Butterfly Lady

My grandchildren recently introduced me to this most delightful book by Ross Burach. The story is about how a caterpillar discovers that it will “metamorphosize” into a butterfly. Each page is delightfully written and illustrated and will entertain children of any age.

The Impatient Caterpillar is wondering why all the caterpillars are climbing up the tree. His friend tells him that they are going up to metamorphosize, but Impatient Caterpillar doesn’t know what that means. “Meta-WHAT-now?” he asks. His friend explains they are turning into butterflies. Impatient Caterpillar had no idea he could do that! He cannot wait to become a butterfly.

Hanging upside down at the top of the tree, Impatient Caterpillar wants to know what comes next. His friend explains that they now need to build a chrysalis, and, in the blink of an eye, he’s completely encased in his chrysalis. Impatient Caterpillar is incredulous. “WHAAAT? How did you DO that? Is it a spin? Or more of a twirl?” Impatient Caterpillar struggles to build his chrysalis, but once he is encased, he wonders what he must do next. His friend replies, “Just be patient and let nature take its course.”

Impatient Caterpillar is full of questions. Mainly, “Am I a butterfly yet?” All the other chrysalises tell them to be quiet because, after all, they are trying to metamorphosize. When Impatient Caterpillar learns that it takes two weeks to turn into a butterfly, he freaks out. “Can I get a comic book?” “What if I need the bathroom?” “Anyone want to play a game?“. His fellow caterpillars all tell him to be patient and let nature take its course, but the waiting is just so hard. Looking at the calendar, he realizes that it’s still only day one and decides that he is going to break free.

He bursts out of his chrysalis and is convinced that he is a butterfly. Unfortunately, he is now only a rather dilapidated and awkward-looking caterpillar. He jumps off of the branch to fly and splats to the ground. He decides to try to metamorphosize again.

Finally the Impatient Caterpillar seems to be getting the hang of it. He practices deep breathing and speaks positively to himself until on Day 7 he finally finds his inner chill.

At the end of the week…he emerges as a beautiful butterfly! He professes a new appreciation for patience. But…wait!…where is everybody going? His friend tells him they’re migrating. “Right. Right.,” this newly patient butterfly says. He takes off, ready for the long flight.

Just one question: “Are we there yet?”

Besides being funny, it can lead to learning more factual information about caterpillars and butterflies, other animals that undergo metamorphosis (like tadpoles to frogs), and/or talking about learning to be patient and coping techniques to help us be patient.

 

Most native milkweed seeds and many native flower seeds need cold moist stratification to germinate successfully. After the recommended days of cold moist stratification are done, you can direct sow the seeds outside in the spring after the last frost under a very light amount of soil or you can start them in containers with soil.

Below are ten steps to starting seeds indoor (or outdoors) in containers.

Step 1: Prepare the Seed-starting Soil Mix

You need a seed starting mix for germinating seeds in containers. It’s possible to make your own seed starting mix or purchase a commercially prepared seed soil mix. The soil should be sterile to decrease the risk of bacteria interrupting your germinating rates. I recommend using a soil mix that contains mycorrhizae which helps the roots absorb nutrients and helps prevent fungus.

Step 2: Dampen Seed Mix and Plant the Seeds

Put the soil mix into a bucket and put water into it and mix it well. You do not want it to be too wet but wet enough to keep seeds moist. I recommend pots, cups, or containers that are at least 4 inches deep to accommodate root growth.  You can also purchase seed trays. Sow the seeds by scattering them on the soil surface 1/4 inch apart, and then lightly cover with additional soil mix, coconut coir, or peat moss. Gently mist the surface with water to dampen the additional soil mix that has been added.

Step 3: Cover for Humidity

Covering the seeds will protect them, maintain moisture levels, and create the perfect environment for those seeds to get a great start. Covering the seeds increases the humidity, which is essential for high germination rates. Cover the pots with clear plastic wrap or a plastic dome that fits over the seed-starting tray. This creates a greenhouse effect and speeds germination. I make my own seed tray by using the aluminum baking trays with plastic covers that I purchase at the dollar stores.

Step 4: Keep the Seeds Warm

Once temperatures reach over 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) outdoors the germination process will begin. For indoor growing the temperature should be kept around 75-80 degrees F (24-27 degrees C) for optimal growth. If starting the seeds inside place the containers near a window. You can use grow lights to keep the seeds warm, and some gardeners prefer to use heat mats especially designed for seed trays.

Step 5: Keep Soil Moist.

After you dampen the seed starting mix when planting the seeds, use a spray bottle or misting hose to keep the soil evenly moistened. Most seeds fail to germinate because the seeds are allowed to dry out.

