Butterfly

For the last few years, we have been raising butterflies.  We started out with some Painted Ladies that we had ordered. They were fun, but the caterpillar’s food was premade and they were supposed to stay in the little container they came in until they formed chrysalises.

We learned how to raise monarchs and have raised them from eggs for years. Some years we have raised over a hundred while last year we only raised a few because we could not find eggs or caterpillars.

Audrey decided it was time to do more.  Last year she collected any caterpillar she could find and learned what she could about it.  She discovered the Eastern Black Swallowtail.

Butterfly on daffadilWe learned more than expected.  Ichneumon Wasps will lay their eggs in the caterpillar.  They are parasites and will feed on the caterpillar.  You will not discover the problem until you have a wasp emerge instead of a butterfly from the chrysalis.

A much more fun lesson is that these butterflies overwinter. If put in a safe place during the winter, they will emerge in early spring.  Audrey put some in the garage this winter. After bringing them inside in April, they are starting to emerge!

 

 

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter this year. We had invited family and friends to come celebrate and enjoy the day with us. Thirty people showed up!

At church we were reminded that it does not matter how you celebrate Easter. Easter is about Christ’s redemption of our sins! He died on a cross and come back to life for my sins, and that is why we celebrate!

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Praise and Request

IMG_3735.CD Last night my niece, Esther,  and her fiancée were in a motorcycle accident. They are okay, but got beat up pretty badly. Alan’s motorcycle does not look so nice anymore either.

Please pray for them.  They have been saving money for their wedding, but now have hospital bills and a bike that needs to get fixed up.  They will both miss some work too.  Pray that they heal quickly and that there were no hidden injuries.  The praise though, is that both of them are all right and neither got hurt worse.