Save the Monarchs!

Brown and Green Anole

Butterfly atrium installation

Seems like these days everyone is trying to save something. Used to be endangered species, but lately, there are massive efforts to save the free press, environment, health even democracy.

This week I am choosing something small, immediate and in my control to focus on instead.

Our blog on February 3, 2017 About our Monarchs provided great photos of one Monarch emerging from a chrysalis. Since then we have witnessed lots of egg laying, many caterpillars, and fewer chrysalis. At first we thought birds, but never really saw any around the Monarchs' favorite Crown Flower plant.

Watching more closely, we have determined it was actually some of our typical Hawaii reptiles!!  The ANOLE -- which are not the more recognizable geckos. These are actually small lizards who emigrated from elsewhere, around the 1950's with thousands of non-native species introduced from around the world.

New hatch of eggs produces many caterpillars

Top hinges to add caterpillars, and allow butterflies to escape

In an effort to protect our Monarch population, we decided to build a screened in butterfly atrium.

Today after construction, we slid the unit down over rooted cuttings of Crown Flower -- the leaves being the food source for caterpillars. After sliding open the top, we carefully transferred close to two dozen caterpillars into the "nursery."  As they mature and eat the leaves, we can easily slide cut branches down into the cage.

Update: 3 days later the larger caterpillars are already creating chrysalis, and we are having to add new leaves as the two dozen caterpillars are eating so much so fast!

Update: week later -- LOTS of chrysalis forming -- enough to share with local classrooms. Thanks to monarchwatch.org I learned how to tie off the chrysalis and place them into jars to watch the emerging butterflies.