Guardianship update: 15th August 2018

Two firsts today: I happened to catch a J transforming into chrysalis.  If I had strolled by sooner, I might not have realized it was that far along if not for the visually striking difference between larvae skin and sudden bulge of light green.  Also, this happened…

This monarch was the one we saw on the screen the day before I think it was?  Apparently it didn’t want to hang with the other monarchs, so it chose this spot instead.  Oh, and I didn’t run to get my camera as it was molting its 5th instar skin because I was afraid I’d miss the rest, as once it splits up their back, it tends to go quick.

I had read about how to move chrysalis, but the idea terrified me.  I quickly wrote to my local Monarch Expert asking if it should be moved at all, and proposing two methods.  She came back with a third, and gave me good reason to be glad I wasn’t even planning one of the two I had read about prior.  I’ll write about that more later, as I’m a bit crunched for time.  Likely after I’m sure the chrysalis is hard enough to be more safely moved.

The egg I thought would hatch, did.  Can’t find the larvae yet, but I’ll keep an eye out for the tell tale sign of it eating.  They are so teeny tiny at first, and right now because of the four other eggs I found on a top stalk, there’s a lot of green in the incubator, so I’d rather wait.

I have given up on my branch I tried to craft for them.  They’re having none of it.  I’m now 6-0, and I can take a hint!  So it’s out of the keeper now which also allowed me to push the jar this one in the pic above was in after the last larvae left no leaf unmunched to a corner near the side all the chrysalises are on, and I started another milkweed holder jar.  It’s much easier to have three in there without the branch.  In all honesty, I could probably fit a lot more than the four jars that I bought if I let the leaves overlap more.