Date: 06/04/2008

Number: 1

I thought I'd pass along my Monarch "findings" in Indianapolis, all occurring in the month of May. In my 20 years of raising Monarchs I've never seen this many eggs and larva this early in the season.

It's been raining so far in June and I haven't been out looking yet. It's been a very cool and slow spring here, which has delayed the milkweed growth by several weeks. On May 7 I found 83 eggs on common plants only a few inches tall, and most plants had multiple eggs, including one with 17 eggs. Several of the larva I found were 1st instar and the rest were 2nd instar. I've only checked one milkweed field. I've given most of these away and am just raising about 25 myself, and about half of those are in chrysalis.

We've had some severe storms in Indianapolis lately, including tornadoes in the Indianapolis area on Friday evening, May 30. It's raining a lot. After the severe storms Friday night (5/30), which lasted for a number of hours, I've wondered if any adults or larva could have even survived in this area, but I haven't had time to check because it's been raining.

The common in the milkweed field is about 20 inches tall or so and the swamp in my yard is about 15 inches tall or so. As soon as it quits raining and dries up a little I'll be out looking in the field again. The only actual Monarch adults I've seen in Indianapolis were two on April 27 and a returning migrant mom laying eggs in my yard on May 4.

Here's my wrap-up for the month of May:

May 4 found 52 eggs on swamp in yard ... I photographed a returning migrant mom was laying eggs on plants just a few inches tall

May 7 found 83 eggs on common in a field ... plants were just a few inches tall

May 9 found 3 eggs on swamp in yard

May 12 found 58 eggs (location not recorded)

May 21 found 29 eggs & 3 larva (location not recorded)

May 25 found 7 eggs & 7 larva on common in field

May 25 found 11 larva on swamp in yard

May 29 found 1 larva on swamp in yard

May 30 found 12 eggs & 7 larva on common in field

Totals: eggs - 244

larva - 29


273

indianapolis, IN

Latitude: 39.8 Longitude: -86.1

Observed by: marty
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