Caterpillar Time



First, there were dozens of monarch eggs on the milkweed. And now there are tiny caterpillars everywhere. The larvae start out less than 1/4" long and about as thick as dental floss. It can be hard to spot the actual caterpillars, so don't look for them - look for signs of them instead.

Notice the tiny holes in the leaves in the picture above? That's what to look for - signs of the larvae eating. These first instar larvae eat their egg case first, then the tiny hairs on the underside of the leaf. Then they start eating the leaf itself. The holes are small and the caterpillar makes one after the other. Any break in the surface of the leaf lets the white, sticky latex leak out. While the caterpillars can ingest the latex without it being toxic to them (although anything trying to eat the caterpillar will be poisoned), it can glue their tiny mouths shut. Always another hurdle to overcome!