Date: 09/10/2008

Number: 1

I saw a stray Monarch this morning laying several eggs on our Butterfly Weed. What a surprise since I grew up in the NE and didn't expect to see a Monarch In FL. I know for sure it was a Monarch since we then saw the larvae about 6 days later. There were about 10-12 of them in various sizes.

Unfortunately, since we are in a new development with lots of wooded area, something found these caterpillars very tasty. I was curious what ate them, being that they are toxic and distasteful. They disappeared one by one over the course of a week. My children and I were very disappointed. We had hoped to eventually find a chrysallis and watch the new butterfly emerge. If this happens again next year, we will surely learn how to keep one and observe the entire life cycle!

Jacksonville, FL

Latitude: 30.3 Longitude: -81.8

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