I love garden magazines. You know the ones that cost $8.99 at the checkout and make your eyes tear up at the perfectly arranged pots and plants? Yes, those. A few years back I came across an article about Monarch butterflies. Love them. The article went on to talk about the urban sprawl and their primary source of larva food (milkweed) being destroyed and becoming less abundant. The solution was to build a “Monarch Waystation” in your yard. Ok, I will.
Over the last few years I have collected the plants needed to create this garden and have it in the perfect location. Every year I would look and would not see any caterpillars. This made me sad that I wasn’t helping but I figured my garden was young so maybe next year. Then the green monster reared its head.
Last year I went to a meeting at a house. I walked to the back and out her back doors was THE MOST beautiful garden I have every seen at a private residence. It was amazing. She had done it herself so I was very impressed as I know how much work it takes to maintain even the garden I have. Even her vegetable garden was straight out of the Martha Stewart magazine with raised beds with perfect pathways and a nice fencing that went all around. Ok, fine. That’s all nice. Then I looked on her kitchen counter and I saw a butterfly kit. You know the ones you can get that most people think are Monarch butterfly kits but most likely you got Painted Ladies. Oh, you think you got Monarchs? Unlikely. Ok, where was I …. So I thought “Look how cute she has one of those painted lady kits.” Then she said “Oh, and look at my MONARCH CATERPILLARS that I got from my garden yesterday. Wait, WHAT? It’s like March and didn’t I just shovel my driveway yesterday? How can this be? I left defeated, deflated, and down right green with envy.
I then went home to cry research what the French marigolds is going on out there in my garden.
Then it happened. Eggs. Caterpillars. Butterflies.
This year I read this story so I have been extra vigilant about my gardening efforts. I went and purchased 3 more milkweeds which give me a total of 9 plants. Nine plants to let Monarchs lay their eggs and add to the magic of life. Except this year I have cotton tails ruining my vision. This year the humping rabbits have spawned the dumbest crop ever. These little dumb fluffs are munching on things that they have not touched in the past. Most importantly my milkweed. Hey fluff butts! Eat the hosta, go for the phlox but leave my milkweed alone will ya? No, no we won’t they said. I offered them coyote urine. It rained. I then gave them some ground up cousins to think about. Again rain. I asked my friends on twitter if I gave them a BB gun if I could claim self defense but I was sort of told that wasn’t very “Martha.” Fine.
Fences and netting it is. For now.
This is my first year at attempting a butterfly/hummingbird garden (you can see a picture of how it started here: http://codenamemama.com/2010/04/22/how-our-toddlers-garden-grows/ – but it has a lot more flowers/leaves now that it’s had a chance to grow). I have been SO disappointed that we haven’t had any butterflies, and only a few hummingbirds (no more than normal). I didn’t do milkweed, I will have to write that down for next year – I would love to have some caterpillars! That rocks.
At our little hardware store here, they sell something called “fox pee”.
HOnest. You spray it on and it mimics the smell of fox pee and that keeps the rabbits away.
No lie…just send them over to your neighbors.
Also. Please note that no animals were killed in the process of my comment. It is and was always intended to be snark.
Don’t waste your time with a bb gun. Go BIG. Use a shotgun.
I will mail you my husband’s old BB gun. It’s a very un-Mennonite thing to have in the house, anyway.
And where the hell have I been that I didn’t know you’d gone public with this thing, huh?
Beautiful butterfly! As for the cute little baby bunny living off my land, I’m getting more ground up ” fluff kin” today to repel it. The only garden I did not sprinkle is missing. I mean really, they crunch off the leaves and buds and leave them to waste. I will have blooming flowers!
We have the same gardening issue, only instead of rabbits, its deer. And they eat EVERYTHING! Flowers, veggies, low-hanging sapling branches…everything but grass.
The husband gave up this year and didn’t plant anything except the azalea and the apple tree they got me for Mother’s Day.
First your blog is looking great! I want to read the “protected” post though! Second, I haven’t planted anything yet this year but the rabbits, OMFG the rabbits are EVERYWHERE. I just know whatever I plant is going to suck them in. Thankfully I have four little yappy dogs and two cats. I’m really hoping they keep the rabbit population on the other side of the fence where they belong.
In Michigan, when I was a child, the swampy area across the street from our house was filled with milkweed, and every year there were clouds of these Monarch butterflies. They were awesome. But I personally preferred the shiny colorful striped wiggly bodies of the caterpillars that came before.
I can still remember holding them in my hands and feeling magical as their little feet worked in unison across my palm.
I love bunnies, but these particular bunnies?
They must be stopped.
This is an obvious declaration of war on the part of the bunnies.
Fire at will.
This makes me want to plant milkweed.
Don’t kill the bunnies!
You would understand if you had the particular brand of wildlife that I have out in my yard.
I do love the butterfly, though.
I’m going to comment on my own blog b/c someone has to right? Wow, what a beautiful butterfly.
I hate rabbits. Kill 'em all