Monarch still in NE Michigan.

[apseyf]

At 1:10 PM today, I was walking the beach/shoreline of Lake Huron at Harrisville State Park, and I came across a monarch butterfly washed up on shore. To my amazement, it was still alive! It is a male, so I have decided to try to keep it through the winter. The temperatures have been in the upper fifties with the low in the mid to upper thirties. The forecast for the next ten days is the same with rain showers every other day. Wish me luck!

[Flutter]

What a great idea to try and keep him for the winter. Do you have any idea how to do that? I'd like to know for future use.

Reta

[apseyf]

[quote="Flutter"]What a great idea to try and keep him for the winter. Do you have any idea how to do that? I'd like to know for future use.

Reta[/quote]/Well Reta, the poor thing expired this morning. I had it in my butterfly condo on top of a flower that was in a pot. It was feeding/sipping the flower. But this morning, it was on the bottom of the condo floor with it's wings straight out and legs folded underneath the body. At least it went peacefully in my house, instead of on the lakeshore being battered by the waves. As for keeping them, I have a 24 inch by 24 inch butterfly condo and I have only kept them for as long as 12 days before releasing them at a class I give at a local park. I also tag them and the kids release them off their fingertips. Anyway, I would have tried to feed an overwintering monarch by putting in a sponge in a small glass container soaking in Juicyfruit (berry) that you buy in the store. Also, keeping a sponge soaked in water laying on top of a piece of waxpaper that keeps the water from soaking into the bottom of the condo. You must rinse out both everyday, and put the berry one in the microwave for 30 seconds to kill bacteria. It will be hot coming out, so put in refrig for 5 minutes before soaking in juice. The butterflies love it! If the butterfly does not go to it, put their feet on it. They will remember the taste (their feet are their tongues). I would try to keep a flower in, too.

[Flutter]

I'm so sorry your Monarch expired - especially after it appeared to be recovering from the trauma of being washed up.

Thanks so much for the tips on keeping a Monarch over a period of time - I appreciate it.

We are in the Syracuse area NY. Ours hatched October 12 and we released him in the meadow on October 13. It was a beautiful 62 degree day and sunny - but the next 2 days were and rainy. Hope Flutter made it out of the cold and onto his desination.