Promoted
Monarch Caterpillar - Danaus plexippus
This tiny caterpillar is a first instar monarch larva!
Habitat: Rural yard; my mom (@Beamie on JD) collects monarch eggs from the milkweed growing on her property. She puts them in mesh enclosures (kept outdoors) where they can hatch, feast on milkweed, pupate and eventually emerge as adults safely before being released.
Monarch metamorphosis from egg to adult takes as little as 25 days, However, it is estimated that fewer than 10% of monarch eggs and caterpillars survive because they are so vulnerable to weather, parasites, and disease. Monarchs are harbingers of environmental change, and they continue to struggle as a species.
The monarch butterfly or simply monarch is a milkweed butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names depending on region include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black veined brown. It may be the most familiar North American butterfly, and is considered an iconic pollinator species.
