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| ID | Question |
| 40 | Do you know of any articles exploring monarch coloration as a camouflage? I have been observing monarch caterpillars on the milkweeds in my yard (in Southampton, MA) for the past 4+ summers. I have noticed that when the caterpillars get to the later instars (starting at about the 3rd, and especially noticeable in the 4th and 5th) they seem to tend to be more likely to wander from plant-to-plant, descending the milkweed stalks and crawling among the grass and other vegetation. I have also seen these boldly-striped caterpillars stay for quite a while in the shady areas close to the ground in the surrounding grass/vegetation during the hot/brightly-sunlit hours of the day, waiting till later when it is cooler to climb back up into the same or different plants to resume eating. I find that it is REALLY hard to find a larva in the grass, either when it is staying still or when it is on-the-move, and I believe this is partly because the dark-and-light-striped pattern so pronounced in these later instars is so like the striped effect of grass/thin prostrate plant stems in the dappled sun/shade beneath the milkweed and other vegetation; the caterpillars, despite their large size, are wonderfully-camouflaged (to my human eyes, anyway!). I always hear of people saying that the bright coloration of the monarch caterpillars and butterflies serves as protection from predation because it is a warning to predators not to eat the milkweed-poison-containing larvae (or adults). But I can't help wondering if the protective value of the boldly-striped coloration might come as much or more from its role as a camouflage than as just a poison-warning. However, I have never heard mention of this. (As an interesting side note, when trying to video-tape adult monarchs through a video camera that has a black-and-white view-finder, I have found that with their patchy dark/light/dotted coloration, they too seem very-well-camouflaged from my own vision when I try to follow them when they are fl |
| 42 | How common are albino monarchs? We have an albino caterpillar. We've been raising monarchs for 4 years (70 this summer), so I know it's a monarch. We found it on milkweed, and it's eating milkweed. |
| 66 | Is there a safe way to tag butterflies? And do monarchs return to the same place of birth? |
| 67 | Where can I get a video about monarch butterflies? |
| 68 | Can you please refresh my memory on the mathematical formula for calculating monarch population density? I remember that you catch monarchs in the AM, number them, release them and recatch in the afternoon. Besides the mathematical formula, how does one interpret the product, for example, what mathematical answer/number represent an "infinite" population of monarchs, or what mathematical number represents ie "25 monarchs per acre", for example? |
| 71 | Are you aware of any research/papers on interspecific mating attempts between monarchs and viceroys? |
| 76 | Today, I was fortunate enough to view one of the prettiest butterflies I've seen. Viewing it from above, the top 2/3s of its body was black with white dots, similar to that of the Crimson Patch. Except the bottom 1/3 near the tail was a beautiful purple semi-circle with a single, bright yellow circle in the purple area. Can you identify this species for me, please? |
| 77 | How do they eat when they are in the cocoon stage? We have an american digger that has cocooned onto a fake plant. Will it live? |
| 81 | What do walking sticks eat? What would the proper classroom habitat be? |
| 96 | This summer while raising monarch larvae, we noticed that while a few of the caterpillars were making their silk buttons prior to pupating, a red "bloody" substance was released from their mouths/spinnerettes, which ended up on the silk. First of all, what is this substance? Secondly, I thought that the fluids in monarch larvae were green. I have seen red/pink frass come from caterpillars when they have eaten the milkweed flowers but we haven't fed any blooms to them all summer long. |
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