This month's Butterfly Bulletin is the first edition and I am excited about it's long-awaited launch! I am so happy that you have signed up to receive the Glorious-Butterfly ezine.

My goal is to keep you up-to-date on what's new at Glorious Butterfly and in the “world of butterflies”. Look for a new issue the first week of each month. I'd love your feedback and ideas, also.

Enjoy!

Karen

Click on an item to jump down to that section:

What's New? - Questions, photos and unique idea

Butterfly News - Migration update

Everything Butterflies - Great butterfly items and gift ideas

Teacher’s Corner - Winter science project growing milkweed

In the Butterfly Garden - Step by step butterfly garden design

What’s New

Do you have some great butterfly photos you would like to share with us? I now have a page featuring pictures of butterflies from my readers. You can create your very own web page with your favorite butterfly pictures!

I also have added a page where you can ask a question or share a tip about butterflies, raising butterflies and more.

One of my readers had a wonderful, unique idea of putting milkweed seeds in with your Christmas cards and a note about how important milkweed is to the monarch's survival.

Are you considering a butterfly garden in your backyard? Check out my page on designing a butterfly garden for a step by step plan to attract butterflies to your backyard.

Butterflies "In the News"

The monarch migration is in full swing with reports of only a few stragglers as far north as Ontario and New York. The majority of monarchs are along the Texas Coastal Flyway, the Florida Gulf Coast and the Northern Mexico areas of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon. There still have been no sightings of Monarchs in the Oyamal Forest mountains of central Mexico which is the overwintering site for the migrating monarchs.

There has been an infestation of beetles that has spread to these Oyamal Forests where the monarchs overwinter. It has affected 100 of the 13,550 hectare (33,482 acres) wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly. Chemicals are the usual treatment to get rid of the beetles, but this would harm the monarchs. So, biologists and park workers are felling as many as 9,000 infected fir trees. They then have to remove the bark and either bury it or remove it to prevent the beetles from spreading.

Everything Butterflies

Christmas is coming! Check out the butterfly ornaments for a great stocking stuffer, a butterfly book for the child on your list or beautiful butterfly jewelry for someone special. Browse for other gift ideas at my Butterfly Shop.

Teacher’s Butterfly Corner

Start planning for a winter plant science project of starting milkweed seeds so you can raise monarch butterflies in the spring. You can purchase the tropical milkweed seeds and start them when the students return from Christmas vacation.

Parents – consider passing on the information above to your child’s teacher. Teachers are always looking for new science project ideas. Looking for a unique teacher Christmas gift? Consider giving him/her the tropical milkweed seeds for this project….

In the Butterfly Garden

I have a new page on how to design a butterfly garden that you might want to check out. It features important steps and items to consider in planning a butterfly garden.

Consider getting your tropical milkweed seeds in time to start them after the holidays. This way your plants will be a large enough for the returning monarchs to lay their eggs on in the spring!

Do you have a hobby that you would like to turn into a business? That's exactly what I did with this website. I am using what I found to be the very best tool available! Check out these people’s stories to find out more.