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Tick tock motherfuckers!

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Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

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You are here: Home / Garden Chats / Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Butterfly Assistance

Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Butterfly Assistance

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My tiny yard, squeezed between a storage facility and a freeway exit, will never be much of a butterfly sanctuary. But I’m considering trying a puddler like the one described in the video; I already keep a shallow plastic saucer next to my ‘tomato garden’ (driveway extension) as a bird-and-chipmunk waterer, and I’ll be buying more composted manure for this year’s transplants anyway. However, since there are also mice, voles, squirrels, rabbits, racoons, foxes, and the occasional possum… no rotting fruit!

It’s amazing, and heartening, how far some people will go to nurse butterflies. From the Washington Post, “This costume designer repaired a butterfly’s wing, then watched in delight as it flew away”:

Romy McCloskey is a costume designer by training, with a specialty in intricate bead work that demands precision. She also raises and releases monarch butterflies at her Texas home.

It just so happened that these two skills intersected on a recent day when she actually performed surgery on one of her injured monarch’s wings, an operation that saved its life and allowed it to fly away to migrate…

The butterfly catastrophe-turned-victory tale began a few weeks ago when McCloskey was at her home in suburban Houston and looked over at her cocoons, only to see her house cat Floki swatting at them, thinking they were toys. Floki’s paw had knocked one down, fatally injuring it, and left another damaged…

A few days later, she watched as butterflies started to emerge, from the cracked cocoon and eight others. The one with the cracked cocoon came out with a mangled wing and was unable to fly…

She put a picture of the broken wing on Facebook, and a friend sent her a step-by-step tutorial video that showed how to fix it.

She took out the tools she needed: tweezers, small scissors, glue, a wire hanger, a towel and talcum powder. She also had a spare wing from a butterfly that had died days earlier. She had kept the butterfly thinking it was beautiful and that she might display it in a shadow box on her wall. But instead, she said she found a better use for it.

A migrating monarch — which can live for several months — doesn’t have nerve endings in its wings, so she wasn’t concerned about hurting it. As the video instructs, she immobilized the butterfly by placing a wire hanger over its body, then carefully cut the mangled wing away and glued the replacement wing on what remained of the injured wing. She waited for the glue to dry, then sprinkled a small amount of talcum powder on the wings to prevent them from sticking together due to any glue that had not fully dried.

The whole thing took 10 minutes…

Happy ending, pictures and video at the link. And, yes, there are multiple tutorials on YouTube!

***********
Picked up a few acidantherus (peacock gladiolus) corms at last weekend’s Boston Flower Show. I’m too lazy/disorganized to ‘lift’ bulbs every fall, but there’s a brave handful of pink & white glads left over from before we bought this house (25 years ago!) which still bloom in a protected area of the front yard. Since the feral Siberian irises that share that bed are crowding each other and everything else but the rampant ailanthus shoots to death, this spring’s project is going to be digging up the whole queen-bed-sized patch and starting over… after the daffs have finished blooming, of course.

What’s going on in your garden(s) (planning) this week?

Reader Interactions

109Comments

  1. 1.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    I went to bed at 11:30 last night, so of course I was wide awake at 4:30. I gave the housecat an early breakfast, which she found delightful, and I’ve been reading in bed since then.

    Now thinking about getting up and having a cup of joe. Maybe do the crosswords.

  2. 2.

    satby

    Now I want a butterfly puddler, but I worry that the birds that frequent my multiple feeders would think I was setting up a pretty bug feeder for them!

    I started my seeds last week and already need to remove and transplant the few squash seeds. In one week they not only sprouted but they’re sending roots over the plastic and into the starter pods next to them. I planted about 19 varieties of seeds, mostly flower ones and so far about 10 have sprouted in 7 days. The seeds were from previous years, so I wasn’t sure any would germinate at all.

  3. 3.

    satby

    @Steeplejack (phone): 12:10 and 4:30 for me, and I’m helping at a fair that my spay/neuter/rescue group will have a display table at later this morning. And if I take a nap when I get home, that will mess up my sleep schedule tonight.

