Posts Tagged: monarch egg

The Oleander Aphid and the Monarch Egg

You never know about those photo-bombers. You can't trust 'em. So here I was, trying to photograph a tiny egg that a monarch butterfly had just deposited on our milkweed. I held it up for a better look.  And then, the photo-bomber!  An...

A monarch butterfly just deposited this egg on a milkweed leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch butterfly just deposited this egg on a milkweed leaf. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Photo-bomber! An oleander aphid appears out of nowhere, heading toward the monarch egg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Photo-bomber! An oleander aphid appears out of nowhere, heading toward the monarch egg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Curious oleander aphid checks out the monarch egg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Curious oleander aphid checks out the monarch egg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Joy of Rearing Monarchs

The monarch butterfly egg is oh-so-very-tiny but what an incredible work of nature! The intricate egg is about the size of a pinhead, 0.9mm wide and 1.2mm high. It's creamy yellow with narrow longitudinal ridges.  Unless it encounters a...

This is a close-up of a monarch egg, taken with a Canon MPE-65mm lens. It is about the size of a pinhead. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is a close-up of a monarch egg, taken with a Canon MPE-65mm lens. It is about the size of a pinhead. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Three monarch eggs, one on each milkweed leaf (tropical milkweed Asclepias curassavica). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Three monarch eggs, one on each milkweed leaf (tropical milkweed Asclepias curassavica). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the small container that the Garvey family uses to rear monarch eggs. It is about 2 inches wide. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is the small container that the Garvey family uses to rear monarch eggs. It is about 2 inches wide. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Be aware that if you collect a monarch caterpillar or chrysalis, it may already be parasitized. It is better to start with the egg, says Bohart Museum of Entomology associate Greg Kareofelas. Note the tachinid-infested chrysalis (brown spot). This image, taken in July 2020, shows two chrysalids and three newly eclosed monarchs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Be aware that if you collect a monarch caterpillar or chrysalis, it may already be parasitized. It is better to start with the egg, says Bohart Museum of Entomology associate Greg Kareofelas. Note the tachinid-infested chrysalis (brown spot). This image, taken in July 2020, shows two chrysalids and three newly eclosed monarchs. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This is part of the Greg Kareofelas setup to rear butterflies. He rears many species. Note the packing foam and chrysalis (not a monarch). (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

This is part of the Greg Kareofelas setup to rear butterflies. He rears many species. Note the packing foam and chrysalis (not a monarch). (Photo by Greg Kareofelas)

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