One very endearing trait (I think) of milkweed tussock moth caterpillars is that they are gregarious through the third instar. A Monarch butterfly delicately perched on a vibrant echinacea flower.

As the caterpillar grows, it goes through five stages, known as instars, shedding its skin each time to accommodate its growing body. During the first instar, the tiny caterpillar first feeds on the ...

Home Articles Late-instar monarch caterpillars sabotage milkweed to acquire toxins, not to disarm plant defence.

WASHINGTON— The annual overwintering count of monarch butterflies released today confirms butterfly numbers fell by nearly one-third from last year's count, indicating an ongoing risk of extinction ...

Palm Beach Post photographer Greg Lovett salutes the remarkable transformation of the humble caterpillar into a marvelous monarch ...

Testing by the Xerces Society and the University of Nevada-Reno found that milkweed leaves, the main food source for the monarch caterpillar, were contaminated by 64 pesticides.

Scientists have unraveled the sequence of gene mutations that enabled the monarch butterfly to thrive on toxic milkweed. By Carl Zimmer The caterpillar of the monarch butterfly eats only milkweed ...

From caterpillar to butterfly is a miracle of metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly in West Palm Beach. Marvelous Monarchs: The butterflies are free - all you need is patience and milkweed ...