Date: 04/09/2014

Number: 1

Today I took a fairly large survey of the native milkweed plants (Asclepias viridis) in our pastures. On the previous two days I had put down flags by the milkweed (green for just milkweed, white for eggs, pink for larvae) to make this survey easier. I could not check all the milkweed as that was well beyond my capacity and I certainly missed some eggs and tiny larvae on the plants that I did examine, but I gave my best effort. The survey took over six hours between 12-7pm. The day was beautiful, about 77 degrees F, sunny, with gentle breezes. I saw at least 15 flying and egg-laying monarchs, who happened to fly past while I was working, but I was not seeking them out. Here are the survey results of 04/09/14: 535 milkweed plants examined, 331 eggs found, 61 larvae found. The details are: 240 milkweed with 0 eggs or larvae, 246 milkweed with 1 or more eggs, 49 milkweed with 1 or more larvae. The further details of eggs: 195 milkweed w/1 egg, 29 w/2 eggs, 14 w/3 eggs, 5 w/4 eggs, 2 w/5 eggs, 1 w/6 eggs. The further details of larvae: 41 milkweed w/1 larva, 6 w/2 larvae, 1 w/3 larvae, 0 w/4 larvae, 1 w/5 larvae. The vast majority of the larvae are newborns and 1st and 2nd instars, though I did see one 4th instar. It is a joy to see the monarchs and their offspring faring so well!

Dobbin, TX

Latitude: 30.4 Longitude: -95.8

Observed by: Kathy
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