So much for my "Monarch" project

[texas butterfly]

I was going thru my pile of leaves which had eggs on them and found one had just hatched.
He was just turning around to eat his shell. He looked longer and larger than the first egg that I observed in hatching.

Well I went ahead and named him Cinco. Monarch #5.....

Well, upon closer inspection Cinco is not a Monarch but appears to be a Queen.

There appears to be a 3rd set of filaments.

Hope that I'm getting some of the terminology down correct now so that I'm making sense.

But, I guess in my story of my first 10 Monarch's the learning process is to make sure they are Monarchs.

I'll have to go back and double-check my other Monarch sighting with the darker wings. One of my books mentions a Viceroy who mimics the Monarch. I don't think Viceroy's are normally in the Houston area. He was feeding on Tropical milkweed nectar.

But, then again the weather is extremely hot and dry, so it is hard to say never. With hurricane Ike last year I'm sure a lot of nature was disturbed and may not be 100% normal this year.

[Mona Miller]

Scientists used to think that it was a direct mimic, now they know that the Viceroy is also bad tasting.

When I see a new species, I go to the USGS, butterflies page and look to see if it is listed:
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/map?ds=44&_dcs=1
Texas Butterflies
Are you in Harris county? I looked up the country for Houston.
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/map? ... cc=1&si=44
You have to learn the families to look up the butterflies. Viceroys are the Admiral family.
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/spec ... e=48*Texas
According to the map, they have been seen in your area.
Look at the caterpillars hosts plants, habitat, nectar preference...
The caterpillars don't scream, I'm here, but if you look for them on the hosts you just might find them.

If the butterfly was not listed in your area, then you could consider it a record and post it on the record list:
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/faq/report

[texas butterfly]

Harris County/Montgomery County

I'll have to go back and look closer at pictures and see what I had.

Thanks for the links!!!!!