Boudicca's Voice

I Can Kill Them Still in the Pot

I am Queen of the Black Thumbs. I’m telling you, I managed to nearly kill my entire butterfly garden before we got the plants in the ground. That’s right. They started to die in the pot.

I know the kids were excited; they wanted a butterfly garden. We planted one last year, but unbeknownst to us; we planted it in bird central. All the early birds feasted on our caterpillars. So I understand this want to have another, but really, my husband should have known better. I want nothing else I have nurture. I’m over it.

I didn’t have time to plant on Sunday when I received them for Mother's Day. Monday was a zoo. Tuesday was a zoo. Come Wednesday, my eldest is freaking out they’re all dying. I looked at him and said, “Quit complaining. If you want to be part of the solution, water them.” He did.

Come Thursday I realized, we were in trouble. They were at death’s door and my kids were somehow going to be damaged by this. So last night, we planted the garden.

Today we have caterpillars. The kids are ecstatic. Bones is beyond elation. He goes running outside with a container.

“Wait!”, I yell. “Where are you going and what are you doing?”

Bones: I’m going to put all the caterpillars in this (pointing to a bug catching container he got for Easter in his Easter basket… the Easter Bunny is creative in our home) and bring them in the house to keep them safe.

Me: Whoa. Oh no you’re not. The caterpillars are staying out there on the milkweed. Leave ‘em alone.

Bones: But, Mom! The birds will get them…. (now he has gone into full meltdown and is crying hysterically for future lost caterpillars) … we have to save them before they die…

Me, completely over crying whining children, I feel NO compassion: No. If the birds start to eat them all, we’ll drop back and punt and change our plan. For now, the caterpillars stay on their plants.

My kids actually think that the way to make a butterfly is to capture the caterpillar, put it in a BIG GLASS jar, which they are bugging the ever living stew out of me to buy, with milkweed and a stick, then the caterpillar can spin themselves in the jar and once they turn into a butterfly, we release them.

We did that ONCE. Now, this is the way the Ecosystem is supposed to work… with glass jars acting as a safe harbor from potential predators.

I’m looking forward to my husband coming home. I’m starting to run on that hairy edge…

Posted by Boudicca at May 13, 2005 10:38 PM