The Monarchs Have a Baby! A Garden Chat

Baby insect being pushed in a stroller

Passerby: "Oh, it is ugly."

Mother: Larva is her name.

Passerby: Oh, thank goodness, not complete.

Mother: Grubs are not the only ones who are immature.

Passerby: So many legs and feet and no shoes, poor thing.

Mother: Outgrows and sheds shoes faster than I can tie them.

A week later: Dad is pushing the stroller.

Passerby: Cute pupa, Papa.

Dad: Fussy, won't eat anything.

Passerby: Inactive, just lying there in its chrysalis.

Dad and Mom: Pubescent: Undergoing significant body changes. Need lots of rest.

Passerby: Yuck, it all turned into mush.

Parents: Hormones.

Passerby: Will it ever come out of its shell?

Parents: She'd better come out of her shell. We invested a fortune in milkweed.

Passerby: Congratulations, it's ahh. Well, it's wrinkly.

Passerby: Did you notice its wings are crumpled?

Doc: No worries.

Parents: Come on, expand your wings, you can do it.

Passerby: If we fan it, the wings will dry sooner.

Parents: Hoorah. She is ready for her first flight.

Passerby: BEAUTIFUL, what is her name?

Parents: Monarch. We had thought about Queen but weren't sure what we were having, a boy or a girl.

Weeks Later: Mom, Dad, I met a guy. Leaving your grandchildren (eggs) on a leaf. Heading to Mexico.

Love You.

PS: Steer my kids away from neonicotinoids - they are dirty drugs.

View more of my Monarch photos

Insect Comics with Real Bug Photos – Single-Panel Humor by Bernie Paquette

Comics by Bernie and Nature! 

   Captions by Bernie. Imagery by Nature. 

Proudly sponsored by the Insect Alliance and our cherished pollinators. 

"Insects Take the Spotlight in These Single-Panel Comics"

Discover a whimsical world where real insects take center stage! Created by naturalist Bernie Paquette, these buggy-centric comics blend observation, science, and humor to inspire curiosity about the tiny creatures that shape our world. Ideal for nature lovers, students, and anyone fascinated by real-life bugs.

#212, 12/20/2025

Airport Closure / Ground Stop

"Water is my airport, my birthing station, where I grew up. 

Save the Vermont wetlands."

Executive order no. 6-25 Proposes Changes to Vermont Wetland Rules.

Link: Wetland Rule Modification for Residential Housing

Wetlands Rulemaking

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has started the formal rulemaking process to amend the Vermont Wetland Rules to conform with Executive Order 06-25 “Promoting Housing Construction and Rehabilitation”. The current Vermont Wetland Rules are still in effect for residential housing projects until the revised Rule is adopted.

Provide comments by January 14th, 2026.  Send comments to WetlandsRulemakingComment@vermont.gov

Impacts of building in wetlands (as the proposal intends to allow):

Ecologically: Increased flooding from fill, loss of flood storage capacity, loss of wildlife habitat,  increased erosion, decreased water quality from stormwater and sediment.

The Wetland Rule Changes Review is primarily focused on Statutory intent.

The most effective comments include:

• Impacts and science.
• Issues in implementing the rules.
• State what the changes mean in the area of the person writing the comment.

 Please send your comments in writing to WetlandsRulemakingComment@vermont.gov by January 14th. 

History of the current Vermont Wetland Regulations.

The statutory intent of Vermont's current wetland regulations is to protect significant wetlands and their functions (like flood control, water quality, biodiversity), aiming for no net loss and even a net gain in wetland acreage, guided by science and climate resilience, by classifying them (Class I, II, III) and requiring permits for activities in significant ones and their buffers, with recent updates focusing on better mapping and streamlining for certain housing projects while enhancing flood protection. 

Key Goals & Principles:

• Protect & Preserve: Identify, protect, and restore wetlands and their critical values (flood control, water quality, wildlife habitat).
• No Net Loss/Net Gain: Achieve no net loss of wetland functions, with a goal for a net gain in acreage.
• Science-Based: Decisions and management are guided by scientific understanding, especially considering climate change impacts.

