Caterpillar Suppliers

[Paul Cherubini]

Anne Kilmer wrote:

> The joy of sitting in a garden, watching a male monarch slot the
> milkweeds and hover circling, sometimes for days, until the female finds
> him and joins him ... object, patrimony.

Far from a romantic courtship, what really happens is that male monarchs
tirelessly patrol milkweed patches ready to frantically chase and
overtake any female that comes along. The 1-2 minute chase is an awesome
sight where the male and female use all the flight energy they can
muster to pursue or elude one another,  If the male manages to catch up
with her in flight, he tries to capture her with his legs in mid air. If
he manages to capture her, the pair floats to the ground where another
2- 5 minute struggle between the two begins.  The male tries to grab a
hold of the females' rear end with his abdominal claspers while the
female writhers and twists her abdomen away from him. It looks like an
all out wrestling match. Usually the male out manuvers her and manages
to obtain a firm hold of her abdomen.. Then he flies away carrying her
to a quiet spot where the two stay paired for 6-12 hours. Female
monarchs are never in a receptive state, but the intensity of her
resistance (and the intensity of the males' persistence) varies
somewhat.  Not much different from human courtship!

Paul Cherubini, El Dorado, California