Wednesday, June 9, 2010

in the garden...

(in this case, the flower garden)

It was four or five summers ago that the first milkweed plant showed up in our flower garden. We were very excited about it...after all, milkweed and monarchs go together, right? Each year, the number of milkweed plants has grown and grown. (In fact, this year I've pulled some out because they're crowding out some of our other flowers.) Anyway, I think they're very pretty plants all on their own (at least for most of the summer...though towards the end, they seem to ooze out some ugly sticky stuff from their leaves and they don't look so pretty then). But I do have to admit part of our attraction is their ability to attract the monarchs. Each year, we've seen monarchs lay eggs, and and a couple times seen teeny tiny caterpillars. But apparently we've got plenty of predators in the garden, too...because we've never had a caterpillar grow to any size before. Until now, that is.


Isn't it beautiful?!! We keep watching it grow and grow and grow...and I think I'm finally hopeful that maybe this one will actually make it...

5 comments:

  1. That is a GORGEOUS caterpillar!!! We don't get any bugs that pretty here!! Though I've noticed that since I have a garden now, I have cooler bugs than ever before :D They've probably always been there, I've just never paid as much attention to them. The sad thing is, I don't know what's good for my garden and what's not...So many awesome looking worms and caterpillars, but sadly I have to remove them from the garden :/ I refuse to kill them though...I just throw them in the neighbors yard :p

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  2. I simply cannot stop laughing at the idea of you throwing your bugs into your neighbor's yard!!!! :D

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  3. as soon as I saw the pic I knew it was a monarch!! wow, I hope you go out there one day and find a cocoon!!!!!

    Chris: you toss them in your neighbors yard? LOL LOL of course they never walk or fly back huh? lol..

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  4. Deslily, Of course they do :p I just can't kill the little worms!!! They're so cute! #fail

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  5. Sweet...hope you get a big, fat butterfly out of that one!

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