National Pollinator Week: Look for Butterfly Eggs

As you are enjoying time outside this summer, keep an eye out for butterfly eggs! A female butterfly will lay eggs on the underside of leaves, where they will stay until the caterpillar hatches. Butterfly eggs are very small, about the size of a pinhead, and easily missed.

Each butterfly species has a specific type of host plant that can support and feed the caterpillars. For example, monarch caterpillars can only survive on milkweed plants. Knowing the different host plants can help you locate eggs. Carefully look on the underside of plant leaves to spot them. Finding butterfly eggs can be a fun activity, but remember, the eggs are very fragile and should not be disturbed. If you know you have butterflies laying eggs in your yard, avoid mowing the area or spraying any chemicals that might hurt the caterpillars once hatched. Check back periodically and see metamorphosis in action as the egg hatches to a caterpillar, which turns into a chrysalis, and eventually emerges as an adult butterfly.