Date: 05/03/2013

Number: 1

9:48 a.m.: Released my first 3 monarch eclosures! 2 females and a male. Very sunny here, breezy, and headed for 76dF. One flew east, another flew west up into the big pine, the third stayed on the tropical milkweed where I'd placed them. All 3 eclosed yesterday afternoon (May 3) in the house and were the only survivors from an original 10 eggs found on April 9. One FIRST GENERATION monarch remains to eclose and should be exiting the cuticle late this afternoon. A week ago I'd also found 6 fifth instar caterpillars on milkweed outside, brought them in to fatten up, but all succumbed to tachinid flies. Found one dead caterpillar in the pool filter. So of the 16 eggs laid in my yard by a single female this spring (April 8/9/10), only 4 survived. It's grim to think it, but the remigrant female, simply by flying into Maverick County and this region to lay her 500 or so eggs, could have flown into a death trap in which ONLY these 4 survived! Fireants and tachinid flies could well have accounted for the other 496. Fortunately, I am hoping that the survival rates for the other remigrants is better in the Hill Country and SE of San Antone. These 2 females, hopefully, will fly to Kansas and breed heavily as they head that way! AND with better results!

Eagle Pass, TX

Latitude: 28.5 Longitude: -100.5

Observed by: Carol
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