July 29, 2021 At the Crystal Falls Trail Head in South Lake Tahoe. What explains this stripped pine cone on the ground?
Up to now I’ve imagined squirrels gathering pine nuts, picking up loose pine nuts on the ground but last Thursday a squirrel demonstrated that “gathering” is not the best term... Here’s why. After viewing the coming videos, think of a term that is better than “gathering”.
because you are in a position to help save Monarch Butterflies from extinction!
MAP 1: Local Butterfly Releases Laguna Beach,
San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Niguel, California
(Click on map to magnify.)
Zone 1: Toby Manzanares, Zone 2: Virginia and Tom Zone 3: Paul Ho
MAP 2: Migration and Extinction Status as of 2021
Since the 1990's there has been an 80% decline
in the Central Monarch population. (Zone B above)
Since the 1980's, the Western Monarch population
has declined by 99%. (Zone A above)
How to help
Plant milkweed in your yard or
in containers at least 12" in diameter.
(If you use smaller pots, just transplant them to larger containers as needed.)
Follow the steps below and grow your own
milkweed butterfly forest.
Wednesday June 16, 2021.The adventure begins.Jason sends milkweed seeds to me from Temecula, California. Can’t wait to germinate the lot.
Step 1: I drop about 30 seeds into a glass of water to soak overnight, which might shorten germination time. Once under ground, it took 17 days for these seeds to germinate.
Figure 1
Follow along to grow your own Butterfly Forest.
Thursday June 17, 2021
Step 2: I plant Jason’s milkweed seeds in nursery tray (Figure #2.) Too many seeds to count (50-75?), I distribute them 1/4 inch deep around a tub of potting soil. Next, I drop 10 seeds from 3 different species of milkweed seed packets purchased online into a glass of water to soak for 24 hours.
Figure 2 After 17 days.
As nearly 50 seedlings grow into a milkweed “forest”, the number of molecules released into the air increases daily, ultimately gaining the attention of this monarch butterfly. Particles in the air are measured in PPM (parts per million). I wonder what the threshold is for monarchs in PPM to be able to detect ripe milkweed plants?
Scroll down to July 21st to see a video of a Monarch mother butterfly laying eggs.
For three days, while I water milkweed seedlings in a tray, this Monarch butterfly (also seen in video clip below) made several flybys from hundreds of feet away, Today she’s zeroed in on my first tray of milkweed sprouts. “Hey I say. I just planted these milkweed seedlings and you just fly in like you own the joint?”
My brain lights up at the smell of bacon in a campground, I’m an expert bacon detector. Monarch butterflies are experts who “smell” milkweed at considerable distances. They detect milkweed molecules and track the scent gradient to its origin. Come to think of it, I too can detect the scent of mature milkweed plant if my nose is within an eighth of an inch of its leaves. So here’s a question: How do monarch butterflies smell milkweed from such a long distance when my nose is so much bigger? I can only smell milkweed an inch away. Monarchs ... 200 feet away?
All photos and video: Toby Manzanares unless otherwise posted.
“Fifteen species of milkweed are native to California.” (drought-tolerant) Excellent material from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
Saturday, June 19, 2021 Monarch butterfly observed flying north and south above the concrete drainage channel below along the hill side green belt below our patio. Best seen by clicking the full screen box (lower right corner).
Thursday June 24 Jason’s milkweed seeds have begun to sprout after 7 days.
Saturday July 3, After 17 days about 46 milkweed seedlings have sprouted (see photo below).
Step 3. Milkweed sprouts can be carefully transplanted into decorative ceramic pots or in places in your garden where you want to see Monarch butterflies. Place in full sun and keep the soil moist.
Source: International Plant Propagators’ Society
To Do List:
Read: The International Plant Propagators’ Society Combined Proceedings Volume 64, 2014.
For School Propagation Project vet and Partner with Xerces Society and Monarch Watch for a “long term supply of source-identified, locally adapted milkweed seeds.”
Saturday, July 10, 2021 Transplanted 6 milkweed sprouts to Pot #1 Tall Oval, from Jason’s Milkweed Forest (see July 21 video below).
Wednesday, July 21, 2021. Too many milkweed sprouts in this tub so I begin transplanting a few of them to other tubs with potting soil. While transplanting, a monarch butterfly lands on the tray with Jason’s milkweed seedlings. It moves (randomly?) from seedling to seedling (see video below).
