Today all the eggs have hatched. I was a bit surprised since they came from different plants, but maybe that single Monarch I saw that appeared to be laying eggs did so all over the back yard.
Sadly, I do not have a good camera to show them off–this shot was the best I could do (and one of them is on the underside of the leaf anyhoo.)
In some ways, I feel bad for not looking for more eggs, but today I realized that even if I only successfully manage to raise these five to release, it might still be enough to keep helping them recover.
If certain garden projects I’ve been working on finish sooner rather than later (all weather dependent), I might collect more. But I’ve simply -not- been seeing as many Monarch butterflies as I usually do by this time of year. They are not the only species I’ve noticed a dramatically lower count on, but this year has been a doozy weather wise.
Time will tell.
<3