Midwest egg laying season?

[JLindsey]

Ok - I am so new to this, just completed a Monarch Waystation at the kids school as a boy scout project, so I need help from you all out there. When is the typical 'egg laying' season for Monarchs in the Midwest (Kansas). I want to teach the kid how to identify eggs, catepillars, etc in the garden.

[Pixie]

Hi - I am in west St. Louis County, Missouri. Since I started butterfly gardening, late July and August is generally when I begin to find eggs on the milkweed. I understand that mid September is the latitude for the south migrating monarchs to pass through my area, so will continue to have them laying eggs.
You may possibly find eggs now as the 2nd & 3rd generations flying north may still be passing through. I had a couple of eggs hatch 2 weeks ago, but the cats were picked off by wasps before I could bring them inside. Good luck with your gardening and raising of monarchs - let me know how it all goes.......

Dottie (Pixie)
Waystation # 252

[Mona Miller]

http://shop.monarchwatch.org/product.as ... _kits(base)&p=113232(base)
You may be able to purchase some caterpillars from Monarch Watch, if you can't find them outside when you need them, but order soon.

[Paul Cherubini]

The peak egg laying season in northeastern Kansas is late July through mid-August, but some egg laying is possible as early as mid-April and as late as late September.

[Mona Miller]

Don't you live in California? How do you know when the breeding/egg lay season is in Kansas? Wouldn't Chip Taylor and Jim know more about when the season begins and ends in Kansas. For example, I know what is/has happening/happened here in Herndon, VA for the last 20 years.

[Pixie]

Unless I'm way off base with my facts, I learned from Monarch Watch that the migration peak for my latitude ( & I do believe Overland, KS is the same ) is mid-September. They do start coming through in July & August, but the peak is mid-Sept.

[Paul Cherubini]

Don't you live in California? How do you know when the breeding/egg lay season is in Kansas?

northern Kansas is the same latitude as the north-central part of California where I live so the timing of the breeding/egg lay /migration season is similar, although we get some monarchs arriving earlier in the spring.