The monarch project for 2020 is in full swing. I brought in 5 eggs and one larva yesterday for a total of 6 eggs and 6 larvae.
If you know where to look on a plant, it isn't hard to spot the eggs. I check the undersides of the uppermost leaves. Then I snip that section of stem down to the next section of leaves and put the stem in a floral reservoir that is already filled with water. (I purchase the floral reservoirs at Michaels)
I then bring them into the house where I keep the stems in an upright position (usually a canning jar). I check and refill the reservoir at least once daily so the leaf will stay fresh. The scent of the mildweed flower is strong and very perfume-y.
The egg will hatch within 4 days of it being attached to the leaf. The larva eats the egg casing then the milkweed leaf in that area.
There is a bit of warning just before the egg hatches. A black dot appears at the top of the egg. This is the head of the larva. After hatching the black head makes it a bit easier to spot on a leaf.
It can be tricky trying to find the little larvae on a leaf. I look for chew holes in the leaf and black specks which is the frass (poop). As the larva gets bigger, the frass gets bigger.
It took me a while to find this guy this morning as he was right on the edge of the leaf.
After a day or so the larvae get quite active and explore different areas on the leaf to eat. I keep them separate from each other until they're about 1cm long as they can accidentally eat each other when they're smaller than that.
I won't need to contain them in the Caterpillar Castle until they really start crawling around to find other food. For now, the larvae will have enough to eat on their 'birth leaf' (totally unofficial term I made up).
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