Wednesday 7 August 2024

The monarch caterpillars!

😷What a week it's been for many people. We are holding our own. We are still recovering from COVID. Slowly. Dr. Brian Goldman is warning us:

The new #Covid KP3 subvariant is spreading like wildfire. You may want to consider masking for larger gatherings indoors. Some hospitals have returned to required masking. My anecdotal sense is that KP3 is much more than "a cold."

🔨 I was about to suggest to daughter Caitlin, in Ottawa, that they'd had two incidents (toilet issues), and a third was likely on the way. Wrong! They had more than this. 

Here are their tale of woes: backed up drain, the heat pump kept frosting up so they couldn't use the AC continuously, toilet glugging, dryer vent blocked (that involved cutting open the wall), and dishwasher drain plugged. I was tired just reading her list!

🛠  🏠  🔦  🔩

🦇Baths or moths?

I found a 📹video of bats in the dark on the Facebook Trailcam group. This tells me that my videos are of large moths! Not bats. You can see the bat outline.


A couple of years ago this poor bat was stuck in a used plastic container and couldn't fly out. It wasn't amused! I flipped up the lid, launching it into the air, and off it went.

This poor bat was circling our bedroom ceiling fan. Again, this is the bat shape I should have been looking for.

I like putting a mystery to bed. 

sphynx moths from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.


🐛Yippee! I found two monarch caterpillars. This is a good sign. There must be more, but the pumpkins are crowding the milkweed. They can co-exist! I gave them a good water Sunday. Monday, it poured! 
 
Aug. 1st


Aug. 5th  – peek-a-boo!






July storm from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

13 comments:

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I mask everywhere I go. I'm SO afraid of COVID. Sop glad to see the monarch caterpillars. I'm growing milkweed this year, too.

Barbara Rogers said...

Loved seeing some monarch caterpillers...eating their fair share of milkweed leaves! I've seen more and more people in masks around here, again. Since I'm just huffing and puffing in the first place, a mask just leaves me without enough air. But I may go back to wearing them.

Tom said...

...we have plenty of milkweed, but I haven't seen eggs are caterpillars.

Anvilcloud said...

I remember the lady in town who showed us her caterpillars in chrysalis . It was definitely a highlight.

Aritha V. said...

Thank you, Jen, for this blog post. 🌿 I love nature and your blog is always the right place for it. And those toilet emojis 🚽 I found so funny. Personally, I'm always a bit afraid of bats 🦇, even though I know I shouldn't be. But the caterpillars are amazing 🐛. They eat a lot and soon they will become butterflies 🦋, right? Then I'll see them on your blog, won't I?

RedPat said...

Those caterpillars have quite the appetite.
I know several people other than you who have recently had Covid. I'm getting the masks out again.

Nancy J said...

By the time a plumber, a drain-layer, a builder and maybe even an electrician comes, Caitlin will be ready to move!!! I have read that monarch caterpillars like pumpkin flesh.They are probably my favourite of all the insect world.

Far Side of Fifty said...

Love seeing the Monarch caterpillars...so far I have none here, will be watching for them.

DeniseinVA said...

Such a fun post. You solved the mystery of no bats. When we first moved here we used to see bats flying around high above us. They have gone now more's the pity. Hurray for your monarch butterflies Very enjoyable visit as always, thanks Jenn!

Red said...

The next time I see this black and yellow caterpillar, I'll know what it is.

MELODY JACOB said...

It's been quite a challenging week! I'm glad to hear you’re slowly recovering from COVID. It’s definitely wise to take precautions with the new subvariant spreading around.

Your daughter's list of issues sounds exhausting—what a series of unfortunate events! It’s great that she has a supportive parent like you to share the burdens with, even from afar.

The bat versus moth mix-up is amusing! It’s fascinating how much detail those trailcam videos can capture. I’m glad the bat was safely released.

The monarch caterpillars are a lovely sign of nature's resilience. It’s always wonderful to see them thrive, even with the surrounding challenges.

I just posted a new blog post at www.melodyjacob.com. I invite you to read. Thank you!

The Furry Gnome said...

We're watching for Monarch caterpillars all the time. No luck yet.

MELODY JACOB said...

It sounds like you've had quite a challenging week, especially with recovering from COVID and dealing with Caitlin's series of household issues. I hope things start to improve for both of you soon.

I just posted a new blog post www.melodyjacob.com, I invite you to read, Thank you.