A real oddity in my backyard this summer was the sudden appearance of Monarch butterfly caterpillars. On August 7, I noticed five of them feeding on Mexican milkweed. By August 10, I had five chrysalides. Monarch caterpillars closely resemble the caterpillars of their more southerly cousin, the Queen butterfly. Queens, common throughout our area, also feed on milkweed.
Monarchs have two pairs, one near the head, the other toward the rear.
In Texas, the summer status of Monarchs is less than clear. Some field guides suggest they're found throughout the state, but that's almost surely not the case. A few Monarchs may summer in the Red River Valley, and others are known to pass the season near the Gulf coast. But butterfly expert Bill Calvert tells me he's unaware of any previous breeding records for Austin in the summertime. What gave them a chance to reproduce here was Mexican milkweed, a non-native plant that's increasingly popular in local gardens.