I have 4 swan plants in pots.Nearly a week ago I saw a monarch butterfly in the garden.delightful! "Go that way.that way!".No, it flew in the other direction. sigh! Anyway, I looked at the swan plants again on Thursday afternoon, and loh and behold I had caterpillars :) But there were two that had fallen onto the concrete beneath the pots.One was very dead but the other was alive.I think the wind dislodged them. I collected the live one and put it back on the plant but it would not could not hang on. There was no sticky to it's little feet if you know what I mean, it just kept falling off.I pick it up a dozen times after trying to get it to stay on different sized leaves.Just did not want to do it. I tried tearing a leaf and putting it close, hoping a stronger scent would work, but no.I tried it in my hand with crushed leaf matter in my hand but it just turned to the other direction.I had been trying for an hour to no avail and was at a complete loss, till I had another idea, my final attempt. I went and got one of the organza gift bags I use for seed saving.I put that over the very top few leaves on one of the plants and popped the caterpillar inside, and maneuvered it to the centre of the clump.I thought that was it, there was nothing more I could do for it.I forgot to check last night, but have just been out there now.The caterpillar has been eating, there is a nice little collection of caterpillar poops there, and I swear in 36 hours it has grown a centimetre in length.
Bliss in paradise.all is well with the world again.
It worked!
junie2,
Feb 15, 3:08pm
What a lovely happy good news story - thanks for that!
samanya,
Feb 15, 5:24pm
That's a lovely warm fuzzies story. Maybe it was weak after being off the plant for a while! I have 2 large Swan plants & haven't seen one Monarch this season .sad.
kaeloch,
Feb 15, 9:42pm
Nice story! We have a whole row of swan plants in the front paddock and its lovely to see the monarchs! We have plenty so they don'nt seem to get completely stripped and we have a fair few caterpillars too - they are so coool
astroflight1,
Feb 16, 2:38am
I will remove the bag tomorrow morning.It appears to be fully recovered and needs room to roam, and the leaves need room to grow.
astroflight1,
Feb 17, 1:07am
UPDATE -
I just took the bag off.This caterpillar is big and strong now.It was clearly very weak and nutrient deprived when I rescued it, very little, soft and floppy. I lifted it off the now sparce leaves at the top to move it down the plant, and it feels strong and muscley.I can't believe how much it has grown.It's quite fat, quite big, and will make a big healthy butterfly.
favouriteseller,
Feb 17, 1:15am
Good job astroflight while we can't save them all you made a big differance to one when I started reading I thought, well its a gonner but no you saved it nice
cantabman1,
Feb 17, 1:24am
Just dont feed them pumkins as they will never become butterflys.
supernova2,
Feb 17, 11:54pm
So when they strip the tree what do you do to keep them alive!
lindylambchops1,
Feb 19, 9:35pm
How is your garden!What are you about to plant!TIAI saw from the Bokashi threads that you pretty much live off your vegetable garden.Would love to know what you are planting & when!
They do at our place! If they're not fed anything they certainly won't become butterflies!
crackerjack19,
Mar 15, 9:22pm
The real danger for the Caterpillars are the wasps that lay their eggs inside them that as grubs eat them alive. I would give my caterpillars anything they will eat if ran out of Swan plants.
toffeey,
Apr 21, 7:16am
Lovely thread. I had heaps of caterpillars and now only have one. I have tried to protect them this year by putting old net curtains over the plant but still something has got them. Do birds eat them!
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