Monarchs breeding in Houston area

[texas butterfly]

Sunday, saw a beautiful Monarch butterfly laying eggs on several of my milkweed plants.

I'm just getting into the Monarch butterfly and I am amazed with wonderful nature is.

I've got my first two cats raising inside.

I did name them UNO and DOS.

UNO became a PUPA about 6:30pm this evening. DOS is still hanging in J formation and I suspect he will be a PUPA by in morning.

I'm also looking at an egg thru a microscope and it appears the larva is getting ready to hatch. The egg is turning darker and it has black on the top. This has even changed in the last two hours, so anytime now. I'll have to get back outside and grab a fresh leaf just in case.

Texas Butterfly
North East Houston area

[texas butterfly]

My 3 first catepillars....

UNO became a PUPA last night at 6:30pm. I was able to observe UNO shaking and peeling off his cat skin to become the PUPA. Once the process started, I was surprised how quickly he went from appearing as a J-CAT to a PUPA.

DOS became a PUPA sometime between 1:00am and 7:00am.

TRES was an egg and TRES hatched from egg about 12:30am this morning.
Almost lost TRES. He had climbed out of plastic bowl and was under the rim of plastic bowl.
I almost didn't see him. I supposed he was looking for fresh milk weed, so I ran outside and got a fresh leaf and then placed it near him and for him to climb aboard. I was then able to put him back in container. Will need to put a tighter lid on container. I also put the container inside a much larger plastic container, in hopes if he gets out again, he'll at least be in the 2nd container.

Check out some pictures of TRES. I took these with a Eye Clopes Digital scope. Can take photos and movies.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39431349@N05

Texas Butterfly

[drexel.n@gmail]

thanks for sharing the pictures - they are awesome!!

and thanks for posting your process with the cats. i still have 4 tadpoles to raise to toad / frogs. once they have been released, i may try my hand at raising the monarch eggs i have. altho' i have to admit to being quite nervous - i've never raised butterflies before.

Nancy
WS3037