Garland Gives a Hand Up to a Deserving Pollinator--The Monarch Butterfly (also the state insect of Texas)

November 2, 2015 2:30 PM Garland Community Garden - Another Monarch is released--photo by Charles Bevilacqua

During the Loving Garland Green meeting this week Chris Savage, VP of Loving Garland Green, reported the two caterpillars we gave to students at Abbott Elementary here in Garland were released at the school on Monday, Nov. 2.  Charles Bevilacqua reported the three caterpillars we gave to the three kindergarten classes at Walnut Glenn Academy had also been released.  

Kevin Keeling, member of Loving Garland Green reported that one of the two Monarchs in his keeping eclosed yesterday morning (November 4, 2015).  Kevin released this one, a male, in his back yard.   Following are a few photos of this event:

November 3, 2015- 10:00 AM - Monarch is attached to one of the leaves of the milkweed inside his Monarch Condo at Kevin Keeling's home.  Photo by Kevin Keeling.

November 3, 2015- 10 AM Garland Texas- Butterfly at home of Kevin Keeling - Photo by Kevin Keeling

November 3, 2015- 10 AM Garland Texas- Butterfly at home of Kevin Keeling on top of condo preparing for takeoff - Photo by Kevin Keeling

The photo below is a great shot of the butterfly that was in Kevin's care.  As you can see, it has one black dot on each tail wing.  This tells us that this particular butterfly is a male.

November 3, 2015 - 10 AM  Garland Texas - Butterfly at home of Kevin Keeling - Photo by Kevin Keeling

MORE TO COME - We still have a few more possible members of the fourth generation Monarchs of 2015

Below is a photograph that Kevin sent us showing a pupa on the floor of his Monarch Butterfly condo.  At some point this pupa, or chrysalis as it is sometimes called, became detached and fell to the bottom of the condo (mesh laundry basket).  We don't know for sure if this one will survive, but yesterday (November 3, 2015) Kevin did notice that it appeared to beginning the process of emerging from the pupa.   If you look closely you can see the tips of what appear to be hind wings. This is yet another Monarch story to be told here in Garland Texas.   

November 3, 2015 10 AM - Monarch beginning to eclose - Photo Kevin Keeling

One of the officers of the board of directors for Loving Garland Green, Jane Stroud has six possible adult Monarchs housed in  Monarch condos at her home.  Below is a photo she took yesterday of the first one of the five that is beginning to eclose.  If you look closely you'll see the wings coming out of the bottom of the pupa.

November 3, 2015 - 7 AM - Eclose beginning in Monarch Condo stewarded by Jane Stroud - Photo by Jane.

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 LET'S NOT FORGET ALL THE OTHER SPECIES OF BUTTERFLIES AND OTHER POLLINATORS SUCH AS BEES--all of whom are vitally important to ensuring pollination of our food crops.

One of them, a Gulf Fritillary, stopped by Kevin's garden yesterday to watch the main event of the Monarch reaching adulthood.  Indeed this is a big deal since since it is estimated that less than 5% of Monarchs complete their life cycle in the wild.  The happy side of that story is that 95% of them who are rescued will survive to the adult stage.

Still, we must not overlook the importance of all our pollinators and do what we can to protect all of them them.  We have verifications of over 221 species of butterflies and moth sightings here in the DFW area.  Most of these species overwinter right here in our neighborhoods.  According to the species, they overwinter in various stages of their lifecycle.  

Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae incarnata)  - November 3, 2015 - 10 AM - Garland Texas - Photo Kevin Keeling