis thinks that he’s the size of Max, but clearly he isn’t. And yes, I took the photo before I drug him off the couch and he was all ‘what, why, lady, I like da couch.’

Suzanne’s hair salon is now open.

I cut about 5″ off Lolo’s hair.

And then I charged her $126 bucks. That’s the going rate, isn’t it?

Behold, my super powers

Lolo and I were outside with the dogs and I was showing her my Senna plants that I just KNOW the Sulphur butterflies have been laying eggs in, but I’ve yet to see a caterpillar. As we were both talking and looking at the plants we both SHREIKED when we saw a few caterpillars. I swear, sometimes I have the power to WILL butterflies to do my bidding.

Another example of my super power: Last week I was watering my potted dill, parsley and fennel and I said to myself, where are the Eastern Black Swallowtails? I’ve not seen one in months and I swear to baby Jesus, just then one flew around the corner, and started laying eggs RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I was all: Thank you JESUS, and why don’t I have my phone/camera on me; I just stood there mesmerized by how I made that happen. 🙂

See, I can WILL THEM. You’d think I would use my powers for something else, but my powers only work on butterflies. Now, with the sulphur butters that brings up my larval host plants up to 10. I think. There could be more; perhaps I summoned up another flavor but forgot about it already.

My MIL brought some desserts to share, we didn’t put any candles on anything so, there was no blowing of anything, on anything, but we had dessert in honor of my FIL’s April birthday, Nathan’s May birthday and Judy and Lolo’s July birthdays. We killed four birds with one stone, although I don’t know why we have to kill birds.

It was lovely to hang out and chat with family. My life is so good; I’m fully aware of this and I don’t even need a reminder. It’s just good.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend doing something with people who you enjoy or at least people who bow to your will. *giggle*

XO

It’s a poop party at the wild lime

On By SuzIn In the land of butterflies21 Comments

That title sounds like some obscure fetish gathering in an underground establishment that I’d not like to visit nor be invited to.

I’m sure you remember one of my first vlogs where I shared my wild lime tree. You don’t? What the heck have you been doing aside from memorizing my yard? Well, it’s a pity because I lost that vlog during the blogger to WordPress transfer. Your life will never be the same.

Please note the vine of death in the background up there. It is actually starting to sprout leaves, someone has laid eggs on it already and yes, I still have PTSD.

We planted this tree soley for the purpose of attracting Giant Swallowtails. They also like my real citrus trees but this is not a real fruit bearing tree; it’s as fake as a Kardashian derriere.

I found three giant swallowtail caterpillars in the wild lime recently, all in different stages. Can YOU SEE THEM?

Our creator is such a genius; he made it so that the baby caterpillars look like bird poop. Hence keeping predators from eating them. Raise your hands if you’re glad he didn’t follow through with making our children look like bird poop? I mean, I’m not saying I didn’t want to nibble on my babies here and there, but had they looked like poop? Ehhh, I’ll pass and I hope this ‘phase’ passes too.

Two are still in caterpillar form, the third is in his chrysalis.

I captured brought in a baby swallowtail caterpillar in June and was hand feeding it daily. It finally had it’s fill of food and it created it’s chrysallis on July 4th. Last week, much to my surprise VOILA’, she was here just a rustling around in the styrofoam cooler where I pin all the chrysallid’s. HULLO-Lady human, I’m ready to live my best life!

This is my very first time successfully raising a Giant Swallowtail and I was so excited, so you know what I might have done-yes, Happy SHAAAAT. I carried her outside, had her on my hand and was trying to place her on a flower when she decided to come in for a closeup.


I heard her say: why u schwetty? why u slippery and smell like sunscreen? what happen to yur nek, so wrinkky.

Who knew butterflies were so DAMN judgy?

Don’t ya love that it has two distinct “outfits”…the inside and the outside.

She stuck around for quite a while we had our own Glamour shot sesh.

Go ahead and comment: Pretty butterfly. You know you want to. But also, did you read the part about me almost shatting? That is what some might call quality blogging.

Well, that is enough learning for today. It’s also a reminder to apply sunscreen to your neck and decolletage. I apologize if you fell asleep in class, but that’s what you get when you stay up all night watching bad TV.

XOXO

Posing as Mother Nature is exhausting

On By SuzIn In the land of butterflies21 Comments

Thank you all for your empathy on my Monday post. I was really sad, down in the dumps, bummed, annoyed, etc…

Lu in TN commented (Thanks Lu!) about having a similar experience and reaching out to butterfly enthusiast groups for advice. Well, wouldn’t you know that I belong to a few different butterfly groups on The Face Book. I posted in my swallowtail group about my dilemma and lots of people had ideas; I love people with ideas.

Many of them were for nurseries too far from me, (I have my limits) but one mentioned a nursery that was only 1 & 1/2 hours. I had tasks that I had to accomplish yesterday, so a 3 hour round trip trek was pushing it, but I looked it up and it was only 25 minutes from my Lolo.

I started thinking….doesn’t that kid owe me something for the undying love I’ve been shelling out for almost 27 years? Didn’t I just purchase a wedding dress for her last week? *giggle giggle*

I texted her to see if she was up for a rescue mission and of course she was on board, I mean love and wedding dress, right?

I called the nursery and they had 6 pipevines, plus all sorts of good monarch butterfly plants that I needed. One, I had always coveted, but never found locally; the elusive Giant Swan Milkweed. AKA: Hairy Balls

She face-timed me when she was there and all the plants looked great. But, they didn’t look so BIG while we were on the phone. I ordered the 6 pipevines, 2 giant milkweed plants and 2 hairy balls. 🙂

She said, are you sure? They’re big. Me: YES!

SO, we met up a while later half way from my house and half way from her house in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. BTW, are we changing the name of that place anytime soon?

It felt like the best drug deal going down in a parking lot that I’ve ever been a part of. “You got my weed?”

Ya’ll, I didn’t have one inch of space left in my fake SUV. (I think of an SUV as a Suburban, Yukon, etc….) It fit tightly in Lolo’s Yukon, but it was a crunch in my fake SUV.

This is just a portion of the weed I picked up in the Caucasian Barrel parking lot. Ignore the exposed wiring in my garage….we have yet another project this week.

I immediately carried one of the pipevines to the grave yard ,scene of the crime area where I still had some starving caterpillars. I then went on a mission and found about 12 more caterpillars wandering. This morning I found two more survivors and put them on the vine.

BTW: last night I dreamt that the vine was eaten entirely overnight.

So, I saved around 15 or so caterpillars out of the 100’s.

Will I even put these vines in the ground? maybe not. I have PTSD. I’m just gonna see how it goes and if the ones the ground can fight their way back before being devoured again.

So, I feel a bit of relief today. For now. *giggle* I exhaust myself….

How is your humpday?