What comes first, the butterfly or the egg? Well, for the sake of my documentation and the likelihood of not being able to capture Monarchs mating on film, the egg. And this is my first photographed egg.
The egg is laid on the underside of a Milkweed leaf and hatches in about 5 days. The caterpillar’s black head emerges as it eats through the eggshell. 
The caterpillar then eats the rest of the eggshell, the fine hairs on the bottom of the leaf and then the leaf itself, feeding in a circular motion. A tiny hole and a first instar caterpillar is left behind. 
If you have Milkweed plants and aren’t willing or able to squat down and look under all your leaves for eggs, or for first or second instar caterpillars which are also underneath and difficult to see, look for circular holes. I spotted several of them in my garden this morning and estimate that at least 12 eggs hatched. 
There’s not much else to say about the egg, except that just like everything else these days a Monarch butterfly egg can be purchased. I can buy a dozen for a dollar each.
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