Monarch Caterpillars

They're so cute at that age - here are a couple Monarch caterpillars I saw during a late July trip to the Sourland Mountain Preserve.

I believe that both of these guys are facing down; the front tentacles are usually longer than the back tentacles. They're probably eating Common Milkweed; I think that's the most commonly seen milkweed at Sourland.

We might consider Monarch caterpillars to be picky eaters, only eating milkweed plants. But look at it from their perspective: They'll eat Common Milkweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Swamp Milkweed, etc. New Jersey has 12 species of milkweed (though I think I've only seen 5 species myself).

Both caterpillars seemed pretty mature, and I suspect they'll be going the chrysalis route pretty soon. The first caterpillar mostly had the milkweed to itself, while the second caterpillar was forced to share with a group of aphids.

July 28, 2021 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 148654450, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

July 28, 2021 at Sourland Mountain Preserve
Photo 148654667, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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