Journey of The Monarch Butterfly

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Meerkat

Meerkat

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We have these butterfly's eating off leaves and now forming cocoons to evolve into the beautiful Monarch. On our screens on porch and under ledge.
It is amazing how these butterfly's survive the trip. 2ooo miles to their ancesterial land.

 
@Weedygarden We watched about a dozen come out but the picture is after it just came out of coccoon.

FU0QzNt.jpg
 
Weedygarden said:
Thank you. I love to see things like this, especially as they are emerging. I had this happen a few times in my classroom. We also had finch eggs, chicken eggs and a few other things happen in the classroom.
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Your welcome and we like this kind of things too. The little coccons change color from light to dark as butterfly arrival gets vloser. Of course they don't all hatch at same time but it is amazing how they either wait on each other or meet somewhere to fly off to Mexico by the millions .
 
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Butterflys eat Milkweed,here is a picture of the seeds float all over the place here.Pod opens and off they go to plant themselves someplace else.

iu

The plant in bloom,

iu
 
Meerkat said:
Saw two more butterflys hatch on outside screen porch this week.So this means they keep hatching for months.
Click to expand...
Monarchs are far more amazing than you would believe.
Think about the tiny egg.
5-17%20MonarchEggDOUG.jpg

If it is laid in Florida, it contains all of the programming to not only create a creature, but also to fly that creature 2,000 miles from North Florida to Mexico.
That's impressive! But if that same egg is laid in Michigan, it is preprogrammed to fly the creature 2,500 miles to Mexico.
Oh, don't forget they have to get back too!
Have another look at that tiny egg, and realize like all of the scientist did, that it is impossible to fit that much information into such a tiny space, even on an atomic level.

It's impossible, but millions do it every year, right in front of our face
biggrin.gif
.

When the seasons shift in late summer and early fall, the last generation of monarchs will begin a southbound journey, instinctively traveling to wintering sites in Mexico (there are a few populations that overwinter in California and Florida – but the large majority are thought to return to Mexico). This generation will be responsible for making the longest trek of the migration to wintering grounds. These monarchs enter reproductive diapause – the state where the body will temporarily pause reproduction – until the following spring. These monarchs will spend the winter roosting in trees in Mexico until spring when they will take up the first leg of the relay north.
This last generation from the previous year now makes up the first generation of the present year – and will pass the baton on to their offspring as the cycle starts anew
Click to expand...
50A7CB6E-4AF4-43F5-AF62-BD770CACFCA8.jpg


images


p.s. As impressive as they are, there other 'simple' creatures among us that are even more impressive...
 
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HA! It's a small world... The other day I posted in "Garden 2020" Garden 2020.
about a crushed volcanic rock called azomite. What happened... I ordered a ton in '08 or '09 from the company. I was the first person in the southeast to buy any. The company wanted to put me on their website as a representative. They'd sell to me wholesale. I agreed. I sold retail when someone called. One of my first customers was...

Christopher Singer
Live Monarch
3003-C8 Yamato Road #1015
Boca Raton, FL 33434

"Live Monarch" is the organization that used to give packets of milkweed seed to elementary school kids to plant for the monarch butterfly. They wanted to put a little azomite in each packet of seed. In ’09 I shipped them 132lbs of azomite which would have lasted several years. By that time there were company reps in FL who they could have ordered from.

Tonight I noticed there is still someone named Christopher with their organization by their press releases. However, they have moved their operation to Blairsville GA. Their website is Live Monarch Foundation - Milkweed for sale - Live Monarch Educational Foundation, Farm and National Movement

Live Monarch Foundation
PO BOX 1339
Blairsville, Georgia 30514
(877) 722-8624

I noticed on their website they were short of milkweed seed this year. I’m thinking I might gather seed as the seasons pass and ship them some in the fall.

Meerkat said:
Butterflys eat Milkweed,here is a picture of the seeds float all over the place here.Pod opens and off they go to plant themselves someplace else.

iu

The plant in bloom,

iu
Click to expand...

The milkweed you have pictured is also known as butterfly weed. Its medicine that was used in US hospitals until WW2. It's other name is pleurisy root. :)
 
Peanut said:
HA! It's a small world... The other day I posted in "Garden 2020" Garden 2020.
about a crushed volcanic rock called azomite. What happened... I ordered a ton in '08 or '09 from the company. I was the first person in the southeast to buy any. The company wanted to put me on their website as a representative. They'd sell to me wholesale. I agreed. I sold retail when someone called. One of my first customers was...

