| Raising Monarch Butterflies by Beth Williams |
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| The small white speck is a monarch butterfly egg, shown here on a common milkweed leaf. |
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| A baby monarch caterpillar on a common milkweed leaf, its sole food source. This one is a few days old. |
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| We raise our caterpillars in wide-mouth pint mason jars. At this size, we call them teenagers, because they have a voracious appetite and will soon transform. When their appetite slows, we know they are close to forming a ‘J’, which is the shape the caterpillar makes, prior to forming its chrysalis. |
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| A coffee filter secured at the top of the jar provides ventilation and a place for the caterpillar to create its chrysalis. We mark the date of the transformation, to anticipate the date we might see a butterfly emerge. At this stage, we move it to a larger enclosure to provide enough room for the butterfly to emerge and stretch. |
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| Sometimes, things go amiss. This caterpillar was unknowingly infested with tachnid fly eggs when we found it on a milkweed leaf. It formed a chrysalis, but didn’t mature correctly (as noted by the discoloration of the chrysalis). The larvae of the fly emerge from the chrysalis and drop to the bottom of the container (the orange and yellow forms in this picture). |
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| We had 2 butterflies emerge on the same day! Both caterpillars formed their chrysalis on August 17th. They emerged within an hour of each other on August 29th. Depending on the weather, we typically keep them in the enclosure overnight, before releasing them. |
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| The spots on the hind wings, near the base of the abdomen, indicate that this butterfly is male. |
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| Getting ready to take flight! |
| Psalm 85 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. Lord, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. You forgave the guilt of your people— yes, you covered all their sins. Interlude You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger. Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? Won’t you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory. Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest. Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps. |
| View from the Crew by Seth Graves |
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| Blue Heron Ministries takes a field trip to NICHES Land Trust’s Fisher Oak Savanna, in western Indiana, to learn how other conservation organizations do prairie restoration. |
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| The combination of goldenrod and joe pye weed is in full bloom at LaGrange County Parks’ Duff Lake Fen |
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| Some of the crew attempting to cross a stream without filling their boots. |
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| Blue Heron Ministries teaming up with other organizations to monitor the endangered Mitchell Satyr butterfly population. |
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| Nate Simons and intern Seth Graves installing a natural seawall on a Branch County, Michigan lake. |
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| John Brittenham teaching intern Seth Graves how to operate the two-person wick, to selectively control hybrid cattails, a required experience for every intern. |
| Upcoming Events |
| Fall Seed Harvest September 17th from 12-4PM October 1st, 8th,15th, 22nd, 29th from 12-4PM The kickoff to our fall native prairie seed harvests! Come help us further our mission by collecting seeds from native plants, to be used in our future projects. You’ll have the opportunity to learn about the plants and the protected spaces they inhabit. We’ll travel to some properties that Blue Heron Ministries helps manage, within Steuben and LaGrange counties. Join us for the opportunity to fellowship, visit unique natural communities, learn about native plants, and enjoy the autumn harvest. We have all the tools needed. We’ll meet at the Presbyterian Chapel of the Lakes (2955 W. Orland Rd Angola, IN 46703) and caravan to the site(s). |
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Blue Heron Ministries 