Date: 08/01/2011

Number: 1

The monarch females are busy laying eggs these last few days. I have been surprised to see many specifically stopping on and dropping them on the milkweed seed pods. This is a first I have seen this occur; I would have assumed they used only the leaves. Is this normal? Can the cats also eat the outsides of the pods as newborns before moving on to the leaves as they grow? Does the texture of the pods act as some kind of a deterrent to predators who eat the eggs/1st instar cats?

Darien, IL

Latitude: 41.8 Longitude: -88

Observed by: Leslie
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