Many of the Monarch caterpillars that are roaming our milkweed plants have been parasitized by the tachynid fly, which is normally a beneficial insect, but can wreak havoc on the Monarch Butterfly survival rate. Most of these caterpillars are infected within the first week or two of their existence, so I brought some freshly laid eggs into the house and raised them for the first week. I then transplanted them into a screened-in butterfly habitat that will hopefully keep them safe from the flies.
UPDATE – 8/22/19
All 5 of the little caterpillars pictured above have successfully transformed into beautiful Monarch butterflies. For some reason, they were all females! The last couple of days has been really great as we stand out on the patio and are surrounded by butterflies!