BBQ, butterflies, bugs

😷COVID isn't done. Thankfully, we are done with it. We've both tested negative. That said, we've still tired, easily fatigued, and pacing ourselves. I'm still coughing. I tried reducing my meds yesterday, but that didn't go well. I was up coughing at 2 a.m. 

It's 7 a.m., and I have garbage out.  That is a good start.  My garden is a mess, but looks good from a distance.  

Since we can't have a bidet, due to wiring and plumbing issues, I created my own solution! This continues to be a problem for me. I don't know if it is the meds or stress. Thankfully, I can do laundry without coughing.

My goal was to exchange the BBQ canister on Sunday.  I did it, wearing my N95 mask. They sorta gave me a side eye, but I was coughing. They have no idea! 

Notice the cherry tomato some↑ one stole?!

🎥 We watched STHL Blackout (2024) for our evening entertainment. A bit slow to start, but once we got into it I liked it. A good plot, with comedic bits. It says 'comedy' but it uses comedic relief to ease the tension. It's dubbed, as it is in Swedish. It's pretty good dubbing, though.

Here we are, in the country, with cherry tomatoes that need watering, usually twice a day. It is wonderful seeing actual fruit.

Dense Blazing Star – non-mental note!

My hops vine didn't do well this year. Neither did my fuchsia. I think I should have watered the Hops during a dry spell. Non-mental note for next year. 

The first photo↓ is yesterday, the next from another year. Maybe I should have given it more sun even thought the tag says sun/shade. 

The hummingbirds love them. Thankfully, we've other wildflowers and garden flowers that they love.

I sat out back and read my book. Then – got distracted by critters. The definite-marked tussock moth caterpillar finally showed me the full stages. I didn't know what was making these cocoons. Now I know!

The adult. (I think!)

The Eastern Comma isn't as prolific this year. I've only seen one chrysalis. We had 8 last year in the eaves, at least. 

I wrote this a couple of days ago. As I was sitting out back, an Eastern Question Mark flew up from below the deck and landed on the bench. It had to have been newly eclosed, since it sat there for a good 15 minutes. 

There was a pop-up rain! I had to pull back under the eaves for shelter. It cleared, and I went back to my book.

The hops vine, et al!

It's been fun watching it, again. There are so many critters that avail themselves of the vine. Well, perhaps it's just that the vine climbs up to the back deck, and I can easily see them!

White-marked Tussock Moth
Orgyia leucostigma

This is the little moth that came out of the cocoon (above, right).


This caterpillar hasn't gone into cocoon, yet.


Question mark butterfly larva, we just have to wait! There are now two in this corner!

Aug. 14

Next thing I knew... pupa


And another! I found a gall on a weed, too.

Then, under the front deck: two more monarch have gone into chrysalis.

 Then, I looked out at the goldfish pond and saw this! A big moth in the goldfish pond. I haven't ID'd it yet!
  \
moth from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Then, in the front, the monarchs are doing their thing. This one is about to hatch. We were going away, so I couldn't watch it.

Turns out, it hatched the morning before we left for our anniversary trip to Gananoque! (More on that later!)

10 days to the day!

We had two, and now two more.

Fuzzy caterpillars and buddies in the aquarium

We've seen warnings about this...

Venomous fuzzy caterpillar spotted in downtown Ottawa

Transport Canada warns employees about caterpillar covered in poisonous spines

They were a bit vague, in that there are several 'tussock moths!' (See the full BAMONA list below!) Tussock moth caterpillars: there are twenty-one of them! I've been trying to figure out what kind of a caterpillar I took in. I brought one into my aquarium and we'll see what hatches. I didn't touch it, just lifted the whole branch and put it into the glass of water in the aquarium.

Lophocampa caryae Hickory Tussock Moth or Hickory Tiger Moth  <= this is what I think. We shall see, once it metapmorphosizes.

We went for a drive yesterday, this caterpillar dropped into the car somehow! I popped it into the aquarium.

In the meantime, one caterpillar, gone into chrysalis, is hatching today. The chrysalis is all black and this is the sign.

Wooly bear is still sleeping, dreaming of new wings.  (I have two in cocoon.)
This is the caterpillar Isabelle found, the Isabella.

Moths build cocoons, butterflies change into a chrysalis. Who knew?

