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Danaus gilippus
This little guy will one day wake up to be a Queen Butterfly.
Females lay small white eggs singly on plants in the milkweed subfamily (Asclepiadoideae), including Mexican Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, Desert Milkweed, and Sandhill Milkweed. The egg hatches into a black caterpillar with transverse white stripes and yellow spots, and three pairs of long, black filaments. The caterpillar feeds on the milkweed and sequesters chemicals that make it distasteful to some predators. It then goes through six instars, after which the larva finds a suitable spot to pupate. The adult emerges 7 to 10 days afterwards. Danaus gilippus has multiple generations a year.
This was found on my Butterfly Weed. (Milk Weed) All of a sudden, I have an abundance of these caterpillars. ") I love nature!
Spotted on Sep 4, 2012
Submitted on Sep 5, 2012
6 Comments
That's what I do too.
Thanks Ava! I copy and paste from the info sources.
I like how thorough your notes are.
Thanks gatorfellows for the clarification.... I learned something. ") Thank you Smith'sZoo for the wonderful comment. And thank you for the effort Pochempie.... Never give up, that's how we learn. ")
elegant!
Queen, Danaus gilippus, caterpillar is the correct ID because of the midsection fleshy projections. Queen caterpillars have 3 pairs and Monarch, Danaus plexippus only have two pairs, located at their ends.