Our current count is:

6 Released

1 butterfly in nursery still, and unable to fly.  This butterfly’s wings didn’t open up and he is still in my care.  I have been feeding it a store bought solution of hummingbird nectar and boy, does he love it!    I called The Butterfly Place and they recommended that I place it on the milkweed plant in hopes that it will feed and mate.  However, it has a hard time holding onto the plant for more than 10-20 minutes, so I have not been able to let it free.  I rolled a paper towel into a tube and set it inside a pot so that it would be able to hang on better.  It seems to be working well.  I hope he can survive for a few weeks.  Maybe the butterfly inside the chrysalis will mate with it. 

1 in chrysalis

1 chunky caterpillar released onto outside milkweed plant (gone the next day)

We released Monarch Butterfly #6 into the wild this morning. I tried to release it near the Penta plant in hopes that it would land on it to feed, but it went up to the palm tree instead. Hopefully it stays in my yard instead of landing on a nearby pesticide dowsed yard. I am curious as to the health of a butterfly after feeding from plants that have been sprayed by pesticide. I will try to research that soon.

Our current count is:

• 6 released

• 1 inside chrysalis

• 2 chunky caterpillars

• one baby caterpillar

We released Monarch Butterfly #5 into the wild this morning. It is amazing to see the butterfly inside the chrysalis the day before it comes out. You really have a chance to study it since it can’t fly away.

My butterfly nursery has been very successful so far. Our current count is:

• 5 released

• 1 inside chrysalis

• no more caterpillars… I need to bring some from the milkweed plants.

• We also have 3 Gulf Fritillary chrysalises on our Passion Vine plant.

Unfortunately, I found one of the two large caterpillars laying in the dirt of the milkweed plant inside the nursery. He was in his J shape and moving his front feet, so I picked him up and put him on a safe surface (I didn’t want him to drown when I watered the plants). I figured he probably fell of the branch and would be fine, hopefully forming his chrysalis soon. This morning he was black and very lifeless. I guess even the best “safe house” doesn’t protect them all.

We released our 4th Monarch butterfly from our little make-shift butterfly cage / nursery. We have one inside its chrysalis still. It has been hard for me to find caterpillars on the milkweed plants. The wasps do a really good job of eating them.

Now that the milkweed is getting leafier, it is getting easier for the baby Monarchs to hide. I found two mid-size caterpillars today to add to the nursery.

The count as of today is :

4 released

1 inside chrysalis

2 medium size caterpillars

What is hydrogenated oil? Hydrogenated oil is the process of forcing hydrogen gas into oil at high pressure and temperature. It is used to take the place of butter in many baked items… some of the things that contain hydrogenated oils are crackers, cookies, frozen waffles, pudding, peanut butter, cereal bars, granola bars, prepared frozen foods, most prepared foods, soups (canned and powered), salad dressings, and more. Try picking up any item in the grocery store. Chances are that it will have partially or fully hydrogenated oils.

Listed on Oprah’s website in the ‘Food Hall of Shame’, “To increase their shelf life, Dr. Oz says certain oils are hydrogenated. This process turns the oil into a solid at room temperature, but it also makes the oil unhealthy. “This stuff is great because it doesn’t go bad, but it’s very bad for you,” says Dr. Oz. Avoid food products that contain hydrogenated oil, often labeled as ‘trans fats’.”

What makes hydrogenated oil bad for us?”. There are so many sites out there that provide detailed explanations on why it is bad, but in short, hydrogenated oil contains toxic trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids contribute to heart disease, cancer, MS, diabetes, and may contribute to other health problems that we have yet to find out about. The following link does an excellent job of explaining it: What’s Wrong with Partially Hydrogenated Oils?

Eric Armstrong has a great site that clearly explains the reasons why you should not eat anything with hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup. He also explain how to carry out an effective consumer boycott of the products that harm us. He says in this article, “It’s one thing not to buy a product. It’s even better to boycott the product in a way that it makes it less likely that others will buy it.” Eric writes, “…after a while, it hit me. I came up with a way to carry on a small, one-person boycott of unhealthy products in a way that has a larger impact. It’s pretty simple, really. When I find a product that has partially hydrogenated oils or High Fructose Corn Syrup, I put it back on the shelf upside down and backwards….as more and more people catch on to the concept, I’m betting it could have a huge impact. If nothing else, I leave the store knowing that I’ve done something. Even if I’ve only kept one product out of one person’s hands, it’s something”

I agree with this boycott strategy, and I will be starting to do it as well. I hope that more people catch on.