Author Archives: Karin Kiontke

From pupa to butterfly

Posted on 2018-10-03 by Karin Kiontke

Today, our monarch emerged from his chrysalis, 11 days after he pupated (and yes, it is a he, I learned in the meantime how to distinguish males from females as pupae and adults). For the longest time, the chrysalis looked … Continue reading →

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More on monarchs

Posted on 2018-09-23 by Karin Kiontke

Over the last weeks, the tiny little monarch larvae in our garden grew and grew. And they ate a lot! Some of our milkweed plants look pretty sad with few leaves remaining and their tops chewed off. But what do … Continue reading →

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Two generations of monarchs

Posted on 2018-09-07 by Karin Kiontke

This year, we have been planting a lot of milkweed. We wanted to attract monarch butterflies; not the nectar-hungry fall visitors but mothers who look for suitable food for their babies. Monarchs eat nothing but milkweed, and they are on … Continue reading →

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Bees and honey

Posted on 2018-09-02 by Karin Kiontke

Did anybody wonder what is going on with our bees? As a recap: in May, the bees swarmed. We were lucky to capture the swarm and start a new hive with it. The old hive should have made a new … Continue reading →

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Catching up

Posted on 2018-08-05 by Karin Kiontke

Summer is a busy time for gardeners, even though it has rained so much this July that we hardly needed to water anything aside from the pots, and our plants are thriving almost on their own. Still, this channel has … Continue reading →

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