Everett had fallen asleep in the van on the way to Yellow Banks Park, so once in the park, I pulled off the side of the road, left the van running with the doors open, and started our short hike to collect a caterpillar in the ditch near the van. Ethan wasn't too excited, since he really didn't know what to look for, but as soon as I found a small, white, almost unnoticeable caterpillar on a milkweed plant, his attitude changed. I snipped off the top of the plant with my scissors and carefully placed it into our jelly jar to take home for observation.
It was a very, very small caterpillar with only a black head to signify it was a Monarch. After discussion with my friend Miranda, we determined that it probably hatched that morning, since it didn't have any stripes.
We can't wait to see the change over the next few weeks!
Do you see the tiny little caterpillar in the second photo? I am still amazed that we even saw him. This photo was taken the day following his capture. See the tiny black stripes and his black head? That is how we know he is a Monarch.
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