I take you directly to a patch of Common Milkweed and show you how to find monarch eggs and/or larvae. I explain and show what pin head size monarch eggs look-like and where they are located on Milkweed. I explain why there is rarely more than one egg on any milkweed plant and why the eggs are always on the underside. I show a video clip of a female Monarch Butterfly flitting from plant to plant and in a moment bending her abdomen under the leaf and placing a single egg. I show digital microscope close-ups of the egg and reveal its football-like shape and vertical striations. During the video I discover caterpillars as well and show actual video of my discovery. I explain that this is the second episodes in the series on the monarch butterfly migration phenomena. I explain why it such a great activity to rear or raise Monarchs from egg or caterpillar at home and witness the miracle of complete metamorphosis. I explain how complete metamorphosis includes 4 life stages including egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis) and Adult.
I encourage accessing www.monarchwatch.org. website in order to learn more and participate in a real-life research project. Viewers can order a tagging kit to tag their monarch butterflies from Monarch Watch. They can also order caterpillars if they can not find any locally. I explain how Monarch Butterflies migrate each fall to a fir forest in Mexico, traveling thousands of miles, and then returning in the spring. There is no insect migration event on the this scale anywhere in the world. I explain how in the next episode I will discuss and show how to rear caterpillars at home!
www.monarchwatch.org