Did you know that a female monarch butterfly can lay anywhere between 300 to 500 eggs over two to five weeks? This butterfly spent a good amount of time choosing many giant milkweed leaves to lay her eggs.
According to Monarch Joint Venture, prior to fertilization, the egg is formed, as well as the hard outer shell – chorion – as this protects the developing larvae. This outer shell has a layer of wax to help prevent the egg from drying out. The monarch egg also has micropyles, which are tiny funnel-shaped openings.
In about three to five days, a tiny monarch caterpillar will appear.
According to “Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plant” (Marc C. Minno, Jerry F. Butler and Donald W. Hall), the milkweed plant has latex within that sticks to the mouthparts of herbivores. The caterpillars will cut the leaves near the base of the milkweed blade to drain out that latex before they begin eating.
