More Monarch eggs

13 years ago

This afternoon, after being away most of the day, I walked out in the backyard and saw a female Monarch flying through. So I checked the milkweed plants. Found lots of eggs, including up to 14 eggs on one Asclepias incarnata bud cluster. The female loaded the eggs on about 3 A incarnatas, all on, or around the buds. There were probably around 60+ eggs. The bad thing is a lot of the eggs were laid in the middle of aphids "gone wild". I collected the buds and tried to remove as many aphids as possible with a pipe cleaner. There was even a couple of eggs laid on top of aphids. Those aphids got squished. Danaus plexippus always perplexes me!

It will be interesting to see if all these eggs hatch. But, they look fertile, having a creamy opaque appearance.

Most likely I will share some of these with local friends, as I find it overwhelming to feed so many cats. This may be one of those rare years where I have Monarchs all the way into fall. They showed up in my yard on June 10th. And today, after finding the new eggs, I released the first adult, a female, from that group of eggs. So the female who left me all the eggs is not one I raised!

Sandy

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Comments (4)

wifey2mikey
13 years ago
How exciting!

~Laura
bandjzmom
13 years ago
Congrats on the great find Sandy! It's funny to me that although you and I are in the same planting zone, I don't see any Monarchs until August at the earliest. Last year, I had NO Monarch cats. I think that I am just on the edge of the fall migration, and the way that the wind blows determines whether I am blessed with them or not. Check out my county on the Georgia map. I am in the far NW corner, and I think I sometimes get missed for Spring and Fall Monarch migration.
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Mary Leek
13 years ago
Oh my goodness, how wonderful, Sandy! Since you are seeing a laggard, maybe we still have a shot at seeing a Monarch here in central Arkansas before the fall migration begins. I should check my milkweed more closely for eggs.

I've never asked but do you live near OKC, Sandy? I don't know why, but in my mind, that's where I've placed you!

Butterfly activity is continuing to be good here in Central Arkansas. I've seen several small ones that are new to me, plus Pipevine butterflies and cats galore, and I discovered Giant Swallowtail babies on my Rue. While walking the garden, I clipped an errant Rue branch and then noticed an egg on it. Got to looking and found some tiny little cats on the Rue plant. The clipped branch with the egg I took up to my potting bench on the deck, put it in a big vase and set it on the shelf above the table. Wasn't ten minutes when a female black swallowtail showed up and began laying eggs on that little branch stuck in the vase. Today I have a just hatched Giant Swallowtail cat and several black swallowtail eggs on that piece of Rue. Wonders never cease.

Mary
butterflymomok
Original Author
13 years ago
I tried to post a map like Angie did to show where I am in Oklahoma, but GW wouldn't let me post it--wasn't the right format. Will try again. I am in the NE Quadrant of Oklahoma, about an hour from Kansas, and a little over an hour from Arkansas. The county is Tulsa, and we are between Bixby and Broken Arrow in a residential area that used to be a sod farm. It's a good location for leps as I get some of the eastern species--like Dianas, and the western species--like Western Pygmy Blues. I've had several county records, from east, west, and south. The Orange-Barred Sulphur was probably the most unusual sighting.

I chuckled while reading your story about the rue, Mary. That had to be crazy to watch. It sounds like you have a wonderful butterfly habitat. And Angie as well. Even though there is a very nice Pawpaw tree in the yard, I've only glanced a couple of Zebra Swallowtails in the BY during the time we've lived here which is 9 years. Never found any cats, so most likely the visitors were male.

But, so far, the Monarchs have faithfully found my BY, spring and fall, for many years, here, and where we lived before. NE Oklahoma is on the flight path.

Sandy