Classification System: Wetlands are categorized (Class I, II, III) based on their significance, with Class I and II receiving stricter protection.

Buffer Zones: Protection extends to buffers surrounding wetlands to maintain their integrity. 

• Recent Focus (2023 Amendments & Climate Action):
• Improved Mapping: Enhance the Vermont Significant Wetlands Inventory (VSWI) for better identification and protection.
• Climate Resilience: Recognize wetlands as sponges for floods and filters for pollutants, crucial for climate adaptation.
• Strategic Adjustments: Recent rules (like 2023) clarify authority and streamline permitting for some development in growth areas (e.g., unmapped Class II wetlands, buffer reduction for housing), balancing protection with development needs. 
• In essence, Vermont wants to manage its wetlands as vital natural infrastructure for flood resilience, clean water, and biodiversity, using updated science and mapping to balance protection with development goals, particularly in light of a changing climate, notes the Vermont Natural Resources Council and the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (.gov). 

Title 10: Conservation and Development

Chapter 37: Wetlands Protection and Water Resources Management https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/10/037

Vermont wetland rule amendments 2023 (VT Wetland Rules came out in c.1982 - Vermont wetland rule amendments 2023).

No. 121. An act relating to the regulation of wetlands, river corridor development, and dam safety. (Flood Safety Act).

#211, 12/13/2025

 Holiday Shopping Handbook GIFT GUIDE

Habitat, habitat, habitat

#210, 12/06/2025

The Itsy Bitsy Spider...

You calling me ITSY BITSY?

You calling ME Itsy Bitsy?

I am coming down for YOU

- You are my lunch!

#209, 11/29/2025

Day after Thanksgiving 

- onto the next holiday

"This is the best Christmas Tree I could find. 

You would not believe the ants in line to get a tree, only one day after Thanksgiving. 

Please don't tell me it looks like a 'Charlie Brown Tree'. 

With the right bit of decorations (your job), it will fill in nicely."

#208, 11/22/2025

ThanksGiving 

"With a bit of stuffing, no one will be able to tell the difference. 

I call it slender turkey with extra drumsticks."

#207, 11/15/2025

Finally, I get some recognition

"One would think with a name like mine (Populicerus duzeei) I would be more popular."

 Bernie was the first to post an observation of me in the United States. There are still only four posts of Populicerus duzeei on iNaturalist: One in Vermont, one in Maine, and two in Canada. 

#206, 11/8/2025

Dreams

"I dreamed last night the best 'grass' was three feet tall, and I was walking"

#205, 11/1/2025

American Insect Go Association

Proud to display the 'stones' of a Go Board.

Homer, Paquette Lift Vermont Go Crowns in Middlebury Doubleheader

#204, 10/25/2025

Skullcap Skeletonizer Moth

"When I eat Skullcaps, I leave only veins behind."

Watch for me while you are Trick or Treating!

The Skullcap Skeletonizer Moth is named because its larvae skeletonize (eat) the leaves of skullcap plants, leaving only the veins behind. The "skullcap" part of the name refers to its host plant, the skullcap (Scutellaria spp.), which is a member of the mint family. The name is a combination of the plant it feeds on and its method of feeding.

#203, 10/18/2025

King of the Mountain

I thought I would try playing King of the Mountain. Turns out not so much fun. It is ICE cold up here. Think I will join those good people at the "No Kings" Protest - more JOY, Dignity, and Strength - and look at all the pointedly worded placards and posters.

 President Abraham Lincoln’s words on the brink of the Civil War: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.”

 #202, 10/11/2025

Mantastic - saving the earth one bug at a time. 

"Now I am praying for rain to wash them down with."

Vermont ag officials seek drought disaster designation for entire state. - Wcax headline Oct 2, 2025. 

#201, 10/4/2025

As Vermont’s autumn leaves paint the world in love, take her hand—and ask her to be yours forever."

"Hello, I know we just met.

 But the Vermont fall colors accentuate your lovely green eyes and the yellow of your wings.

 I am down on six knees to ask, will you be mine?"

#200, 9/27/2025

Black-throated Green Warbler stands over a trembling insect

[Black-throated Green Warbler stands over a trembling insect]

Warbler: “You’ve reached the end, little bug. Any last words?”