BAMONA lists quite a few Tussock Moths.

Dasychira basiflava Yellow-based Tussock Moth

Dasychira cinnamomea Cinnamon Tussock Moth

Dasychira dorsipennata Sharp-lined Tussock Moth

Dasychira manto Manto Tussock Moth

Dasychira meridionalis Southern Tussock Moth

Dasychira obliquata Streaked Tussock Moth

Dasychira plagiata Northern Pine Tussock Moth

Dasychira tephra Tephra Tussock Moth

Dasychira vagans Variable Tussock Moth

Euchaetes egle Milkweed Tussock Moth or Milkweed Tiger Moth

Halysidota harrisii Sycamore Tussock Moth

Halysidota tessellaris Banded Tussock Moth or Pale Tiger Moth

Leucanopsis longa Long-Streaked Tussock Moth

Lophocampa caryae Hickory Tussock Moth or Hickory Tiger Moth

Lophocampa maculata Spotted Tussock Moth or Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth

Orgyia antiqua Rusty Tussock Moth

Orgyia definita Definite Tussock Moth

Orgyia detrita Fir Tussock Moth

Orgyia leucostigma White-marked Tussock Moth

Orgyia pseudotsugata Douglas Fir Tussock Moth

Orgyia vetusta Western Tussock Moth

How to spot a Monarch butterfly caterpillar!

Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars

If you recall, I've been following the Milkweed

Teeny Tussock caterpillar

plant that was covered in Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars. I don't think I've ever grossed out my Hydrogeologist daughter, who has been stung by wasps out in the field, and spends a certain amount of time outdoors wearing a hard hat, but I did! The crawling, seething mass of caterpillars were too much for her!

 They have moved from leaf to leaf, totally rendering the leaves into skeletons, dropping their little caterpillar poo on the leaf below. They don't seem to hurt the plant, since the plants have already bloomed and are producing seeds later this month. Plus, there are thousands of caterpillars on just the one plant, and I have hundreds of other Milkweed plants on the property. In a way, they are efficient.

The Latest critters in Milkweed plants

Another mystery egg!

Wicked Goldenrod Crab spider!
They attack wasps & bees!

In my search, I keep finding new critters who depend upon, or enjoy the Milkweed plant. The Monarch caterpillar eggs are white, as are the Tussock eggs.

Matchy-matchy, see the moth?

Red Milkweed beetle
starts eating on the edge

Tree frog,
with Red milkweed beetle damage on the leaf.

 I was checking on the progress of my Tussock caterpillars, intrigued with their life cycle, and couldn't find them. They are obvious, since they are so abundant in one spot.

How to hunt for caterpillars

Hundreds of Milkweed Tussock caterpillars

My strategy is to first look for a Milkweed plant with damage, then gently lean the plant over, while trying to avoid getting bitten by Deerflies.

When I hunt for Monarch caterpillars, I've found that there is usually a hole in the middle of the leaf, where the caterpillar hatched from the egg, then it moves about on the leaves. The Red Milkweed beetle starts at the edges of the leaves and eats out chunks.

As I realized the Tussocks were all gone, I noticed another Monarch caterpillar! At that point, I began to wonder how many eggs they actually lay.

Monarch butterfly
The ones that migrate to visit us in the north,
are different than those who stay further south.
Ours have longer life cycles.

The answer is, they don't really know. All they can do is speculate from those who have laid eggs in captivity.


Monarch butterfly notes by Dr. Karen Oberhauser
Q. How many eggs do the monarch butterflies lay in one time?

A. They only lay one egg at a time, and usually one per plant, but they can lay many in a single day. (The most I've seen is 205 in one day, but this is very unusual.)

Q. What is the most eggs a monarch has ever laid?
A. I have no way of knowing how many eggs wild females lay. However, I have studied fecundity (number of eggs laid) by captive females, and they highest number I've seen was 1179 during their lifecycle. The average is about 700, but this varies from year to year. They lay fewer in hot, dry summers.

Monarch butterfly

Monarch Lifecycle
The Monarch butterflies go through prolonged stages of metamorphoses , starting with its larva or caterpillar, shedding or molting its skin an amazing five times before the pupa stage.  You can see a diagram of the monarch life cycle that you can color in here. Our articles are free for you to copy and distribute.