They are so gorgeous! Good work. Mine are getting bigger and eating more and more.

Martha

Well, I am sad this morning. I knew that things were not progressing as usual with these Monarch cats which is why I posted about it yesterday. Today, one of the new chrysalides is dark. I see little black spots on the tops of some of the chrysalides. Looks like OE to me. What do you think? I had noticed what I thought looked like pepper spots on a couple of the cats, but I wasn't positive. With this dark chrysalis, I am now pretty certain. I have euthanized OE infected adults and caterpillars before, but I don't know what to do with chrysalides. Advice? I am assuming that they must ALL be infected and need to be euthanized? So disappointing. :o(

Looking down on the top of the chrysalis

A "J" hanger. Can you see the tiny little pepper spots?

The only one that hasn't yet attached, and I can clearly see the pepper spots on it too. Dadgum it. :o(

I don't know much about OE, Angie, but whenever I've had a chrysalis with dark spots, it eventually turns completely dark, and a butterfly never emerges. 'So sorry! :(

But, hopefully, others who know monarchs and OE better will chime in.

Sherry

Thanks Sherry. It really does stink. I finally get ONE Monarch and also some cats, and then I am going to end up having to destroy all of them. I guess that's just the way life goes sometimes.