Here is an example of a larva going through its instar. You can see the larva at the bottom has shed its skin (the black blob at the top of the larva). It will now eat that skin (gross!) then return to eating the milkweed. 

I saw an adult Monarch fly through my garden today! He/she did not stay long. It was captured (and quickly released thankfully) by a mother bird trying to feed her babies. Although I have been commending that mother for being such a good bug catcher and taking such good care of her young, imagine my horror when she caught that Monarch! Hopefully, she quickly realized that the Monarch was poisonous and will not try to grab one again!

I am trying to post a picture each day, with a penny as a guide, so that you can see how fast they grow. No new adult Monarch siting since Sunday a week ago, though I am continuing to look for new eggs each day. I suspect that as June turns to July the numbers of Monarchs will pick up.

One milkweed leaf, 5 larvae, 24 hours...
I thought I would post this picture so that you can see how they eat. I am still getting away with giving them one fresh Common Milkweed leaf per day. They will need more and more milkweed as they continue to increase in size. The black dots on the paper towel are their frass (poop), which is also getting bigger each day. I change that paper towel out each time I replace an old milkweed leaf with a new one.

For now, I have the larvae in an open, plastic, food container, but it is going to be time to move into a container with a lid tomorrow. Monarchs go through 5 "instars"(I will write more about this when I get the chance to develop the "Rearing"pages). During each instar, the larva will go off by itself and be seemingly motionless. It is best to leave the larva alone at this point. It will shed its skin, eat it, then return back to the milkweed to feed. I panicked when I checked the larvae on the milkweed and only found 4. I thought one had wandered away. I did not see the one (pictured below) on the top of the container going through its instar.

The larvae are continuing to more than double in size each day! They definitively have their stripes now! So far, all I need to do is provide a fresh milkweed leaf each day, so their care is easy. 

Two more eggs hatched today, giving me a total of 5 larvae. They have been eating non-stop. You can see the difference just one day makes. The larva just above the penny hatched today. The others are the ones that hatched yesterday. It appears they have almost doubled in size! The black dots on the paper towel at the bottom of the picture is their frass (poop). 

I have not had any other adult Monarch sightings since Sunday. I have gone on a few fruitless searches for eggs. I guess the Monarchs are not here in big numbers yet.

Three eggs hatched today...yay! They are so very tiny. I am very excited! This picture was taken right after I gently swept them with  soft brush from their old milkweed leaves onto a fresh leaf.

Today, my area (Cockeysville) suffered a horrible hail storm. I have damage to the siding of my house and my car. The plants in my garden are shredded, especially the plants with broad leaves, like my Common Milkweed. I am glad I got those eggs inside! I think the plants will come back, given some time. Fingers crossed!

I have found and collected 6-8 eggs from my garden and along a trail in Loch Raven, near my home. All were found on Common Milkweed. I did check several Swamp Milkweed plants, but found no activity. I am guessing on the number as the eggs are so tiny! I think I need to get stronger reading glasses to get me through Monarch season!

I saw my first Monarch of the season this morning, feeding and laying eggs on the Common Milkweed in my garden. So excited to see  her! I have been debating bringing in and rearing this third generation. I have decided that they stand a better chance being fostered insde, and, hopefully, this will increase the number of Monarchs heading into the fourth generation. So, there are two eggs in a container on my dining room table. I will keep you posted on their progress.

The Common Milkweed  and Butterfly Weed are in full bloom with the Swamp Milkweed soon to follow. The flowers are busy hubs of activity, full of pollinatiors doing what they do best. Bumble Bees far out number everyone else. The numbers of Milkweed Beetles (below) increases each day. I have seen a few Milkweed Bugs as well. Not too much butterfly action yet, though I have seen countless Cabbage White Butterflies. I have only seen one Swallowtail so far. I continue to anxiously await the return of the Monarchs. My garden is ready for them...so am I!