Praying Mantis Egg case

May 5, 2015UncategorizedMJ

Hey we are finally back from a long winter with a surprise!

One Praying mantis egg case!We are going, this year, to raise 3 of these little guys form this little sack. Infact this case could hold up to 500 little mantis, but that would be WAY to much work.

we’ll keep u up dated. we expect them to be hatching in a couple of days!

“Tucker” the Milkweed Tussock Caterpillar Turns into a Cocoon

September 9, 2014UncategorizedMary Ann COKE

In my last posted on Aug 29, I lost “Tucker” after providing him the best habitat for it to spin its cocoon in an open container filled with shredded paper for nesting. It was placed on the open window sill and that night, it disappeared apparently thru a small opening in the screen. Sad news! However, the next day, I found it climbing up the garden shed door. I quickly grasped it and now placed it with the Monarchs in their butterfly house to feed. After all they love the same type of food–milkweed. After several days, I just forgot about it and thought it expired. Happy News…today (Sept 9) while removing the decayed milkweed leaves in the butterfly house, one leaf made the perfect place for “Tucker” to pupate and go into its cocoon! Now, it will winter over and be ready to emerge next spring into a moth. Life does has sweet ending after all!

Preparing “Tucker” the Milkweed Tussock Caterpillar for Cocoon

August 29, 2014UncategorizedMary Ann COKE

I did some research from bug guide.net that advised to provide a shelter similar to outdoors, like a screened-in porch…in my case, I selected a screened-in window. Tucker, hopefully, will make its cocoon when it is ready and I’m to keep feeding the caterpillar until then. But lately, Tucker hasn’t eaten any of the fresh leaves so I hope it will start wandering around and notice that in its new environment is a pile of shredded paper for it to pupate. Just have to keep checking on it and wait and see!

The release of the butterflies

August 28, 2014UncategorizedMJ

All of those caterpillars are emerging daily. We are sending them off hoping they’ll have a nice trip to Mexico.

Raising a Tussock Moth Caterpillar

August 26, 2014UncategorizedMary Ann COKE

Molted Remains — This a.m. Tucker looked like it expired and felt very sad. When I removed the leaf and ready to dispose of it, I noticed another yet bigger caterpillar hiding on the next leaf. Monarchs molt entirely different and wasn’t expecting Tucker’s molted body with its fuzzy hairs still in tack. Happy and content that Tucker may complete its cycle after all and will, of course, go thru many more molting stages.

When my granddaughters visited, they noticed I had something strange quickly moving about in my Monarch Butterfly House. They stopped me from destroying it and MJ said it was a Tussock Moth Caterpillar, that also feeds on the milkweed plant. It got transplanted to another container so its activities could be watched! So, I named it “Tucker”.

Tussock Caterpillar after Molting — Tucker is looking mightily fine with its colorful fuzzy garment! It has doubled in size and when introduced to more fresh milkweed leaves, Tucker settled in chopping down with a whooping appetite. Its going to be interesting to watch its development.

New hope for the Monarchs!

August 7, 2014UncategorizedMJ

We have just saved 20 monarch caterpillars and 1 chrysalis! we found most of them when they were eggs but now we have a caterpillars, caterpillars and more caterpillars! There is a whole Monarch world on our desk habitat!