04/28/2026
The first monarch caterpillars of the season are smaller than a grain of rice. The milkw**d may not be tall enough to feed them.
The Gen 1 adult that flew north from Texas laid single eggs on the undersides of milkw**d leaves as she moved through. Each egg is about the size of a pinhead, pale white, ridged. The caterpillar that hatches from it is less than two millimeters long.
She needs milkw**d that's at least six inches tall with enough leaf surface to sustain two weeks of feeding. Depending on location, the milkw**d may be barely breaking soil or already knee-high.
This is the bottleneck. Gen 1 is the smallest generation. Most caterpillars that survive this stage become butterflies that lay Gen 2 — the generation that fills the country. If Gen 1 fails, the relay stalls.
- Check milkw**d plants — flip the leaves and look for tiny ridged eggs or caterpillars smaller than an eyelash
- Don't mow near milkw**d stands — if the plants are still emerging, they're invisible at mowing height
- Butterfly w**d and swamp milkw**d tend to emerge earlier than common milkw**d — they may be the early lifeline
- She typically lays one egg per plant and moves on
Smaller than a grain of rice. The summer migration builds from what survives this stage.
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