i love monarchs. they look awesome and are easy to raise. unfortunately they destroyed all the milkweed so i can't find the caterpillars anymore. but thanks for the video, i rated it a 5.
Still over 20 eggs left though, so I'm going to let nature take it's course but day by day as the eggs hatch into caterpillars and the caterpillars get bigger, there are less and less of them. Finally one morning I go out with my coffee and there are only 3 left. I go in to refresh my coffee and when I get back out to the milkweed there are only 2 left! ... so I brought those last 2 inside.
Just those two I brought indoors. What happened is, I've had milkweed (the only plant monarchs feed on) in my garden for 3 years and this is the first year that a monarch laid eggs on it. There was probably about 40 of them. Next day it poured! rain and some were either washed off or eaten by something that didn't mind the pouring rain. Next day repeat of day before.
This year (2009) was the first year that I actually planted milkweed plants from seeds that I had ordered in the mail. Plants are doing GREAT and I had discovered 2 eggs and 4 tiny caterpillars that had hatched. The following day the caterpillars were ALL gone. You either must put "sock" nets over the plants or bring the leaves with eggs indoors and raise them that way or you will lose the caterpillars. Spiders, wasps, etc. will kill and eat them guaranteed!
There were two Caterpillars sitting on a leaf . . . when a Butterfly flew past . . . and they said, "You'll never get US up in one of those things"
tonlitt 3 years ago
i love monarchs. they look awesome and are easy to raise. unfortunately they destroyed all the milkweed so i can't find the caterpillars anymore. but thanks for the video, i rated it a 5.
ZachKilgore 4 years ago
Still over 20 eggs left though, so I'm going to let nature take it's course but day by day as the eggs hatch into caterpillars and the caterpillars get bigger, there are less and less of them. Finally one morning I go out with my coffee and there are only 3 left. I go in to refresh my coffee and when I get back out to the milkweed there are only 2 left! ... so I brought those last 2 inside.
osmia 4 years ago
Just those two I brought indoors. What happened is, I've had milkweed (the only plant monarchs feed on) in my garden for 3 years and this is the first year that a monarch laid eggs on it. There was probably about 40 of them. Next day it poured! rain and some were either washed off or eaten by something that didn't mind the pouring rain. Next day repeat of day before.
osmia 4 years ago
This year (2009) was the first year that I actually planted milkweed plants from seeds that I had ordered in the mail. Plants are doing GREAT and I had discovered 2 eggs and 4 tiny caterpillars that had hatched. The following day the caterpillars were ALL gone. You either must put "sock" nets over the plants or bring the leaves with eggs indoors and raise them that way or you will lose the caterpillars. Spiders, wasps, etc. will kill and eat them guaranteed!
johnifly 2 years ago
Comment removed
johnifly 2 years ago
Wow that is amazing footage Osmia. What is the plastic container? You keep them indoors?
orcaJayP 4 years ago