Milkweed butterfly

My daughter, Jennifer, introduced me to the wonderful world of the

Monarch butterfly

a few years ago, when she pointed out 

monarch caterpillars

devouring milkweed leaves in her garden.

Unlike Eric Carle's, The Very Hungry Caterpillar,

who eats a variety of foods,

the monarch larvae's sole food source is

milkweed leaves.

I soon added scarlet milkweed to my own garden, 

and started to watch

(to the amusement of my neighbors, I'm sure), 

for caterpillars.  I have not been disappointed.

Scelepias curvassica 'Butterfly Weed' Silky Formula Mix

Four different generations of butterflies each go through

4 stages during one year.

The four stages are

egg

larvae (caterpillar)

pupa (chrysalis)

and

adult butterfly.

The first generation of eggs are laid on milkweed plants 

in February - March.

The second generation cycle begins 

in May - June.

The third generation hatches in

July - August.

And the fourth generation starts in

September - October.

The adult monarchs from the first three generations

only live for 2 to 6 weeks.

But,

the lucky fourth generation butterflies

live for 6 - 8 months until the 4 cycle year 

begins once again.

I started out with 2 gallon-size milkweed plants in July, 2011.

I now have 50 plants of various size.

When a caterpillar hatches and begins eating the leaves,

soon all that's left is the stem, with a fat caterpillar hanging on it.

The poisonous chemicals in milkweed plants build up

inside the larvae and the adults, creating a defense against their predators.

The plants readily reseed.

It took a year of vigilance, but I have been rewarded with seeing

most of the stages of both the monarch and the milkweed.

Just this past September, this chrysalis was found.

I was thrilled to see this beautiful pupa, as

the caterpillars seem to just disappear once they are fat.

(At least, I haven't been able to find them.)

This one attached itself to a carpet sample, which had been used as a trunk protector.

The caterpillar is in the chrysalis for 10 days,

but I had no way of knowing how long ago this caterpillar became a chrysalis.

I missed the actual coming out,

but did see the adult fly away.

I'm still looking for unhatched eggs, and look forward to seeing a caterpillar

become a chrysalis and then see the emerging from the chrysalis.

Once a monarch butterfly is an adult, it can eat nectar from any flower or fruit.

Having milkweed plants and a butterfly bush in your garden brings a lot of 

nature to your yard.

I would be happy to share my newly sprouted milkweed plants with anyone who is 

interested in starting them in their garden.  Just let me know, if you would like a plant, and

I'll do my best to get one to you.

t.t.f.n. ~ Carol