Hello yellows!

March 2026

The change in season has brought child-borne viruses around and the garden has become secondary to feeling sorry for myself. Fortunately all I've had to do is make sure the monarch caterpillars have enough food and to release the yellow admiral butterflies that have been coming out the last few days.

Dead leaf? No, a disguised admiral drying its wings

I didn't have any caterpillar castles available when a battered yellow admiral came and laid eggs on my potted nettle over a number of days at the end of January and beginning of February. I put some of the pots in my plant cage to protect them, which is not predator proof, but would hopefully keep the larger wasps out. It was originally designed to protect young milkweed plants from overzealous monarch females laying eggs on everything in sight. Ah, those were the days!

Whilst not one caterpillar on the unprotected nettle survived or even had the opportunity to grow, the protected nettle disappeared into the stomachs of multiple admiral caterpillars in the plant cage, becoming barer and barer, until leaves were replaced with hanging chrysalis. The top of the plant cage was another spot with golden chrysalis appearing and I cleared out spiders' webs every chance I got in fear that a butterfly might get caught up.

Last week the butterflies started eclosing (emerging) and I have released 22 yellows over five days. When you are feeling under the weather, the emergence of these beautiful, energetic imagos (adult stage butterflies) is such a boost.

Hubby got in on the action for the first time. He was sick too.

Of course, none of them have stuck around to enjoy the butterfly garden. Their loss. Today there were two fresh long-tailed blues enjoying the flowers, as well as a couple of monarchs - one tagged - in the late afternoon sunshine. Seeing them, as well as the bees, cicadas and hoverflies around, perhaps it's good I've had to slow right down for a few days and can only look on, rather than work on, the garden.