Atala - First Post

Hi!

A few years ago, my wife learned of the Atala butterfly and its plight in South Florida. As part of the effort to bring the Atala to Martin County, we purchased three Coontie cycads and planted them.

Fast forward to August 19th, 2023 - she saw what she thought was an Atala female flying around the yard. We checked the plant, and lo and behold there were Atala eggs!

I bought another potted Coontie and brought that in to one of our screened butterfly habitats. As soon as the caterpillars were large enough to move (out ahead of Hurricane Idalia), we relocated them and began raising them in earnest.

The caterpillars are up to Day 11 of their life, and have almost completely defoliated the small potted plant.

I'm trying the technique we use with monarchs - clipping fronds off of the mature Coonties in the yard, and setting them in lidded tubes with water. I'm not sure how easily the Atalas will drown, so I've sealed the tube holes airtight around the Coontie stems.

I really want to raise these little bugger to adulthood, so I hate to leave them in the yard; we've had a pretty significant issue with wasps getting to our other caterpillars out there.

Posted on September 5, 2023 05:39 PM by vladimirr99