Gathering Monarch Butterfly Eggs - Hatching Starts Again - by Sunscape

I have seen two Monarchs so far this month, and the female has started laying eggs on the patch of Milkweed at the edge of my yard. I went out as soon as I spotted her depositing eggs and gathered 5 that I could see.

The eggs are nothing but a tiny white dot on the underside of the leaves.

I put the leaves into floral tubes with water and place them inside a small butterfly hatching cage.

Within three days, the caterpillars begin to emerge. They look like tiny black specks, and they begin to chew small holes in the tender leaves.

These are already about 4-5 days old and still less than a half inch long.

4 Stages of Monarch Life Cycle
There are four stages in a monarch life cycle: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult.

Egg: They hatch about 3-4 days after they are laid. The female monarch lays the egg (ova; called ovipositing) on the underside of a milkweed (Asclepias) leaf.

Larva (caterpillar): The larval stage lasts 10-14 days after hatching. There are 5 instars (molting intervals).

Pupa: The chrysalis stage also lasts about 10-14 days. During this pupal stage, the transformation.

Adult: Once hatching from the pupa, the monarch is now an adult butterfly.
Source

It won't be long before they grow large enough to enter the Pupa stage. Then it's time to wait for these beautiful creatures to emerge. I will keep you all updated, hopefully weekly if time allows.

Have a wonderful day, everyone.