Chrysalis found on milk weed

[street]

Went out this evening to see if I could see and eggs and caterpillars on milk weed. To my surprise there were two monarch chrysalis on the under side of the milk weed leaf.

I cut the plants stem and put in butterfly cage and will observe them till they arrive.

I did this last year and but was late in August when I found them last year.

 

[audreyh1]

How about that!

You are an old hand at this now!

I love how their chrysalis is like an emerald jewel case.

 

[street]

^ Lol! I tell ya, it was pretty darn interesting last year. I had the caterpillars and actually watched then turn into the chrysalis. Then got to see one of them transform to a beautiful monarch.
I really was a kid again except for the color of my hair. Lol

 

[Gumby]

They are amazing. For many years, the young wife (a biology teacher) and the little girl across the street captured Monarch butterflies for science. They put tiny tags on them so that their migration could be studied. That little girl is now in her late 20s and long gone from home. But the young wife and I still have fond memories of those days.

 

[Ronstar]

Great find! I've been looking but haven't found any yet this year.

 

[f35phixer]

i remember last years surprise find Street !!! Keep us informed on progress, OBTW have the eagles fledged?

I finally had milkweed plants in my hummer garden!! But they haven't bloomed, google says sometimes it takes another year for blooms, first year is all about setting its base up....

 

[target2019]

My milkweed from seed has only grown 6-12". I do have about 2 dozen plants at least. I should have started earlier than June in NJ.

Hopefully in the 2nd year they'll be much larger and flowering. Late fall it looks like you cut them back.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Thanks for the blast of nostalgia! When I was in grade school I would "raise" monarch butterflies. I would staple window screen over the top of a large cardboard box and put milkweed with monarch butterfly chrysalis's and/or caterpillars in there. Then watch the miracle of metamorphosis. It was so satisfying to see those butterflies fly away.

 

[unclemick]

Great find! I've been looking but haven't found any yet this year.

Ditto. Ag zone 5b near the Iowa/Missouri line. Will be looking more closely as the ticks die back. Grin.

Heh heh heh -

 

[street]

i remember last years surprise find Street !!! Keep us informed on progress, OBTW have the eagles fledged?

I finally had milkweed plants in my hummer garden!! But they haven't bloomed, google says sometimes it takes another year for blooms, first year is all about setting its base up....

Will keep you informed on the monarch progress.

Yes, golden eagle has spread it's wings and has took to the air. I didn't get back there for about 8 days after my last pictures and it was gone.

I sent a few of those pictures into an outdoor photo contest. I'm not interested in winning but wanted to share a few of those rare photos with the prairie dogs in the nest.

 

[street]

This is the second year of a few plants (milk weed) at the end of my garden. Mine got about 3 feet tall last years and are about that height again now. My seed came from some plants that I brought home from the ranch.

I just cut them off in the fall and they will grow next years.

 

[Graybeard]

My milkweed from seed has only grown 6-12". I do have about 2 dozen plants at least. I should have started earlier than June in NJ.

Hopefully in the 2nd year they'll be much larger and flowering. Late fall it looks like you cut them back.

None of those plants look like Milkweed.

 

[Graybeard]

I have a lot of Milkweed, each Fall I pick the pods and scatter the seeds.

Each year I find a chrysalis attached to the underside of a sheet of vinyl siding.

 

[street]

It will be soon the monarch wings are visible now.

 

[RAE]

DW and I raised and released 23 monarch butterflies this year, from caterpillars (or eggs) we found on milkweed plants near our home. It was quite interesting. One caution about doing this, however - I read a research paper recently regarding monarchs that are raised from caterpillars brought indoors, and they found that the monarchs that hatch sometimes are not able to orient properly toward the south, which of course is important for migration. They suggested that any caterpillars brought in from the wild and raised, be raised in an environment as close to outside as possible........such as on a screen porch, or even directly outside in a screened cage or similar. Apparently they need to be able to see the position of the sun in order to orient properly.

 

[street]

RAE >> That is very interesting and I thought I had learned almost everything about them. I guess I didn't and that is very good information. Thank you!

I'm glad I haven't or hopefully haven't done any harm in that respect to the butterfly. The ones I have raised have been done less then 20 feet from where I found them, and all been raised outdoors in natural environment.

 

[street]

Magic!! He is already in the flower patch ready to do what butterfly's do.

 

[f35phixer]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. very cool Street.

 

[audreyh1]

Magic!! He is already in the flower patch ready to do what butterfly's do.

Based on your photo I think your newly emerged Monarch is a “she”.
https://monarchbutterflylifecycle.com/blogs/raise/male-or-female-monarch-butterfly-pictures

 

[street]

audreyh1>>> yes, I would agree with you. A beautiful young lady is what I would say also.

I forgot about checking that till you posted that info. Thanks.

 

[Koolau]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. very cool Street.

Yes, and "magic" is the right word, street.

I never had a bio course until I was a senior in college. So, I used to think "Chrysalis" was just the name of a record company! Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[grasshopper]

^ Jethro Tulls record label.