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Project Noah Nature School
Danaus plexippus
Our first sighting of the year of monarch caterpillars in this backyard butterfly garden. They seem to love the fewflower milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata) planted there and we have been watching fairly closely for them since last year. These caterpillars were pretty tiny when we first saw, but my guess is that they were already at 2nd or 3rd instar. I'll have to wait again until next year to try to catch the full instar cycle. Hopefully my eyes will be sharper!
Habitat: Many open habitats including fields, meadows, weedy areas, marshes, and roadsides. Range: Southern Canada south through all of the United States, Central America, and most of South America. Also present in Australia, Hawaii, and other Pacific Islands.
Spotted in a backyard flower garden in Kennesaw, GA
Spotted on Sep 4, 2014
Submitted on Sep 13, 2014
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