The Monarch Butterfly Caterpillar ~ Butterfly Day Contest
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(All photos taken by @paradigm42)
After years of hoping and waiting with bated breath to see them, it finally happened.. I went out to my yard one mid august day and there they were..Monarch caterpillars!! The Monarch Butterflies finally found the wild milk weed plants growing in the same spot for the last 3 or 4 years! :)
The caterpillars however were not alone. Numerous Aphids had long been eating away at the Milkweed plant. Both being rather voracious eaters, the plants alas never stood a chance to bloom this year lol.
Monarch butterflies migrate to the northeast from Mexico and other warm southern areas starting in march/april. Once in the northeast, the butterfly will find milkweed plant to lay eggs on. The eggs will soon hatch (about 4 days) into a larva or caterpillar. The Monarch caterpillar pretty much spends the next two weeks chowing down on plant matter. At this point the caterpillar will spin its cocoon or chrysalis on a leaf or stem. It will spend the next 10 days in metamorphosis finally emerging as a beautiful butterfly.
Monarch butterflies will go through 3 more generations of this cycle. The 4th generation goes through it growth cycle in september and october, then makes the long migratory trip back south to hibernate until next spring when it will return to the northeast.
I hope you enjoyed these small moments in the life of a Monarch caterpillar. I look forward to seeing them next year and hopefully will get some butterfly shots as well!
This post was inspired by the Butterfly Day and Insect Day give away contest by @whatisnew. If you are interested in entering the link is here:
https://steemit.com/butterflyday/@whatisnew/thursday-is-butterfly-day-and-insect-day-giveaway-week-36
All Monarch butterfly caterpillar information was found at this link here:
https://www.monarch-butterfly.com
As always remember its all about the little things in life, and thanks for looking in! :)
Good things come to those who wait. I am so happy you finally got some Monarch caterpillars and they are beautiful. I have high hopes the you will see butterflies next year. Beautiful photos and great information @paradigm42! Thanks for using #butterflyday tag. : )
Thank you very much! :) It was awesome seeing the caterpillars and butterflies about this year. Monarchs were close to becoming endangered for several years. Once people became aware that part of the problem was the lack of Milkweed plant due to agriculture herbicides and the shrinking of natural habitats where the plant grows, people started planting or just allowing milkweed to grow in their yards. It was also encouraged to grow on nature trails and because of these efforts, the Monarch seems to be rebounding here! :)
I know all about the huge decline in the Monarch population so thank you for helping them. I also love the idea for the waystations. : )
Beautiful :) I envy you these monarch caterpillars & butterflies.
Thank you! :) I was very happy and lucky that I got to see them grow and thrive!