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August 21, 2008
BEYOND: Raising butterflies!!
Fred Weber and Deedee Burnside, friends of this blog, have been doing something incredible this summer: raising Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies.
Deedee provided the photos and an account of how they did it.
Click "Continue reading … " below for more photos and Deedee’s story.
Deedee explains how they did it:
We collect the eggs after the Pipevine Swallowtail lays them on the Pipevine plant.
Then, when the caterpillars hatch out we feed them fresh Pipevine leaves regularly.
The caterpillars grow to about 2 & 1/2 inches and move up to a perch where they gradually form into a chrysalis.
In about two weeks they emerge as a butterfly and we release them.
The reason we do this in captivity is that the eggs and caterpillars are preyed upon by wasps, other insects and birds.
Last year we watched the Cardinals feasting on them.
There is a huge colony of Pipevines along the Palisades, down around the boat basin, where their food plant has grown rampant.
We are trying to start a colony here and in the general area where we have planted more Pipevines, also at the Celery Farm.
This year we have had females laying hundreds of
eggs here in my yard. We have given them to others who are also growing
Pipevine plants.
eggs here in my yard. We have given them to others who are also growing
Pipevine plants.
6 comments
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I thank you and the butterflies thank you.
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Fascinating! What a wonderful thing you are doing. Loved the photos. I’ve never heard of a pipe vine plant…I take it that the pipevine swallowtail butterfly lands on these planats…thus the name:-). Your photos are beautiful!
Jennifer -
Nice Job Deedee and Fred! The pictures came out really nice. It would be a great idea to let the elementary school students see how this really happens. I am sure they would learn a lot from it. In addition to this it helps us teachers to provide the students something they can associate the literacy part of science to the real world.
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very interesting i enjoyed reading the article thanks for sharing susan
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Fascinating! Hmmmm…note to self…plant pipevine next year, call Deedee and Fred…..
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HEY, GREAT FOR YOU TWO-LOOKS LIKE FUN. SORRY I MISSED YOU AT WILLOWWOOD.I TRUST THAT THE GRAND CHILDREN HAVE “HELPED” YOU
IN THIS PROJECT.
SEE YOU ALL IN CAPE MAY IN SEPT ?
JOHN
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6 comments
e wallace
I thank you and the butterflies thank you.
Jennifer
Fascinating! What a wonderful thing you are doing. Loved the photos. I’ve never heard of a pipe vine plant…I take it that the pipevine swallowtail butterfly lands on these planats…thus the name:-). Your photos are beautiful!
Jennifer
Carmen Caro
Nice Job Deedee and Fred! The pictures came out really nice. It would be a great idea to let the elementary school students see how this really happens. I am sure they would learn a lot from it. In addition to this it helps us teachers to provide the students something they can associate the literacy part of science to the real world.
susan weber
very interesting i enjoyed reading the article thanks for sharing susan
Diane Brown
Fascinating! Hmmmm…note to self…plant pipevine next year, call Deedee and Fred…..
JOHN COLLINS
HEY, GREAT FOR YOU TWO-LOOKS LIKE FUN. SORRY I MISSED YOU AT WILLOWWOOD.I TRUST THAT THE GRAND CHILDREN HAVE “HELPED” YOU
IN THIS PROJECT.
SEE YOU ALL IN CAPE MAY IN SEPT ?
JOHN