I showed you all the wonderful butterflies that have been visiting my yard on Wednesday. And as you know, I do as much as I can to help them thrive and survive – especially the monarchs. But, it’s a sad fact that less than 10 percent of monarch caterpillars ever make it to the butterfly stage. This low survival rate is due to factors parasites, diseases, harsh weather conditions, and predators.
And sadly in our yard, that includes…
Lemmy!!!!! While he doesn’t touch the caterpillars. He does affect their numbers by taking down the adults. I’m afraid he’s become an expert butterfly hunter, and the monarch seem to be his favourite.
So far his kill count is three. That I’ve found at least. There may be more. And probably more to come.
It’s a tough life for the Monarch!
Wandering Cat Studio 
I always feel bad when my huntress brings down a bird or butterfly or even a lizard!
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For me it’s the Luna Moths. My outdoor kitties had a vendetta against them and now I don’t see them anymore. It was the one thing about summer that I looked forward to.
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Oh Lemmy…he thinks it is a game:)
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Make sure he doesn’t eat them because they eat milkweed which is highly poisonous to cats.
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LBB, you’d better train Lemmy a bit more, eh?
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Oh Lemmy. You silly boy. You love to watch them fly. If you want to see them, you need to leave them alone. 🙂
Blessings and hugs,
Betsy
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