Caterpillar Egg Update

Yesterday this Monarch Butterfly egg was ready to hatch when photographed in the afternoon.  A friend said it looked like a "Pop Bead".

The bead has popped!

Today the egg has hatched and the caterpillar is busy munching on the milkweed leaf that held the attached egg.  The scale at the top of the picture is graduated in millimeters (25.4mm per inch).

The tentacles have not formed yet on the anterior and posterior of the body and the head is the same width as the body.  I will try to photograph the caterpillar as it grows through the instar stages and post them on this blog.

Photos by J. Ormiston