Blueberry


This is my butterfly, Blueberry. She had just emerged from her overwinter nap when I discovered her. She is an Eastern Black Swallowtail.

I have learned that they are very different from Monarchs. When they emerge they start to walk around, but Monarchs stay on their chrysalises until their wings dry. Yesterday, I watched my butterfly climbing up a stick and it fell on its wings! Then it got right back up again and started crawling up. It was not hurt at all! When my Monarch fell, she could not get back up again and her wings stayed shriveled up. She never could fly, but could flutter for a little distance. Eastern Black Swallowtails overwinter, while Monarchs fly to Mexico for the winter.

Sometimes a parasitic wasp will lay an egg inside the caterpillar. When the caterpillar forms its chrysalis, the wasp larva will eat the caterpillar and then come out of the caterpillar’s chrysalis. It is pretty disappointing since we were expecting a butterfly.  Monarchs never get wasps, I think that is because they eat milkweed which is poisonous to other animals.

God made all the butterflies different and I am glad that he did!  I am looking forward to learning more about raising butterflies this year.