Please join us for a very informative and interesting Rotary meeting Thursday at Noon, Cokato City Hall.

 

Cocoons are spun around an existing caterpillar before a MOTH emerges.  Conversely, a chrysalis is a pupa stage of a caterpillar that emerges from within the caterpillar before a BUTTERFLY (and some moths) emerges. 

 

Susan Bohnsack will be sharing her collection of Monarch Butterflies and caterpillars in various stages of growth and development.  She reports that two butterflies just emerged today, so we can view them at our meeting before they are released in the afternoon.

 

The monarch butterfly numbers have been dropping significantly over the last 30 years.  One source predicts a 76% percent chance of extinction in the next 20 years.  Migrating monarch numbers used to be in the millions, but now estimates are around only 300,000.  In the wild, only about 5% of caterpillars make it adulthood but in captivity, the rates are closer to 100%.  This is where Susan Bohnsack puts on her superhero cape and has harvested and raised about 75 wild caterpillars in the last month or so.

 

Come to Rotary to see different sizes of caterpillars, stages of chrysalids, and a couple newly emerged monarch butterflies.  Hopefully you can learn a little something to help the monarch butterfly prosper for years to come!

 

See you at noon!