Eight Monarch Caterpillars (Or why this newsletter is so late!)

Last year, not a single monarch flittered by, and not a single caterpillar was born to munch on the milkweed. This year, I caught one monarch female checking out the milkweed stock.

It started with one caterpillar on Friday. Saturday, there were three of them. Sunday up to five. Monday, eight and counting.

They have different habits, it seems. Some are content to methodically eat down the stalk, from tender top to bottom. Others seem more interesting in browsing the offerings, checking out one stalk after another. There are plenty of milkweed plants to choose from. At least something is going right this year.