The Last Monarch

When the Monarch caterpillars hatched about six weeks ago there were so many that I bought another two swan plants to keep them going. But they ate very little. Mostly they just disappeared. The other day there were only two left. I decided to move them to a younger plant in the greenhouse. Sadly, the smaller one of the two didn’t survive the shift, but the bigger one has greatly improved.

So much is riding on this one caterpillar. I do hope it survives and completes the cycle. Otherwise I will feel that I have failed the beautiful butterfly that entrusted her offspring to my garden.

As for the praying mantis clan, I rarely see one, apart from the wee one in the greenhouse. However, today I found one that has made it to the second instar- it has grown enough to shed its first skin. See extra shot.