Christopher Singer
Live Monarch
3003-C8 Yamato Road #1015
Boca Raton, FL 33434

"Live Monarch" is the organization that used to give packets of milkweed seed to elementary school kids to plant for the monarch butterfly. They wanted to put a little azomite in each packet of seed. In ’09 I shipped them 132lbs of azomite which would have lasted several years. By that time there were company reps in FL who they could have ordered from.

Tonight I noticed there is still someone named Christopher with their organization by their press releases. However, they have moved their operation to Blairsville GA. Their website is Live Monarch Foundation - Milkweed for sale - Live Monarch Educational Foundation, Farm and National Movement

Live Monarch Foundation
PO BOX 1339
Blairsville, Georgia 30514
(877) 722-8624

I noticed on their website they were short of milkweed seed this year. I’m thinking I might gather seed as the seasons pass and ship them some in the fall.



The milkweed you have pictured is also known as butterfly weed. Its medicine that was used in US hospitals until WW2. It's other name is pleurisy root. :)
Click to expand...



Supervisor42 said:
Monarchs are far more amazing than you would believe.
Think about the tiny egg.
5-17%20MonarchEggDOUG.jpg

If it is laid in Florida, it contains all of the programming to not only create a creature, but also to fly that creature 2,000 miles from North Florida to Mexico.
That's impressive! But if that same egg is laid in Michigan, it is preprogrammed to fly the creature 2,500 miles to Mexico.
Oh, don't forget they have to get back too!
Have another look at that tiny egg, and realize like all of the scientist did, that it is impossible to fit that much information into such a tiny space, even on an atomic level.

It's impossible, but millions do it every year, right in front of our faceView attachment 40629.


50A7CB6E-4AF4-43F5-AF62-BD770CACFCA8.jpg


images


p.s. As impressive as they are, there other 'simple' creatures among us that are even more impressive...
Click to expand...
SuperV thanks for more info on these incredible creatures.:thumbs:
Nature is more wonderous than anything man can create. Plus nature sustains itself and all lifeforms on earth, yet we continue to interfere with this or use it to kill otherlifeforms including ourselves.
But we were chosen to rule over the earth so guess we can't be too bad.
 
Peanut said:
HA! It's a small world... The other day I posted in "Garden 2020" Garden 2020.
about a crushed volcanic rock called azomite. What happened... I ordered a ton in '08 or '09 from the company. I was the first person in the southeast to buy any. The company wanted to put me on their website as a representative. They'd sell to me wholesale. I agreed. I sold retail when someone called. One of my first customers was...

Christopher Singer
Live Monarch
3003-C8 Yamato Road #1015
Boca Raton, FL 33434

"Live Monarch" is the organization that used to give packets of milkweed seed to elementary school kids to plant for the monarch butterfly. They wanted to put a little azomite in each packet of seed. In ’09 I shipped them 132lbs of azomite which would have lasted several years. By that time there were company reps in FL who they could have ordered from.

Tonight I noticed there is still someone named Christopher with their organization by their press releases. However, they have moved their operation to Blairsville GA. Their website is Live Monarch Foundation - Milkweed for sale - Live Monarch Educational Foundation, Farm and National Movement

Live Monarch Foundation
PO BOX 1339
Blairsville, Georgia 30514
(877) 722-8624

I noticed on their website they were short of milkweed seed this year. I’m thinking I might gather seed as the seasons pass and ship them some in the fall.



The milkweed you have pictured is also known as butterfly weed. Its medicine that was used in US hospitals until WW2. It's other name is pleurisy root. :)
Click to expand...

Peanut we have pleny of these seeds flying aaround every year,. not sure which one but ours looks like the one in the picture. I'll take a picture of it later on today. e hav basically been in a drought past 2 years here so I try to keep them alive mainly for these butter flys. In this sandy loam it can be a job to water.Plus my health crashed last year and still dealing with rhat, hubby can only do so much too .:gardening::thumbs:
 
Peanut said:
I forgot to include above.... The Live Monarch Foundation has a learning center on their website. It's geared towards kids but they have everything needed for growing plants etc to help monarchs. They even have a section on fixing a broken wing!

https://www.livemonarch.com/
Click to expand...

Thats nice to know Peanut we seem to do pretty good keeping food,shelter and water or them at all times but can always help from the pros, a little extra help is always welcome.:cool:
 
There are two places in Texas that I'm familiar with that sell milkweed seeds and many other wildflower seeds. If anyone wants that info, I can post it. Otherwise...I think I did post it somewhere on the forum a couple of years ago.
 
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