The monarch butterfly is so close I can see it curl the tip of it’s abdomen up under a leaf. I thought springs into mind so I check under that leaf and find a tiny egg (see the photo below). Additional eggs are found under the leaves of other milkweed seedlings visited by this butterfly. This is a gravid female Monarch butterfly laying eggs! When you see a Monarch butterfly land on a plant... you can bet it’s laying eggs.
Figure 3.
Soon this egg will hatch and a monarch caterpillar will emerge with the challenge of finding enough food ...
Watching this video I began to wonder. How much does a monarch larva eat?
So how do we measure the amount of milkweed consumed before metamorphosis?
Day 1 8:02 am Leaf A 11 cm. Right: Leaf B 12 cm. There are two larva in the feeding tub but it appears that the larger larva (let’s call her Bella) ate all of Leaf B. The smaller, Michaelangelo not observed eating at all and completely active during the day.
1:57 pm About 95% of Leaf B has been eaten.
2:05 pm Leaf B (12 cm) completely consumed in 6 hours and 3 min.
2:58 pm Bella has now consumed about 10% of Leaf A
Leaf A consumed. Added Leaf C
Day 2 10:23 am Inserted 3 leaves: D, E. F. Michaelangelo, the smaller, has begun eating one of these leaves while Bella is finishing yesterday’s leftovers (last 10% of Left C)
QUESTION #1 HOW MANY EGGS ARE INSIDE THIS BUTTERFLY?
QUESTION #2: HOW MAY EGGS WILL A MONARCH BUTTERFLY LAY IN HER LIFETIME?
QUESTION #3 WILL MILKWEED SPROUT GROWTH OUTPACE THE FOOD REQUIREMENTS OF GROWING MONARCH LARVAE?
QUESTION #4 ARE MONARCHS AND MILKWEEDS CO-EVOLVING?
QUESTION #5 I’VE NOTICED MONARCH LARVAE “NICKING” THE STEM OF A MILKWEED LEAF BEFORE STARTING TO EAT IT. WHY?
QUESTION #6 IF SO, HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN CO-EVOLVING? Here’s the answer from Cornell University: http://www.eeb.cornell.edu/agrawal/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/coevolution.m4v
Friday, July 23 Checked Pot #3 (Oval below) where there are six transplanted milkweed seedlings. Found eggs on plants B, C, E, F, and in a separate experiment, I planted one fingerling potato in the center. (Scroll down to August 6th for a 14 day comparison.)
Saturday, July 24, 2021. Transplanted more milkweed sprouts from JMF (Jason’s Milkweed Forest) to additional tubs and pots. Have not seen the female Monarch since Thursday July 22.
Saturday, July 31, 2021. It has been 10 days since we watched as a Monarch butterfly deposited eggs on the leaves of JMF’s seedlings. Yesterday Patricia spotted leaf cutouts where she suspected Monarch larvae were feasting, but no larvae were to be seen. This morning we spotted this inactive Monarch larva, estimated: less than 1 centimeter.
Wednesday, August 4, 2021 A Monarch arrived again today to deposit eggs.
QUESTION #7: IS THIS THE SAME MONARCH FEMALE THAT LAID EGGS HERE ON JULY 21?
QUESTION #8 IS THERE A PREDATOR THAT EATS MONARCH EGGS?
QUESTION #9: HOW LONG DOES A MONARCH BUTTERFLY LIVE?
Friday, August 6, 2021. This monarch caterpillar is 16 days past the day of being an egg deposited on a milkweed seedling.
QUESTION #9: HOW BIG WILL A MONARCH LARVA GET?
QUESTION #10: WHAT TRIGGERS METAMORPHOSIS?
Friday, August 6, 2021. Fingerling potato sprouts outpacing milkweed seedling growth. See July 23, 2021 for comparison.)
August 6, 2021
The singular goal of a larva is to eat and store enough energy to carry them through the last stages of metamorphosis. They eat so much that they outgrow their skin. Kind of like when teenage boys grow out of their levis, which seem to get higher up their ankles (high waters). They anchor the posterior end (with a silk anchor?, their own organic glue?) and slowly crawl out of that old skin. Monarch larvae do this 5 times. The stage between these molts is called an instar, Monarchs have 5 instars.
GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER?
Watching this video reminded me of hungry teenagers chomping down In and Out Animal hamburgers. A leaf too is kind of like a sandwich, the upper and lower layers, called cuticles hold all the juicy stuff in between: the mesophyll. (See Fig. 1 below). So as you watch monarch larvae feeding, think hamburger chomping.
