When I was a kid I tried and failed to raise a monarch butterfly in a jar. I chalked it up as one of those “path not traveled” things.
Then I bumped into the online presence of Christine DeMerchant. I’d say she’s a blogger but that’s not the right term. Perhaps the right word is polymath? She’s got so much to say about so many things that she’s got not only a huge website but another even bigger one. In the true spirit of the internet I tuned into her site looking for information about moldy firewood, made a detour to ponder leathering oars (something on my vast “to do” list), and wound up reading about growing milkweed plants.
You know that special feeling of discovery the internet held before it turned into Facebook and bullshit? For a moment I had it back. Here was someone, ostensibly an adult, who reminded me that I can do whatever the hell I want…including raising a butterfly. Brilliant!
Who says you have to grow up?
So thanks a million to Christine DeMerchant (whom I’ve never met and probably associates with a cooler crowd than me). Her posts reminded me that even though it’s a pursuit normally associated with a seven year old… I can still give it a shot now.
You probably ought to wait until next spring to try this new adventure. Not sure of your exact location, but smart money says your most of the way through summer, and if you do get milkweed to grow large enough to sucker one of them into laying her eggs there, the poor babies will freeze to death this winter.
Of course, at your advanced age, by next spring you’ll probably have forgotten all about this. Just like you have with those friggin’ lebanese squirrels and stinky bear.
Patience in all things. By part 3 there’s a caterpillar in a jar.