Monarch Update By early fall 2020, I had 29 butterflies successfully hatch and fly off.  This spring I planted three new species of native milkweed (Antelope Horn, Indian and Heart-Leaf).  Next year I think the plants will be robust enough to have caterpillars.  In May I found my first 3 monarch eggs.  I put a screen mesh around the plant, so the caterpillars wouldn't get disturbed.  I was concerned with Tachinid flies.  They are parasitic flies whose larvae ultimately kill its host.  Last year this happened a couple of times, and it's ..read more

Last year I decided to grow milkweed.  Milkweed is the only host plant for monarch butterfly caterpillars.    Monarchs are having a rough go of it, in a lot of places their numbers are steadily declining.  I choose two type of native milkweed, narrow leaf milkweed (Ascepias fascicularis) and showy milkweed (A. speciosa).   My 2019 milkweed journey had some ups and downs.  When I found caterpillars on the plants I was quite excited.  But, none of the caterpillars seemed to survive.  One day they would be munching away, and the next day they ..read more

April is National Poetry Month in the United States and Canada.  It was started in 1996 in the US to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry.  Sharing my love of poetry seemed a natural, so for the month of April I anonymously put poems on the large bathroom mirror at work.  These are some of the poems I taped on the mirror.  The very last poem was left for me today, April 30th, by an unknown guerrilla poet.  I absolutely love the fact someone took the time to do that!  More poems next April?  You bet ..read more