  5. 5.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    Last night Ming Tsai and Barbara Lynch almost convinced me that I wanted to do homemade pasta and ravioli. Then Ming did ravioli with wonton skins. Nice!

  8. 8.

    Argiope

    Any advice re when & how to transplant peonies? Sitting at my mama’s bedside at her house while she works to leave her body and we work to help her. I never did get around to transplanting the peonies she offered me from her garden out back, and now she can’t tell me how to do it. Can it be done in Spring? I aim to carry on her tradition of flower cultivation as a way to move through grief.

  12. 12.

    satby

    @Argiope: best wishes to your entire family at this time. Adding to the excellent advice from Walter, you can dig and transplant the roots as soon as frost isn’t a danger in your area.

  14. 14.

    JPL

    @Argiope: Peonies are beautiful, and after they are transplanted and once again blooming, may you think of your mother’s gift. Hugs.

  16. 16.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Argiope:

    I aim to carry on her tradition of flower cultivation as a way to move through grief.

    First thing I did when we bought this place was plant Bleeding hearts. my sister Peggy’s favorites. Of course, they don’t really ease the pain of her way too soon parting but it (and the other flowers I plant) helps bring me closer to her at least once a day.

  17. 17.

    Steeplejack

    @NotMax:

    Don’t start up with me. It’s not making the dough, it’s all the stretching and manipulating to get it into thin sheets. And when I’ve got a few places around here that sell fresh ravioli? Fuhgeddaboutit! Although doing your own custom fillings is appealing.

  22. 22.

    Argiope

    @satby: Thank you so much. I’m relieved to hear we don’t have to wait until fall, and the good wishes are truly appreciated.

  23. 23.

    NotMax

    Musical interlude in honor of yesterday’s young’uns, Tomorrow’s People.

    Who will show us the way
    Or is it happening
    For those who want the sun
    To shine on everyone

    Even now the wall is old
    And falling down
    So love and live for the time is coming
    For you and all

  26. 26.

    WereBear

    @oldgold: I saw what you did there :)

    You people tormenting me with ravioli. I have a package of gluten free in the fridge. For emergencies.

    But usually I get my “Italian gravy” cravings satisfied with an omelette with goat cheese filling.

  28. 28.

    JPL

    @Steeplejack: The Chihuly exhibit in 2016 was magnificent. The gardens are a special place indeed. I saw the Chihuly exhibit at night, but wish I had taken the time to see it also during the day.

  29. 29.

    Steeplejack

    @JPL:

    I had the reverse experience! I saw the one in 2004 during the day and have always kicked myself that I didn’t go back to see it at night. But it was only on certain nights, and I never got around to it.

  31. 31.

    OzarkHillbilly

    from a Bryan Cranston interview promoting Isle of Dogs:

    Did you act like the alpha dog in the studio?
    The first thing I did was walk up to my microphone, lift my leg and mark my territory. Trouble was, then I had to live with the smell of the mic.

  32. 32.

    cosima

    @Argiope: I hope that the flower project is successful and that they bring you joy for years. There will be a lot of therapeutic connection with beauty & life in the process, and I hope it brings you peace. Sending light to you & your loved ones.

  33. 33.

    Steeplejack

    Well, the housecat scammed me out of another breakfast, despite eating only a couple of hours ago. When I got up, turned on the computer and started making coffee, she started her morning routine: went to one of the spots that she has determined is a food manifestation area, composed herself in the “Egyptian goddess” sitting pose and then stared fixedly at a point on the floor in front of her, knowing that by the sheer power of her mind she would cause a bowl of food to appear. Which it did.

  34. 34.

    cosima

    I’ve been making origami seed pots from Mr C’s newspapers this week, and getting potting soil is on today’s to-do list. I bought a lot of seeds last fall, and totally forgot to plant them. Hopefully it will work out well even though I’m late. I moved my honesty plants last season and they died, so I really want those seeds to do what they need to do. I’ve cut them both back completely, but I don’t think they will come back. We have two ugly black squares in our front garden that are for access to water and need to be covered, so I think I will try to make one of the butterfly feeders to cover one. This summer’s garden is going to be more or less a complete surprise as I planted lots of bulbs randomly last fall, and the never-ending snow seems to have killed a few things that may need replacing, but perhaps will spring back to life. I really am a terrible gardener…

  37. 37.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @Gin & Tonic: Feh. My produce delivery box gives me the option to order fresh ravioli from a local supplier. Much less space-hogging.

