Butterfly+News

We want to thank all of our friends for your support and visits to our Butterfly House. We have enjoyed sharing our hobby and our love of God's creation and the butterflies with you. Unfortunately, we need to make some changes. In order to continue to be covered by home owners insurance, we have had to discontinue all tours, group visits and visitor days to our habitat. We are still able and available to present butterfly programs for your organization and your location.The status of our Facebook site has changed from "Sightseeing and Tours" to "Just For Fun." If you would like to schedule us to speak at your event or have any questions, please call us at 215-723-2573.
 * ​//NOTICE CONCERNING VISITOR//S**

//**CATERPILLARS FOR SALE**// Call 215-723-2573 or e-mail us at marvelousmonarchs@yahoo.com.to schedule a pickup time.

//**FYI**// Do you realize that you can freeze milkweed leaves? In the late spring and early summer the common milkweed are at their best. The leaves are large, very green and juicy with sap. Now is the time to stock up on your supply of leaves for when you cannot find good leaves in late summer or fall. Prune back your milkweed stalks, leaving the lower part of the stem with a few leaves. They will grow back as a bush with more leaves than before. Cut the leaves from the stalk that you just pruned and sandwich layers of leaves between sheets of wax paper. Fill a gallon zip lock bag with your layers of leaves and place in your freezer. Later when your outdoor milkweed is used up or turning yellow, use your frozen supply. The Monarch caterpillars will love it. Just put your frozen milkweed in their containers and it will immediately thaw and they will continue to be well fed. Note: Check your leaves for Monarch eggs and caterpillars, especially on under side or at the very top of the plant. If the leaves are covered with aphids or bugs, wash your leaves in a 10% bleach solution and rinse well. Lay leaves flat on a towel to dry before freezing.

On July 12, 2012, we received some great news! One of our Monarch butterflies that was tagged and released on September 23, 2010, has been recovered. It was found at the El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary in Michoacan, Mexico. This represents a 2000 mile trip from Souderton, PA to Mexico. This was our first Mexico recovery, even though some were previously found in NJ and Virginia.

Don't forget, March is the month to prune your butterfly bush. Cut it back to "knee height", "waist height" if it is a large bush. This will prevent it from growing wild and will preserve its bush shape and also produce larger blooms. It would be a good idea to wrap burlap around your butterfly bushes when you are getting your plants ready for winter. When it is producing blooms in the Spring, be sure to "dead head" the blooms when they turn brown. Cut them off at the base of the bloom at the "Y". Two new blooms should continue from there. Doing this will keep your butterfly bush producing until frost.