Monarch caterpillars certainly are very hungry! After hearing how much fun Steph and her boys have had watching this miraculous metamorphosis, I wanted to give it a try. Now that we live in the county I was sure I could find a caterpillar. After risking my life walking along our road (which is a state highway) and not having any luck (and deciding maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave my three boys on one side of the road while I looked on the other) I thought we might have to give up the idea. BUT... on Saturday I was at my grandpa's house for an 80th birthday party. As I was loading up my stuff afterwards I noticed there was quite a bit of milkweed growing here and there so I began the search. I found this little guy (who I think is in his 4th or 5th instar according to what I've been reading) and took him home to the boys. I did not realize at the time that the plant he was on was also hosting the little egg in the bottom picture. If it's going to hatch it should do so in the next day or two. Unfortunately Mr. Munch only has 1 1/2 leaves left on this bunch so there won't be much left for the little guy. I've heard moving a baby caterpillar to a fresh leaf can be tricky seeing as they're the thickness of a string! Oh dear. I keep checking on them both, so afraid I'm going to miss something important. So far all I've seen is less leaves and more doo-doo - who knew a caterpillar could produce so much waste! I'll keep you posted!
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