Monarch caterpillars keep coming as soon as the milkweed regrows, the Royal Mums lay more eggs. 9 caterpillars in this photo and none survive.
2 caterpillars left and almost no narrow leaf milkweed left. Plant eaten down to stems. Caterpillars not large enough to turn into a chrysalis.
There are a lot of monarch caterpillars in this photo (how many? ) all eating the Narrow leaf milkweed down to stems. Too many visits from Royal Mums and eggs laid. A few days later there was no milkweed and everyone starved (I guess). Interesting thing is that there was a tropical milkweed a foot away (seed was in mixed flower mix and I didn't recognize it). The caterpillars would not eat it until they were starving. Must have thought it was junk food.
Pulled out a tropical milkweed and found 4 monarch eggs on it. Too many. This plant wouldn't support even one caterpillar to a chrysalis. Makes me sad to have starvation levels of milkweed.
Swept quickly through the flowers, sometimes stopped at the tops of the flowers, and would slowly open and close its wings when it stopped. Eventually it was startled and flew away because there were too many onlookers.
Swept quickly through the flowers, sometimes stopped at the tops of the flowers, and would slowly open and close its wings when it stopped.
Monarch eggs. Too many to survive on the couple milkweed plants I have. None of these babies will survive.