Date: 03/26/2003

Number: 1

We had not been finding larvae from the batch of eggs that the monarchs deposited a week ago, so we went out this afternoon and checked over a hundred stems of curassavica (did find about a hundred "new" eggs). We found four first instars on curassavica and one on syriaca plus one rather plump larva that was going into the third instar ... one made it! There were six sites on the bottom of leaves, where we expected fifty, that had the tell-tale, chewed circle and latex "mustache" of a hatchling. Something is getting the eggs and we have some nominees. We found a very active nest of fireants in the curassavica bed (one painful bite!) and even some over on the deck plus wood ants and snails. Two dozen eggs are now inside.

Port Lavaca, TX

Latitude: 28.5 Longitude: -96.7

Observed by: Harlen E.
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