Step 6: Uncover the Seedlings Once They Germinate

Seeds will typically germinate in 7-20 days. Once they germinate you can remove the cover. It’s very important to uncover the seedlings and expose them to light once they germinate, otherwise they will rapidly become straggly, with overly long, thin stems.

Step 7: Transplant the Seedlings to Individual Pots

Once seedlings have grown a few pairs of “true leaves” and are big enough to handle without damage, they can be transplanted into larger individual pots with potting soil. Be sure to fill the cups almost to the top to give the roots plenty of room to grow.

Step 8: Keep Transplanted Seedlings Out of Direct Sunlight While They Establish Roots

If seedlings are placed outside,  keep them out of direct sunlight (but not in a dark or overly shaded spot) for a week until the roots grow into the new soil and have a better chance of absorbing moisture. In dull, overcast weather, you don’t need to do this.

Step 9: Harden Off Seedings

If plants have been grown inside need to be “hardened off” or slowly acclimated to the outdoors over a period of about seven to 10 days. Gradually introduce them to direct sunlight, dry air, and cold nights so that they don’t suffer shock from the sudden change in growing conditions.

Step 10: Plant Young Plants

Once plants have reached the stage where their roots are starting to emerge from the bottom of the pot, they can be planted out to their final location in your garden.

Diagnosing Seedling Problems

Leggy seedlings are the result of insufficient light after germination.
Solution: Move seedlings grown indoors as close as possible to a window as soon as they sprout.

Seedlings that are shriveled or toppled over is seen in cold, wet conditions that cause a damping off disease. Pathogens kill or weaken seeds pre-germination (or shortly afterwards).
Solution: Try to provide adequate light, heat and ventilation and avoid overwatering.

 

 

The annual migration of Monarch Butterflies is one of the most impressive phenomena in the natural world. Every spring, vast numbers of monarch butterflies undertake a multi-generational journey from their wintering grounds in the mountains of Mexico to temperate areas of the United States thousands of miles to the north where they will summer, and then return back to Mexico in the fall. This incredible yearly pilgrimage is under threat from habitat destruction, which has drastically reduced the population of migrants in recent decades.

Texas is an extremely critical state for these migrating monarchs because it is situated between the principal breeding grounds in the north and the overwintering areas in Mexico. Early each March, monarchs begin arriving from their overwintering grounds in Mexico seeking milkweed to lay their eggs.

Planting native milkweeds in Texas is critical to help support the monarchs arriving from their overwintering grounds in Mexico. It is vital that they find milkweed to lay their eggs before they die. The caterpillars will be the first of several new generations of monarchs that repopulate the eastern half of the United States and Canada.

But milkweed is not the only plant these migrating monarchs seek. Adult monarch butterflies seek nectar from other native plants, too, which provide energy to the adult butterflies and help to fuel their flight.

Here are some of the early blooming native flowers in Texas that help monarchs fuel their migration through the state.

We can help these iconic insects by planting milkweed and native flowers along their migrating path. 

Resources:

Ladybird Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Monarch Population Status

OE is the abbreviation for Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (pronounced O-free-us-sis-tus electra-sceer-rah). It is a protozoan parasite that infects Monarchs (Danaus plexippus), Queens (Danaus gilippus), and Soldiers (Danaus eresimus).

OE can weaken caterpillars and cripple adult butterflies. Only rarely will OE kill a caterpillar, chrysalis, or butterfly. A parasite that is 100% dependent upon its host for its own life cannot kill the host or it will kill itself. OE is a master at keeping itself going through life cycle after life cycle in nature.

Life Cycle & Transmission of OE

The life cycle of OE is closely related to the life cycle of the monarch butterfly because OE can only reproduce inside the insect’s body. Infected females pass on the parasite to their offspring when they lay eggs by scattering dormant spores on their eggs and the surrounding milkweed. When a caterpillar hatches, it not only eats its egg shell and the milkweed, but also unintentionally consumes the OE spores.

Once eaten, the dormant spores move into the caterpillar’s midgut. During digestion, the spores break open and release the parasites, which move into the intestinal wall to the hypoderm. Here, OE reproduces asexually, meaning each OE parent cell divides in two new cells. This happens many times, greatly increasing the number of parasites.

Most of the damage done to the butterfly happens during the chrysalis stage. During this time, the OE parasite goes through sexual reproduction, further increasing the number of parasites in the monarch. About three days before the adult emerges from the pupa, spores will begin to form, which allow OE to survive outside of the monarch’s body. The spores can be seen as dark patches that appear through the integument (outside layer) of the pupa.