Figure 4a. Anatomy of a Leaf... Leaf burger for monarch larvae
Credit: Wikipaedia
Figure 4b. Anatomy of an In And Out Hamburger (Animal Style)
Photo credit: thatsdeelicious.com
Monarch larva eating.
You’ve read that adult monarchs and their larvae have protective coloration which safegurads them from predators who’ve leaned to avoid butterflies with this coloration. It’s the toxins in the milky latex. So where is this toxic latex made within the leaf?
Amy Berkov writes: “Plants in the genus Asclepias are called milkweeds because of the sticky white latex that pours out of wounded tissues. Asclepias latex is rich in toxic cardiac glycosides, and the scientific genus name comes from Asklepios, the ancient Greek physician.
Some milkweed-feeders actually sequester the toxins to defend themselves from predators, but how do they avoid getting their mouthparts hopelessly gummed up? Some slice right through leaf midribs, which diverts the latex flow and enables the “trencher” to feed downstream of the cut.” Click HERE for her full article.
Now that our milkweed sprouts are more mature, it may be possible to identify the species.
Species name: Asclepias Curassavica, commonly know as Tropical milkweed, Swallow-wort, Mexican milkweed, Bloodflower, or Silkweed.
Make a feeding station to more closely observe and document your monarch butterfly’s life cycle from egg stage through Eclosing (emerging from Chrysalis). All you need are flower tubes, cardboard, a plastic tub with a a mosquito netting cover.
To prepare the leaf, trim along the petiole, carries the "water piping xylem" then insert it into the flower tube. See below.
(See videos below.)
Sunday, August 8, 2021 A Monarch butterfly flew in for another visit. Left 7 eggs while the larger larvae are eating milkweed leaves faster than the milkweed grows. I moved a large larva from this plant to preserve these seven eggs, but maybe that’s just compounding the problem.
Patricia just suggested that we find a native plant nursery and buy a flat of milkweed before nubs are all that remains of Jasons’ Milkweed Forest.
I’ve never met anyone who can research a topic as quickly as Patricia Vining! So when it was clear that Jasons’ very young Milkweed Forest was not going to survive 11 fast growing larvae, at fiberoptic speed she found Tree of Life Nursery (California Native Plants), just 30 minutes away!
Monday, August 9, 2021 Met Jeff at Tree Of Life Nursery and purchased four 9 inch pots of Showy Milkweed because it looks like its leaves will provide much more food.
QUESTION #10: WILL THIS BE ENOUGH FOOD FOR 11 LARVAE?
QUESTION #11: WHEN DID MONARCHS FIRST APPEAR?
QUESTION #12 WHEN DID MILKWEED FIRST APPEAR?
NOTICE THE LATEX DROP IN THE PHOTO ABOVE.
Today I learned that this latex is the byproduct of coevolution of Monarch and milkweed.
IT HINTS AT THE ANSWER TO QUESTION #5.
QUESTION #5 I’VE NOTICED MONARCH LARVAE “NICKING” THE STEM OF A MILKWEED LEAF BEFORE STARTING TO EAT IT. WHY?
Milkweed information from The Xerces Society, a nonprofit that protects wildlife
through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat.
Attracting Beneficial Insects. In addition to attracting pollinators, milkweed nectar supports beneficial insects that are natural predators of many
crop pests. A recent study conducted in Washington state
evaluated 43 species of native flowering perennials for their
potential to attract beneficial insects. Showy milkweed
(Asclepias speciosa) attracted the highest number of beneficial insects, including mite-eating ladybeetles, minute pirate
bugs, hover flies, and parasitic wasps, of any plant species
studied (David G. James, pers. comm.).
Insect Pests
Milkweeds are susceptible to infestation by specialistseed bugs (Lygaeus and Oncopeltus spp.), milkweed longhorn beetles (Tetraopes spp.), and oleander aphids (Aphis
nerii). These insects are genera https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/15-006.pdf
Wednesday, August 11, 2021 7:53 am The first two of 11 caterpillars have anchored themselves head down to the underside of leaves. These larvae hatched from eggs deposited on July 21, 2021 (21 days ago. See Figure 3 previously). The caterpillars appear to be contracting from their full larval size.
QUESTION #13 HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE FOR THE CRYSALYS TO FORM?