  38. 38.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Steeplejack:

    stared fixedly at a point on the floor in front of her, knowing that by the sheer power of her mind she would cause a bowl of food to appear. Which it did.

    The Woofmeister does the same thing with doors. He will lay down and fix his steely gaze upon the door for as long as it takes and eventually it opens. Works EVERY time, for both going IN and going OUT. He’s like some kind of superhero. All he needs is a cape.

  41. 41.

    Steeplejack

    I’m about to get “solar eclipsed” off the computer. The desk is on the opposite wall from the big, east-facing triple window, and a blaze of sun is creeping along the wall and is about to hit the screen. It happens only this time of year, when the sun is at a certain angle and before the trees out front green up with leaves. And the sheer curtains don’t do enough to block it.

    Guess I’ll start getting ready to go over to Sighthound Hall, where there is a very nice garden. Probably should take some pictures and send them in. Bro’ Man has a guy who makes house calls to detail their cars, and sometimes I piggyback on the deal. (Separate fee applies!) Today is such a day. Maybe I’ll treat myself to something from District Taco on the way over.

    Happy Sunday, everyone!

    ETA: The housecat has reoriented her polarity at her workstation to take full advantage of the sunsplash.

  42. 42.

    Spanky

    @Steeplejack: LOL, the same thing is happening here, but all I need do is pull the door behind me closed enough to block sunbeams but allow cats to pass. Or I could close the curtains, which would give the cats a sad.

  44. 44.

    debbie

    @satby:

    Don’t you have to wait until after they’ve bloomed?

    Me, I got a good 7 hours’ sleep both nights this weekend. Now the weird dreams are beginning to resurface.

  46. 46.

    satby

    @debbie: moving them before they come all the way out of dormancy probably won’t hurt them as long as the they don’t get hit with frost.

    Me, I got a good 7 hours’ sleep both nights this weekend.

    Show off! (//) Now I’m jealous in two directions.

  48. 48.

    debbie

    @satby:

    Believe me, the past couple of years I’ve pretty much slept like garbage. Not insomnia, but still, not at all restful.

  53. 53.

    MomSense

    @Argiope:

    I’m so sorry about your mama. {{{{{argiooe}}}}}

    Can moving them wait until the end of summer? September? If not, maybe wait until after they bloom which is early in the season.

  54. 54.

    Immanentize

    It is the worst time for gardening here North of Boston. There are flashes of spring- like weather, but the ground is still rock hard and snow covers about 50% from the last two storms. I want to till! No seeds this year, but plenty to do once it gets nice. I am going to try my second Satby box..

    ..@Argiope: good luck with the transplanting and the transition. These last times can be so hard but also so helpful in all directions.

  56. 56.

    charluckles

    I ended up having to emergency transplant a large group of peonies on one of the hottest, driest weeks of the year last summer (In other news our drains now work awesome.) They looked like garbage for the rest of summer and the fall. But they are all back with a purpose this spring. Once mature I think they transplant fairly easily.

  58. 58.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    Did you see this comment to that tweet?

    You are just so BAD at this.You're like a 4-year-old covered in cookie crumbs next to a broken cookie jar.You're not fooling anyone.You conspired with Russia to defraud the United States, and you're going to jail.— Gary M. Sarli (@GMSarli) March 25, 2018

  59. 59.

    WereBear

    @debbie: In my case, (I was getting 2-4 hours a night) and Circadian Rhythm Resetting did wonders. Wound up with a lightbox for winter which also helped.

    Sleep mask, f.lux on the computer and sunset on iPad, earlier bedtime, which was torture for this night owl. But whatever works, works.

  61. 61.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @zhena gogolia: Pretty sure neither of those things occur in this children’s movie about deportation brought on by nativist impulses.

    ETA a missing “th” word

  62. 62.

