Females usually lay one egg per milkweed plant, gluing it to the underside of a leaf to protect it from nasty weather. Monarch eggs are 0. They are creamy yellow and covered in narrow longitudinal ridges. They hatch 3 to 8 days after being laid. It has tiny, almost invisible, antennae on its head. The caterpillar has black filaments near its head 2nd segment and at the tip of its abdomen.
While these are not antenna, they do have a sensory function. These are actually like hooked suction cups that help the caterpillar move about and cling to a leaf when feeding. A caterpillar spends most of its time eating! Its first meal, immediately after it hatches, is its egg case, which provides it with vital nutrients. Then it starts on milkweed. Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed — making them specialists. With all this eating, a caterpillar grows quickly.
In 7 to 17 days, its weight increases 2, times! To keep up with the growth, its body has to adapt. That means a caterpillar undergoes five successive moults, or instars also called larval stages. Each of these moults gives it a slightly larger external skeleton, allowing it to continue growing. The head and the black filaments get larger only when it moults.
Although their toxic defences are effective against predators like birds and mammals, invertebrates are less affected. Fresh milkweed is always best. Frozen, thawed milkweed is second best. But no matter whether finished on milkweed or vegetables, watching your Monarch butterfly fly off into the sky is fantastic and worth every worry and stress. Skip to content Butterfly Enthusiasts often run out of milkweed. Monarch caterpillars eating cucumber. Monarch caterpillar eating butternut squash.
Butternut squash speared on a bare milkweed stem. Share this: Twitter Facebook. Like this: Like Loading Follow Following. Butterfly Fun Facts Join other followers. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. Log in now. Loading Comments Email Required Name Required Website. Note the pictures above and the butterfly anatomy diagram to the right.
Viceroy butterflies are slightly smaller than monarchs and have a black line across the hindwing. The Viceroy has a single row of white dots in the black marginal band of the wing where the monarch has multiple white spots. Milkweeds are listed in some states and provinces as noxious weeds. Certain milkweed species are considered noxious because they can be poisonous to cattle and other livestock. In some locations it is difficult to improve habitat for monarch butterflies because of the status of milkweed.
Eradication of milkweed is a threat to the monarch butterfly. There are additional threats to monarch butterflies, such as the use of herbicides and pesticides.
Graphic by Royal Mail. There are a several native and introduced milkweed plants in the genus Cynanchum swallow-worts that are also eaten by monarchs. Swallow-worts have similar chemical properties to milkweeds in the genus Asclepias , that fool monarchs into laying eggs on them. Cynanchum species are not suitable food for monarch larvae. Caterpillars fail to develop into pupae when feeding on them.
Please do not plant these milkweeds in your garden. The number of monarch butterflies is rapidly declining. Milkweeds, which are the sole food source for monarch caterpillars, have also experienced a decline throughout the breeding range of this butterfly.
Milkweeds can be grown from seeds or vegetatively from root cuttings or rhizomes. This handout provides the public, gardeners, and plant growers and nurseries with a concise description of the importance of native milkweeds and their value to monarchs and to the plant industry! With tips about overcoming barriers to growing milkweed, resources for further reading and examples of native milkweeds for regions across the U.
Download the handout…. Photo: Xerces Society, Carly Voight. The guidelines provide an overview of the biology and conservation of western monarchs, step-by-step guidance for developing a site-specific management plan, and overall guidance on topics including tree management, shrub and forb management, and visitor and public access issues.
The document also includes a list of monarch-attractive native nectar plants suitable for coastal areas. These guidelines will help site managers become familiar with overwintering monarch habitat needs and provides a roadmap to develop site-specific management plans to benefit monarchs in both the short- and long-term.
The new guidelines were developed through a combination of expert opinion and studies of monarch overwintering site requirements in Mexico and in California. The document benefited from the review and input of many knowledgeable biologists, including Mia Monroe who initiated and still coordinates the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count along with the Xerces Society , Francis Villablanca a professor at Cal Poly and director of Monarch Alert , and Dan Meade who has studied overwintering monarchs for decades.
Overwintering sites are complex, dynamic habitats and the understanding of their management is constantly evolving. We anticipate updating the guidelines in the light of additional research and experience of current restoration efforts. Monarchs nectaring on goldenrod and other wildflowers along the shoreline at Peninsula Point Lake Michigan.
Photo by Anne Okonek. Nectaring monarch butterfly.
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