QUESTION # 14 HOW MUCH TIME IS REQUIRED FOR THE COMPLETION OF METAMORPHOSIS?
Friday, August 13, 2021 Chrysalis #1 located underside of a Showy Milkweed leaf from an egg deposited July 21, 2021. Monarch butterfly expected to emerge in 10 to 14 days.
QUESTION # 15 WHY ARE THERE GOLD SPOTS ON MONARCH CHRYSALIDS?
The CT scan (below) of a 1 day old Monarch chrysalis shows emergent wings, two eyes at the bottom, and abundant and highly branched tracheal tubes that deliver oxygen to every cell involved in metamorphosis.
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
1. Checked chrysalid formed on Aug. 11th. Monarch has not emerged.
2. One milkweed sprouts in Jason’s Milkweed forest has reached just over 7 inches. They would have been larger but Monarch larvae ate over half of the young leaves, destroying over 50% of the photosynthetic food production for the plant.
Wednesday, August 25, 2021 Of three chrysalids, one has just begun to become transparent a sign that the butterfly will emerge within a day or so.
Thursday, August 26, 2021 Checked at 8:07 AM, chrysalis #1 is much more transparent with the wing pattern showing through the casing.
9:15 AM The Monarch butterfly has already emerged. I thought more time would pass before eclosing.
10:37 AM Saturday August 28, 2021 Chrysalid #2: casing is more transparent this morning (see photo below). The third chrysalid (just below the 2nd) is not far behind. I’ve just triggered time lapse recording on my iphone thinking today is E-day for #2. Eclose is the term for a butterfly emerging from the chrysalis. Maybe tomorrow.
---- AM Sunday August 29, 2021 We expect Chrysalis #2 to Eclose today. In the mean time I’ve begun to transplant milkweed sprouts from their tubs into the ground.
11:49 AM Monday August 30. Chrysalids 2 and 3 have not eclosed. Transplanted 2 more milkweed sprouts into the ground at the south end of the patio.
3:16 PM Tuesday August 31, 2021. Same status for chrysalids #2 and #3. From large sprouting tray, I transplanted 2 additional milkweed plants into permanent ground locations using nutrient rich potting soil.
12:54 PM Wednesday, September 1, 2021. Chrysalids have not eclosed. Planted sprout #5 into the southern plot.
12:41 PM Saturday, September 4, 2021. Chrysalids 2 and 3 still have not eclosed. These are the last two of the three being studied when the first butterfly eclosed on August 26th. I expected these two to eclose in a day or two but it has now been 8 days. I’m starting to wonder if there is a developmental problem.
2:51 PM, September 4th. A wind gust toppled a caterpillar canister knocking loose chrysalid #4. Click HERE to learn how to reattach chrysalids.I found Deanna’s website showing us how to perform a chrysalid reattachment. Patricia tied a small loop in a strand of dental floss then tightened the loop around the cremaster (the upper tip of the chrysalis). Then she tied #4 to the top of a Japanese lantern holder that supports one of our milkweed plants. If chrysalis #4 wasn’t damaged by the wind blown canister, then Patricia might have successfully rescued this soon to be Monarch butterfly. Thank you Deanna who runs a modern homestead in Central California see HomesteadandChill.com.
Friday October 8, 2021 This monarch (chrysalid 4) failed to emerge. What are the odds? So many variables have to come together for a butterfly to emerge. What percentage of chrysalids eclose?
11:28 AM Saturday October 9, 2021. Have not seen monarch butterflies for the last three or four weeks, but today a female landed on Low Planter A and laid an egg on one of the three milkweeds clustered in the left rear corner.
1:14 pm Sunday, October 10, 2021 Spotted 3 separate monarchs flying north along the greenbelt below our home over a 4 minute interval.
Honey bee activity. Honey bee activity. Now that more than 10 milkweed plants are in blossom in our Milkweed Forest, many honey bees are harvesting nectar in a hyperactive manner.
Having an observation bee hive in my classroom throughout my career I came to see hive bees in two distinct activity modes, 1) normal motion from hive housekeeping activities and 2) a hyperactive state at the arrival of pollen loaded field bees where the rate of motion in the hive around the laden field bees doubled or tripled. That hyperactive mode is a good way to characterize the bees harvesting milkweed nectar.
Above: July 3, 2021 Milkweed sprouts from seeds planted June 17, 2021.