    Gin & Tonic

    Earlier today Mrs G&T was leaving Manchester (UK) for London. So, of course, I asked her to get a picture of herself sitting on the park bench next to Alan Turing. And, of course she obliged. Mission accomplished.

  63. 63.

    Immanentize

    @debbie: please send it our way. It looks like 50s might get here by Thursday. But still freezing Wednesday night…

  65. 65.

    WereBear

    @Gin & Tonic: Love that! I’m a fan.

    I have decided the best way for me to live in the Far North is to do what Scandinavians do; create a conservatory. I will start tiny, in a fish tank. But still working on my book: currently in pre-sell for Amazon.

    And I just noticed it is:

    #1 New Release in Cat Training

    OMG OMG OMG!

    I so need this to work. The success of the whole “cat advice enterprise” hinges on it. It has gotten so popular donations just don’t keep it afloat.

    So either I become a charity, and the hoops therein: or I become a business, which is now what I am :)

  67. 67.

    debbie

    @JPL:

    If you can ignore the Russian bots, there’s usually a fair amount of humor to be found. It usually mitigates my anger at the original tweet.

  70. 70.

    Baud

    Things are becoming a bit clearer.

    Killer Mike: Rapper defends gun ownership in NRA video
    ……

    During the interview, Killer Mike criticises those who think they are “woke” to the cause for tighter gun control in America, saying: “You’re a lackey of the progressive movement, because you’ve never disagreed with the people who tell you what to do.”

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/newsbeat-43531528

  71. 71.

    Ken

    @JPL:

    Trump is mentioning that lawyers would love to represent him, because of fame and fortune or something.

    Must be the fame. He never pays.

  73. 73.

    Feathers

    Q: So what did you do this weekend?

    A: Fed shit to butterflies, thanks for asking.

    Thanks for the video. No longer have a garden, but that was interesting and a chuckle. Kind of surprised he didn’t mention leaving fruit that had gone bad out for the butterflies, if you were supposed to let it rot. Also, wouldn’t that just turn your butterfly puddle into a raccoon feeder?

  75. 75.

    Baud

    @WereBear:

    And I just noticed it is:

    #1 New Release in Cat Training

    How had is it to write a book where every page is:

    Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha….

  77. 77.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The STL March yesterday was a little on the small side IMO (they said 10-15K, I thought closer to 5K but it was impossible for me to get a good view of the crowd in it’s entirety due to our route) due to the damp and cold weather but I had a good time dancing… I mean marching with the Funky Butt Brass Band.

  78. 78.

    WaterGirl

    I must be feeling weepy this morning because I teared up at the butterfly story. What are gyros moment for both artist and butterfly !

  83. 83.

    Chyron HR

    @Baud:

    Don’t worry, the next time B*rn*e needs to shore up his nonexistent support with African-American voters, I’m sure he’ll pick a better rapper.

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    @Steeplejack: I knew Second breakfast was coming as soon as I read your comment about the early breakfast! It was definitely the right thing to do..

  85. 85.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Baud: I’m not sure if he’s still around, but years ago there was a performer in Mallory Square in Key West who had house cats trained to do circus-like stunts. He had various stands and platforms and stuff, just like Ringling Bros with tigers, but smaller. It was really amazing.

    I’m sure some commenter will find YouTube videos of the act and give us a biography of the performer, but that won’t be me, as I’m not ambitious enough today. Went for a long bike ride yesterday and woke up in the middle of the night with leg cramps, so I’m a little sluggish.

  88. 88.

    Amir Khalid

    I’m spending a pleasant evening with The Girl practising the very basic chord progression in Patti Scialfa’s As Long As I Can Be With You. It’s not as complex as Born To Run, just the same three major chords, D, A, and G, all the way to the end. But fun.

    I’m pleased to learn that the March For Our Lives day was such a resounding success. It gives hope that there will be other and even more significant successes to come. Congratulations to all the marchers and organisers; may you stay strong for the days and years ahead.

  89. 89.

    WaterGirl

    @JPL: I now have a knee scooter to use some of the time which is good because my shoulders hurt more than my ankle from using the walker!

    3 or 4 Tyle-nol and 2 ad-vil get me thru a 24 hour period, so I think I’m getting super lucky on the pain front!

