Where do the caterpillars go?

[bethelannbrown]

Hi- I'm new at trying to grow a butterfly garden, so this question might seem ridiculous... I just planted a few milkweeds along with a couple other plants which attract butterflies. Within a few days of planting, I noticed quite a few caterpillars on the milkweeds. We enjoyed watching them (there must have been about 6-7 of them) for 3-4 days, but one day when I went out to look at them, they were all gone. Do the caterpillars crawl off and spend their pupal stage some where else? Since I live in Central Florida, I'm wondering if the lizards got to them???

[Teresa]

I have found them several feet from the milkweed, I'd start looking for chrysilis'

[Keith Petrosky]

One of my first caterpillars did that and made a chyrisalis one or two feet from the plant.

[bethelannbrown]

Where do they go though..onto another plant? I have a picnic table just a few feet away- would they attach themselves onto something like that?

[Jim]

I have a picnic table just a few feet away- would they attach themselves onto something like that?

Sure...they tend to gravitate toward dark/sheltered areas but will pupate just about anywhere - on or in anything:



Looks like this one wanted to take the express route to Mexico

[Keith Petrosky]

Cool, pupae on board! Mine went to a tall plant nearby, so it would not be close to the ground where predators lurk.

[Pat]

good picture, Jim! I have found them hanging under the picnic table, the patio furniture -- one even managed to hang himself under the middle of the hammock. About the only place I don't find them is on the plants they were eating. They do seem to prefer a more secluded location.

[bethelannbrown]

Thank you all for your input. I'll start looking for them tomorrow! Great picture!

[aphid]

I started a small patch of butterfly milkweed, from seed, and was surprised to find 2 caterpillars already. I didn't expect it to be used for laying eggs on so quickly, as the biggest plant wasn't even 6 inches tall at the time.

They disappeared two days later, and I assumed they had been eaten. I noticed that leaves had been getting chewed on. This past weekend they reappeared, and yesterday while my neice and nephew spotted a third caterpillar. They've grown and I can see now that during the day they are climbing off of the milkweed and under some more broadleafed weeds next to the milkweed, some of which touch the milkweed.

After a rain storm, I would imagine that some of the foliage isn't in the same place as before... I'm talking in scale to the caterpillars. The free classes I took at a local arboretum, suggested the caterpillars are blind. Other than backtracking the steps they took to get off the milkweed, I don't understand how they can find their way back to the milkweed.

[MILW]

The caterpillars aren't blind, there have been studies that show they will crawl towards a vertical pole. (let me know if you want citations). Their eyes are pretty minimal though- just a few ocelli down on the head capsule, near the mouth parts. I don't know how they would know to crawl towards milkweed tho- unless they can smell it at a distance?

I've also read that they may leave the food plants during the day to avoid predation by wasps (and flies too I suppose). Usually though, if I see a plant with frass on the leaves, I can find the caterpillar on the same plant or an adjacent one.

[MsLabMgr]

I live in Gainesville, FL and this is my first year as a monarch mom – quite by accident: bought milkweed at Home Depot to attract butterflies not realizing how it would change my summer & my life!!

Anyway, I had the same problem with cats disappearing. Looked everywhere but didn’t find any chrysalises. I assumed that lizards got them, but one day I saw wasps killing them and Home Depot told me that ants will kill them too which broke my heart and made me mad. I decided that couldn’t let nature take its course and that I needed to protect my cat babies so I built a mesh cage out of an old sheer curtain. This morning I checked and have 8 chrysalises, 5 in the J pre-chrysalis stage and over 15 more cats in various instars. That compared to 3 butterflies I got over the last 2 months.

Thanks to Monarch Watch for all the help and information.

[mmmatthew]

Milkweed bugs are extremely prolific in my area this year
Does anyone know if they eat the monarch larvae?
I've been looking for a couple of weeks now.
Several patches of milkweed, but only milkweed "beetles"

[MILW]

I haven't seen the milkweed bugs eating monarchs, but take a look in this thread.

[Gwynne]

One thing that surprises me is that I see a lot of caterpillars like to feed from the top of a plant. Seems to me that is the most likely place a predator will find them. I cant understand why they dont start at the bottom of the plant and work their way up. I am sure they arent thinking about the frass that drops down too either they would definatey start at the bottom of the plant!

[JoAnn_B]

I agree. It would be much more efficient all around if the cats would eat from the bottom up.

1) The bottom leaves turn yellow first so they get less to eat on each plant if they start at the top and the bottom leaves turn
2) As you mentioned frass does not defy gravity. If they eat the bottom leaves first, they will not have to deal with frass.
3) The flowers are at the top where the seed pods are created. If the cats at the bottom, more seed pods might develop. (My cats eat flowers too - seem to like them).

I guess trying to convince them is pointless

[mommalepapillon]

JoAnn
Just read your post and it is all very logical

I guess we'd have to teach the cats to read first!!!

lol

[mmmatthew]

Just a guess, but probably because the little hatchlings like the tender leaves and flowers. The older leaves probably don't taste as fresh as the ones at the top. Also, the ones toward the bottom are tougher and thicker.
However this is the worst place for them to feed here because the wasps are a problem and also feed on the flowers.
Just a thought...

[harpo787]

You just KNOW though that if they started from the bottom that some GENIUS of a caterpillar will start chewing on the main stalk and will cause the plant to fall over.

I could never understand why a caterpillar will get on a leaf, turn around and start chewing at the base of the leaf's attachment to the plant. With all their weight on the leaf, it begins to sag rapidly, and if they chew too far into it, the leaf stops receiving nourishment from the stalk.

[psi_chemie]

Hey Harpo, you've been gone for a while. Anyways, they chew the base of the leaf like that deliberately to stop the flow of latex. It makes the leaf easier to eat and prevents their mandibles from getting gunked up. They always do this from 3rd or 4th instar on..