Most of my milkweed is shoulder-high, making it easier to stoop and look under leaves for my yellow-and-black striped visitors.
Do two sets of horns mean monarch, or queen? It had been a year since I last hosted the caterpillars, so I had to look it up. Monarchs for the win!
Last year I used a sun tea jar to house the caterpillars until they turned into chrysalises, but it was difficult to transfer them to a bigger space. This time I'm using a box on the back porch. Little bud vases are just the right size to cover with plastic wrap and keep the milkweed fresh for a day or two.
With a little luck, we'll see four monarchs born in the next few weeks!
This is such a wonderful process to observe. I was fascinated to see that your milkweed blossoms look quite different than ours up here in Maine. Have fun with the monarchs!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Molly! This is a tropical variety that the caterpillars love here in Texas. What do your flowers look like?
DeleteGreat slice for today! I would agree with Molly, your blossoms are much different that what I saw in our fields here in Iowa. Our flowers are pink and much larger. Here's a good shot of some: https://goo.gl/CSYxWa
ReplyDeleteI hope to see a slice with your monarchs! :)
I love when I see people enjoying the beauty of watching caterpillars turn into beautiful butterflies. I used watch this happen all the time as a kid and still love to do so today.
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