    Henry is doing pretty well except for for 3 or 4 horror stories where people who were supposed to carry him outside let him go and he ran up the 2 steps and ran through the house. All of which is totally forbidden at this stage after his ACL surgery .

    I see the orthopedist again on Wednesday . If all goes well with the x-ray I will heave a big sigh of relief. Then I should have six more weeks of winter, I mean six more weeks of a non weight bearing cast.

  91. 91.

    WaterGirl

    @Gin & Tonic: my best friend taught his kitties do all the basic dog tricks . Sit lay down turn around rollover, play dead. He calls it the ham ceremony and they do it every single night when he gets home before bedtime.

  93. 93.

    Kay

    @Argiope:

    Any advice re when & how to transplant peonies?

    Peonies are really easy. You can transplant the whole “plant” (the plant is really a collection of stems that grown from tubers) or cut the tubers into big chunks with a spade and then spread them over a wider area. There’s one thing that is tricky about them- the depth. If you’re transplanting the whole plant rather than dividing them make sure they’re at the same depth they were growing before. If you transplant sections of tubers don’t bury them too deep. Leave the stem attached to the tuber so you can see where they came out of the ground- that’s the depth. You can move them spring or fall. If you move them now you will miss one round of blooms- they bloom in early-ish summer. Once they’re settled in they’re almost impossible to kill- they’ll be coming up wherever you put them a hundred years from now.

  95. 95.

    WaterGirl

    @WereBear: Thank you. The whole experience is very humbling!

    Off to elevatre my leg for the millionth time . Ankle is still swollen.

  97. 97.

    Gelfling 545

    @Argiope: I have transplanted peonies in spring successfully. Try to move them with a lot of their soil around them. Don’t plant any deeper than they are currently planted. They’re fussy about planting depth. They will sulk for a while – even a couple of years – after transplanting with no blooming. Once they’re settled in to their satisfaction they’ll be fine.

  99. 99.

    Amir Khalid

    @Gin & Tonic:
    A least that flight doesn’t cross the International Date Line, unlike flights that go over the Pacific. When my job involved flying to the US, as it did a few times, I’d board the first plane on a Monday, and spend 24 hours in the air; when I landed in the US the next day it was still Monday.

  101. 101.

    p.a.

    @WaterGirl: Black Swallowtail. That one was newly emerged: came scrambling out of the chives when I went to water them. Used a chive stalk for the chrysalis*. Surprised how small ithe chry was; about 1/3 the size of the butterfly once its wings were full.

    Off to see Stalin is Dead.

    *are chrysalis and cocoon interchangeable, or biologically does one =/= the other?

  102. 102.

    No One You Know

    @Argiope: Peace be with you, your mother, and all your family.

    I have tree peonies (Hana Kisoi) that did fine, but didn’t bloom for a couple of years. Moved mine in early autumn. Dug well outside the root ball–TPs don’t like being moved, I’ve been told. Enriched the soil with a peony-specific sandy mix for good drainage.

    To be honest, I probably won’t do it again, I really missed the blooms. Now I see about three new buds every year and a new stem every year.

    And there are lots of haiku about peonies that may be a comfort to read.

  103. 103.

    WaterGirl

    @JPL: it’s definitely not fun! And the last 10 days feels like forever, but if I had to break my ankle, I think this is as good as it gets, and for that I am truly grateful!

  107. 107.

    Betsy

    So .. I’ve wondered for years how people reply so fast to comments on here. Is it just a matter of hanging out here and refreshing the comments url constantly? Seems to require a lot of “attending.”

    Also .. Is there some way to get notification of replies to one’s own comments? Without going back to find the thread later

    I ain’t tech-savvy but on the other hand I can’t be a total outlier in the ham-handed way I use this site.

    Since I’ve been following and commenting since the second Bush Maladministration, perhaps it’s time I learned the shortcuts and tricks it offers. Anyone care to share a favorite tip?

  109. 109.

    Glidwrith

    @Betsy: I lurk a lot, but when actively commenting I do a Control F to open a find box and search for my ‘nym. If anyone has replied to me, it will show up paired with the response.

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