Infected adults emerge covered with spores. Once butterflies are infected, they do not recover. By the time adults emerge with parasite spores, all physical damage by the OE parasites has been done – the parasites do not grow or reproduce on the adults. The spores are inactive or dormant until they are eaten by another caterpillar. (Project Monarch Health https://www.monarchparasites.org/oe)

Signs of OE Infection

• Dark spots or blotches on the pupa: The spots are replicating spores, and ​​they mostly form on the abdomen (but they can also form on the eyes, antennae, and wing veins).
• Deformed, crumpled wings: Adults that are heavily infected with OE are weak and often have difficulty emerging from the chrysalis. Some monarchs die before emerging. Others emerge, but are too weak to cling to the pupal case. They fall to the ground before fully expanding their wings. These severely deformed monarchs do not survive long.
• Smaller size: Even if the infection is only mild, these butterflies typically weigh less and have shorter forewing lengths than a healthy butterfly. Parasites also damage the cuticle, or outside layer of the monarch’s abdomen. This damage causes the butterfly to dry out and lose weight faster than normal. This is especially a problem if there is a shortage of nectar or water.
• Decreased flight endurance: Studies have shown that monarchs infected with OE cannot fly as far or as long as healthy butterflies. Often, infected monarchs die during the migration to Mexico simply because they don’t have the endurance.

Testing for OE

On adult butterflies, O.E. spores are dormant and reside on the outside of the body, usually the butterfly’s abdomen. You can’t see these dormant spores without observing a sample of the butterflies abdominal scales through a microscope.

Important Facts

• OE infects Monarchs in all North American populations of Monarch butterflies.
• The eastern migratory Monarchs have the lowest infection rate. Less than 8% of these butterflies are heavily infected with OE.
• More Monarchs have OE west of the Rocky Mountains. About 30% of the western migratory population is heavily infected with OE.
• The highest rate of OE in North America occurs in the nonmigratory Monarchs of South Florida. More than 70% of these Monarchs have OE infections.
• Only caterpillars can contract the disease but cannot give the disease to another caterpillar.
• Chrysalises have OE just under the cuticle (skin/hypoderm). It cannot contract or spread OE. The spores are inside the chrysalis.
• Between infections, OE survives as spores that are resistant to extreme environmental conditions.
• It has since been found in all other Monarch populations worldwide. Because of this world wide range, all indications are that this parasite has co-evolved with Monarchs.

Resources

• https://www.monarchparasites.org/oe
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophryocystis_elektroscirrha
• https://butterfly-fun-facts.com/oe-ophryocystis-elektroscirrha-monarch-butterfly/
• http://www.monarchs-and-milkweed.com/raising-oe-free-monarchs.pdf

 

Winter sowing is a method of starting seeds outdoors in winter. This is generally done with seeds that require a period of cold stratification. The method takes advantage of natural temperatures, rather than artificially refrigerating seeds.

When Do You Winter Sow

Winter sowing starts on or after the Winter Solstice. January and February are best times to winter sow native milkweed seeds and native perennial seeds.

What Can You Winter Sow

Any seeds that typically need to go through a cold stratification such as native milkweed seeds and native perennial seeds. As a rule of thumb, if a plant is hardy in your garden you can plant its seed in winter.

Advantages of Winter Sowing

How to Winter Sow

1. Choose the container. Anything that is translucent enough to allow light to pass through and that can be made to have drainage holes, a lid, and a ventilation holes can be used for winter sowing. Options include, but are not limited to, plastic jugs, water or soda bottles, take out containers, disposable foil pans with plastic covers, clamshell containers, disposable beverage cups, plastic tubs, and plastic totes. You can use any container for winter sowing as long as it can hold AT least 3”-4” of potting soil.
2. Fill the bottom portion of your container with 3-4″ of potting soil that has been moistened.
3. Broadcast the seeds over the soil.
4. Slightly cover the seeds with garden coir or soil.
5. Water your newly sowed seeds. I recommend using a spray bottle.
6. Cover the container. Make sure the cover has holes for ventilation. If using a milk jug or plastic bottle remove the cap. Secure the cover to the container with Duct tape or Poly tape
7. Label the containers. Use a waterproof marker such as a plant marker and label of the type of seed you planted. You can also a place plant marker inside the container.
8. Set the containers outside on a flat surface, such as a patio or deck so they are exposed to the elements. Don’t leave them under an overhang. The point is to let them get exposed to the rain, snow, and sun.
9. Sit back and relax!
10. Once the weather is warmer and your seeds have germinated you can remove the duct tape and the top portion of the container. Leave them open until you’re ready to transplant into your garden.
11. Water as needed to keep the soil moist.
12. Transplant the seedlings when seedlings have become established and have developed true leaves.

More Resources: