Searching for monarch eggs?

[Paul Cherubini]

Daniel B. Wheeler wrote:
 
> I haven't seen a single monarch this year in Portland, OR. 

Just goes to show that in spite of the fact that at least a few thousand
monarchs have been shipped to Portland for wedding, funeral and school
releases this past spring and summer, these deliberarely released 
butterflies are almost never seen by area butterfly enthusiasts.

> While searching ngs for monarch egg sources, I found a posting here.
> Anyone know of a source? 

You could take a 1 hour drive out to Hood River, Oregon and search
along the main railway line 3-4 miles west of this city where there
quite a few milkweed plants and also along the frontage road right 
next to the Columbia River in this same area.
Monarchs are virtually guaranteed to be there. A broad leaf and narrow leafed
milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) grows there and the narrow leaf 
is especially likely to harbor monarch caterpillars. Neither species is
very toxic.

> I have
> found a couple of milkweed plants a few blocks away, and intend to dig
> some up and transport this "noxious weed" to my backyard, where I
> intend to keep it in a large container.

This won't work. The plants will die if dug up and transplanted at this time
of the year. A better bet is to take a photo of the plants now and 
dig up and transplant the roots to your yard in Feb. 2002 - which is before
the new growth sprouts from the ground.

Or you could go out to Hood River, OR in early September and harvest some of the 
the milkweed seed pods and plant those in your Portland yard next April.

Paul Cherubini, Placerville, CA

 
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