Is it normal for monarchs to lay eggs this late in the season? This is located in west Texas on the edge of the Chihuahuan desert in the Llano Estacado region. I noticed these on a tomato plant that grew from a rogue seed in the middle of my milkweed patch. The milkweeds are western whorled (Asclepias subverticillata) which I grew from seeds locally gathered.
These little guys are growing so fast now. We counted 40 of them this evening. Good thing I planted so much dill, fennel and parsley so the plants should survive being feasted on and hopefully bounce back. If the plants don’t recover then they have at least successfully hosted dozens of swallowtail butterflies to-be.
*These caterpillars are outdoors in plants grown in the ground and not in captivity in any way.
Got multiple premades and a pretty cheap 118 asc bp on official from extinction purple osd. Only 80 ingots, 300 paste, 2000 hide and 1200 fiber to craft it.