Date: 03/10/2006

Number: 1

I caught my
first female monarch on Friday (3/10/06) and two more on Saturday (3/11/06). This
is about two weeks earlier than my earliest sighting in 12 years.

The Saturday females are laying eggs. One has laid 64 eggs since
yesterday. I don't have much
milkweed available so I will probably let one of them go.

The female I caught on Friday has O.e. spores on her and she
has yet to lay an egg. She also had a smaller body mass than the two that are
laying.

• "O.e" is the
  abbreviation for a monarch parasite called "Ophryocystis elektroscirrha."
  To learn more, see the "Monarch Lab" website.
  

Monticello, AR

Latitude: 33.6 Longitude: -91.8

Observed by: Jim
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