I visited my sister for a family dinner, and she told me she had seen Monarch ovipositing on her milkweed. So, she and I went hunting. I didn't find any eggs, but she found 6, and I found a teenage cat. She hasn't raised them indoors before, so she left that joyful responsibility to me. I'm so excited, because I keep worrying that my Monarch raising days are over. I live in mid-Michigan, and I never see Monarchs until late July or August. So, I think we are near the end of the northern edge of the migration. I feel so lucky, and I cross my fingers that any of you who haven't seen Monarchs this year will still get your chance.

Almost as fun, as we stepped out her back door to search, there was a Giant Swallowtail nectaring on the same patch of A. incarnata. My sister has an established patch of rue, and she sees Giants on a pretty regular basis. Do they also use some sort of hops? She has a hops vine, also.

Here are pictures:

Oops. Can't really see the eggs. The tiny dark specks are the cats that hatched over night! Here is the big guy:

I put that one in a bigger container with tulle as a cover, so it can find a spot to make the "J" when ready. Best of luck to everyone.

Martha