Nevertheless, She Persisted - Monarch Edition
Nevertheless, She Persisted - Monarch Edition
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Although the eggs are generally
on the bottom of leaves, sometimes
they can be on the top as well
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Exactly one month ago today, a female monarch stopped by and left me to care for a bunch of her babies. My husband said he had spotted a butterfly floating around the milkweed garden and sure enough, a ton of eggs all over the place. Being that it was unseasonably early, as many fellow monarch enthusiasts have noted, I didn't have nearly enough milkweed to deal with this, but the momma butterfly could not be stopped and so, there I was, with tons of eggs and not tons of milkweed.
My seedlings were too small, but since I had a couple of weeks before these guys would need dramatic amounts, I went ahead and brought them inside.
A couple of days later, the eggs started to hatch and so began the tupperware shuffle of keeping them from eating each other. You see, as my friend Jim taught me early on, monarchs are accidental cannibals. Because they eat nothing but milkweed, they smell like milkweed! Combine that with the fact that they are nearly blind and you have a recipe for a Hannibal Lecter caterpillar dinner.
A few days later, I ran by a couple of local nurseries and picked up some milkweed. It was still fairly hard to find, being somewhat early in the season. I will note - it matters where you get your milkweed. Some places have milkweed that has been treated with pesticides and that is a no-go in raising butterflies. Check with your nursery to be sure that the milkweed you buy is monarch safe.
Monarch caterpillars (technically larva, but caterpillar is a way cooler word!) have 5 different stages (instars) from when they hatch to when they change into a pupa, commonly referred to as chrysalis. Please remember - it is NOT a cocoon as it is not something they spin out of silk; they actually shed their outer skin.
I move my caterpillars outside into our butterfly enclosure when they have reached their 3rd instar. This is mainly so I can keep track of them inside until they are easier to spot on a plant!
Each instar is more vivid and much larger - and eat nonstop. Just a few can decimate a small plant within a day. Luckily, milkweed grows back quickly and your plants will be ready for the next set that come along.
When a caterpillar is ready, it will pupate into a beautiful green and gold chrysalis. where it will remain for 10-14 days, depending on the weather. Your waiting is almost over when you see the chrysalis become clear. At this point, if you look very closely, you are able to see the orange and black pattern of the wings of the butterfly. At this stage, you only have about 24 hours. If you are anything like me, you will check on it every hour or two... at least on the weekends. It looks like this one will be waiting me out until the workweek begins...
Exactly one month ago today was a particularly windy day, but nevertheless, a female monarch was so persistent that she left her eggs behind to start the 2017 season for our Mini Farm. Given her persistence, the wait on this first butterfly seems appropriate and well deserved.
Check back for the gender reveal of our first butterfly of 2017!!
My seedlings were too small, but since I had a couple of weeks before these guys would need dramatic amounts, I went ahead and brought them inside.
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| Look closely - there is a tiny baby freshly hatched! |
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| 4th instar |
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| Chrysalis |
I move my caterpillars outside into our butterfly enclosure when they have reached their 3rd instar. This is mainly so I can keep track of them inside until they are easier to spot on a plant!
Each instar is more vivid and much larger - and eat nonstop. Just a few can decimate a small plant within a day. Luckily, milkweed grows back quickly and your plants will be ready for the next set that come along.
When a caterpillar is ready, it will pupate into a beautiful green and gold chrysalis. where it will remain for 10-14 days, depending on the weather. Your waiting is almost over when you see the chrysalis become clear. At this point, if you look very closely, you are able to see the orange and black pattern of the wings of the butterfly. At this stage, you only have about 24 hours. If you are anything like me, you will check on it every hour or two... at least on the weekends. It looks like this one will be waiting me out until the workweek begins...Exactly one month ago today was a particularly windy day, but nevertheless, a female monarch was so persistent that she left her eggs behind to start the 2017 season for our Mini Farm. Given her persistence, the wait on this first butterfly seems appropriate and well deserved.
Check back for the gender reveal of our first butterfly of 2017!!
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