Eating Machines

Caterpillar Update.

There are eleven Monarch caterpillars on my milkweeds as of a few minutes ago. These are the four oldest/biggest ones - the ones that were chewing on the flowers last post.  They are now 4.5-5 cms. long.

 Medium-sized

And this is (a fuzzy foto of) the brand-new baby.  It is about one centimeter long (and it is on a small tender plant); it will be twice that size by the end of the day.

According to Wikipedia and other sources:

The eggs hatch after 4 days.

The caterpillars consume the egg case, then feed on the milkweed, sequestering substances called cardenolides, a type of cardiac glycoside.  

During this stage of life, energy is stored in the form of fat and nutrients to get them through the non-feeding pupa stage.

We've Got Caterpillars

Monarch Butterfly caterpillars, that is.

 I was just out in the yard checking the milkweed

I counted 8 caters, and I think there's likely more.  One was so tiny, couldn't be more than a day or two old.  

It's been a couple of years since our last big monarch irruption.  It's so much fun to watch the life cycle of these lovely beings.

 Another one

 Oh, hello!

Very funny, Freddie.  Now, get back to your own blog!  And I do wish you wouldn't park your plump little self in that clump of siberian irises.  You are wrecking them.