Insect: “Spare me, sweet warbler! I’ve still got two comics left in me!”

Warbler: “Alright. Make me laugh — or you're lunch.”

Insect: “What does a crane fly do in its spare time?”

Warbler (smirking): “Let me guess… cranes its neck watching warblers?”

Insect: “Exactly! You’re good.”

Warbler: “And you’re down to one punchline.”

Insect (nervously): “What do warblers do for fun?”

Warbler: “Bulk up for migration?”

Insect: “Close! They’ve started a new trend — ‘Inverting’... watching invertebrates and posting the pics on iNaturalist!”

Warbler: “Gulp! You just tickled my throat on the way down!”

View some of the warblers we observed recently at Quimby Country in Averill, Vermont. 

#199, 9/20/2025

Football Season 

"Hey, let me in it's cold out here".

"Let me out;  it may be cold out there,

 But I am getting squashed under this 'fumble pile'." 

#198, 9/13/2025

Why do they call you a weed, Joe Pye?

All my butterfly cousins think you are gorgeous and tasty. What's a weed anyway?

The name "Joe Pye weed" likely comes from Joseph Shauquethqueat, a respected Mahican chief and herbalist from the 18th and early 19th centuries who was known by the nickname "Joe Pye". He was credited with using the plant to treat fevers, particularly typhus, and other ailments.

Plant native perennials and grasses. Your yard will come alive with color, attracting all sorts of birds, butterflies, native bees, and many other pollinators. 

Also, remember it takes caterpillars to make butterflies. It takes caterpillars to feed baby birds. Where do many caterpillars overwinter?  Many of them overwinter in the leaves on the ground.

 

Leave the leaves where they fall, or if you must rake them, place them under your trees. 

#197, 9/6/2025

As drought persists, Frog Legs farmers in Vermont are hurting

Can you tell me where the nearest watering hole is?

Just follow the cows.

Without enough water, the cows can't make milk.

And frogs can't grow their legs. 

#196, 8/30/2025

End of Summer: That Bites!

You're telling me. I am feeling worn, tired, frayed, and a bit chewed upon. 

#195, 8/23/2025

Tattoo on Wings

I like landing on somebody from time to time, now I want to take it up a notch. I'm excited about being on someone's body permanently. View my colored self at Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma). My efforts aim to answer the question, "How do we get people to be into nature and to come to see us outside?"

Read: Vermont Butterfly Big Year Takes Flight And e-butterfly

#194, 8/16/2025

Joe Pye, what good are you? You are such a WEED!

TASTE GOOD TO ME

This towering, showy perennial (JOE PYE weed, (Eutrochium spp.)) is a powerhouse nectar plant, drawing in a wide variety of butterflies and other pollinators. Monarchs, Swallowtails, Gulf and Variegated Fritillaries, Skippers, Red Admirals, Red-Spotted Purples, American Ladies, and many more delight in its blooms.  It provides a valuable late-season source of nectar and pollen for these insects, particularly during their migration. Additionally, the plant's foliage can serve as a food source for some butterfly caterpillars. 

#193, 8/9/2025

 When your heart's on fire

You must realize that smoke gets in your eyes.

It's not my heart that is on fire, it's the Canadian forests. 

Hazy smoke gets in my eyes.

 How am I supposed to find my way to Mexico?

#192, 8/2/2025

HandStand

HANDSTAND WHILE EATING: TAIL UP HEAD DOWN. CAN BE MESSY IF YOU ARE EATING A BOWL OF CERAL AT THE SAME TIME! 

#191, 7/26/2025

Bee Secret: They love popcorn

Unfortunately, popcorn sticks in between their teeth, too!

 #190, 7/19/2025

Forget about kissing the frog - he's no Prince. 

Kiss me and I'll turn into a handsome Viceroy butterfly."

(pause)

 Okay... full disclosure: I'll turn into a Viceroy butterfly either way." 

View past bug-inspired Comics in Volume I (The best),  Volume II, Volume III,

Volume IV, Volume V, Volume VI, and Volume VII.