Today, I met my friends, Sara and Glen, at Oregon Ridge to go egg hunting. There is a huge quantity of Common Milkweed there. We found several eggs. I was amazed (and scared) at the number of different predators that were there. Unfortunately, I found a couple of dead caterpillars. Something had gotten them. So sad...

But now I know where to go to find more food for my livestock. There is plenty there!

I had a wonderful weekend away with my husband. Billy Joel was awesome! Now, it is back to the butterflies. Of course I had to head back to that middle school to see if there were any new eggs. I was chomping at the bit! Again, it is like magic for Monarchs! Today, I found 60 + eggs and about a dozen larvae. Yippee! If they all successfully hatch, I am going to be a busy girl! I cannot believe how many were there! I have check several different milkweed patches and I have never seen this many eggs in one place. I also found 10 larvae and 3 eggs in my garden out front today. There was a Praying Mantis hanging round. I quickly evicted him!

I have a loss to report. As I was unpacking and separating the larvae an eggs, I witnessed a murder. Before I could act, I watch a spider, the size of a pinhead, attack and kill one of the tiny larva! It was awful and I felt so helpless! Of course I killed that spider DEAD! Karma...

This is the reason I bring the Monarchs in to foster. They are safer in my house then in the perils of the outside world.

Well, all those eggs Natalie and I found on Wednesday are starting to hatch. It is amazing how very tiny they are. I really need to get a stronger set of reading glasses , just for working with these newborn larvae! I am leaving for a long weekend this afternoon. My neighbor is going to come in from time to time to give the larvae fresh milkweed. There will be lots of frass to clean up on Sunday!

My friend, Natalie, asked me to come out to Northern Baltimore County to check out some gardens that could be converted to certified Monarch Way Stations. The gardens were/are just beautiful! At a local middle school, I was introduced to a magical place. The conditions there are just perfect for Monarch Butterflies. I found over 50 eggs! Holy cow!

I lined a cookie sheet with a paper towel and placed the milkweed leaves, egg side down, on the paper towel.  Then, i lightly covered the milkweed leaves with plastic wrap to allow for air flow yet keep moisture in. We'll see what happens...

I found 4 more eggs on my Swamp Milkweed today. I am having incredible luck finding eggs! And so early! My friend, Sara, asked me in an e-mail if perhaps Monarchs were geo-coded to somehow come back to the same gardens each year. Interesting concept. I wonder how we could prove that? Afterall, they are coded somehow, through four generations, to return to the very same Mariposa Monarcha Bioshere Reserves in Mexico each fall. Hmm...

2 males and one tiny female came out of chrysalis this morning. They are off and soaring..yay! It seemed too quiet, so I checked the eggs that I found 2 days ago. I think I caught this little one right as it hatched! I am amazed that my iPhone could take such a good picture! It looked like the other eggs from that day were hatching as well. 

While watering today, I found 22 eggs on the Common and Swamp Milkweed in my front yard. A female must have come through at some point! It was wonderful to find them all! They are safe inside, on my dining room table.

My husband released a handsome male this afternoon. 3 more remain in chrysalis. We will probably see them tomorrow.

First adult Monarch of the season arrived this morning.  Monarchs will typically emerge from chrysalis in the morning hours. I released her this afternoon. I spotted her getting nectar on Swamp Milkweed in my backyard. I found 6  more eggs while weeding a nearby Way Station a Warren Elementary.

All the larvae are currently in chrysalis. Now, we wait until the butterflies are ready to emerge.

The same two larvae from yesterday. On the right in front,the larva is hanging in "J". On the left, the larva has just shed it's skin revealing the chrysalis (pupa). Now, all will be quiet on the outside, while inside, a rapid metamorphosis is occurring. The old parts of the caterpillar will transform into the beautiful parts of the butterfly.  This process takes about 9 days.