Below: Same tray on August 18, 2021 (from seeds planted June 17, 2021)
11:35 am Monday, November 8, 2021 First seed pod day: two burst open. About 30 seeds collected, stored in labeled envelop.
Bookmark: Milkweed Ecology
So far we have butterflies and bees using milkweed for food. But there are more organisms involved. Here’s one, but I don’t know its name. Could it be aphids? Help!!
Figure 1
Figure 2
APHID INFESTATION TREATMENT: This is a method recommended by Monarch Watch and was shared by Vic Jost @ Jost Greenhouses through Elliott Duemler at Taylor Creek Nursery. A mild solution of dish soap and water will also work.
• 1 part (e.g. 1 oz) Blue Dawn
• 1 part Isopropyl Alcohol
• 1 part white vinegar
• 128 parts (e.g. 1 gal) water
"Contact only" means that the insects have to have the mixture applied directly to their body for it to work.
"Both the liquid soap and the oil act as surfactants to help keep the solution from quickly running off the plant’s leaves when sprayed. The longer the solution remains on the plant’s foliage, the better the chance of killing the invading insects."
My Formula: 250 ml distilled water
2.5 ml Dawn dish soap
2.5 ml olive oil
(2.5 ml = 1/2 teaspoon)
Formula 1 test 1 December 3, 2021.
Spray directly on aphids once a week.
Sunday November 14, 2021 Milkweed Ecology: The Sixth Element.
So far we have 1. milkweeds,
2. monarch butterflies,
3. hummingbirds,
4. honey bees, and
5. aphids each taking part in this California milkweed ecology.
6. The 6th element, is a larva of a tachinid fly found inside a milkweed seed pod. (see video below.) Fast forward to July 22, 2022 when I discover that Tachinid parasitic flies also lay their eggs on monarch caterpillars. When the eggs hatch the larva (see Figure 4 & 5) become endoparasites, feeding internally on caterpillars. As the caterpillars near their chrysalid stage and suspend themselves upside down in a J-shape, the fly larva emerge, and repel themselves along strands emanating from the caterpillars outer skin.
7. Lady beetle larvae (see Figure 6a). Adult (eating an aphid Figure 6b).
8. The 8th element of milkweed ecology is OE. Here is an excerpt from Monarch Butterfly Health.
Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) is a parasite that infects monarch, queen, and lesser wanderer butterflies. OE is not an animal or plant, but a single-celled organism known as a protozoan, a living thing that has many of the same characteristics as animals.
OE must live within a host to grow and multiply. However, when it is not inside a host, OE survives in the environment as spores, which are resistant to extreme conditions. OE was first discovered infecting monarch and queen butterflies in Florida in the late 1960s. No other hosts have been identified, but it has since been found in all other monarch populations world-wide. This large range leads scientists to believe that this parasite has evolved alongside monarchs.
Figure 8 Milkweed seeds and silk before unfurling.
Photo credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
12:15 pm. Friday, December 3, 2021 Found a monarch larvae (about 1/4 inch long) now residing on milkweed plant in 7" x 11" black tub on Potter's Table. Observed monarch butterflies landing on milkweeds last week.
Figure 9
At this larval stage, early cell clusters that will form the wings and other adult organs are already present. On day one, the pupa has already begun major changes to the adult form.
How to measure the amount of food a monarch larva eats.
Idea #1 measure the pellets the larva eats (they will increase in size over time). How do we determine the volume? Count the total daily number until they change into a chrysalis.
#5 Milkweeds are producers (they make food) and have a host of consumers that take energy by eating it’s leaves, including Monarch Butterfly larvae. Over time they have coevolved. At some point in the evolution of milkweed, a mutation lead to the production of toxic latex fluid pumped under pressure throughout leaves. When a leaf vein is nicked, this toxic latex is pumped from the wound. Predators get a mouthful of very sticky poisonous latex that repels further attack, but Monarchs coevolved a behavior where the larvae nick the leaf stem near its attachment causing the liquid latex pressure to drop after which Monarch larvae eat the leaves without the latex defense to deter their happy meals.
Vet this website: http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/do-monarch-caterpillars-eat-anything-besides-milkweed.html
Automatic Timer Instructions and Materials:
1. In order to irrigate a milkweed forest as a growing food supply for Monarch butterflies, I’m testing a 4-zone timer. See the instructions below in case the paperwork gets lost.
Zone 1: Toby Manzanares, Zone 2: Virginia and Tom Zone 3: Paul Ho 
