The First Monarch Eggs of the Season

The journey has begun! Monarch fever is here!

After their long-awaited return, the monarchs have found the milkweed in our yard, which has just begun to grow. The Monarch Girls have already collected numerous eggs and tiny little caterpillars that have only recently hatched. They have been busily scouring the cabinets for containters that are no longer of use to their parents, so they can expand their monarch 'condos' on the front porch to better accomodate their monarch eggs and larvae. Plastic containers meant for storing leftovers, old deli containers, instant noodle bowl containers, and even the former home of their late hermit crab have been converted to 'nursery' containers for their little friends.

They examine the milkweed patch in the garden any chance they get to see if they have been visited by any more female monarchs. They harvest fresh milkweed leaves to feed the quickly growing caterpillars, discarding wilted leaves and caterpillar feces. (Yes, caterpillars poop--a LOT!) They check the egg containers to transfer hatchlings into different containers. They watch over their little friends like new parents watch over newborn babies, ecstatic about the daily growth and changes they observe. They are also very protective of their caterpillars. After finding a caterpillar hatchling that appears to have been killed by a spider, they are more convinced than ever that their efforts to help the monarch butterfly are absolutely necessary.

The caterpillar pictured below is probably only a couple days old, but growing fast and eating as much as it can! Stay tuned for more exciting Monarch Girls updates!