Hatchlings

This is a caterpillar and an egg of a monarch butterfly. The egg is about the size of a pen nib and the caterpillar is about 4mm long and just hatched from its own egg which it then eats for sustenance before going off in search of a host plant namely the swan plant, which we have four of in the garden. Three have been put under a mosquito net to prevent butterflies from laying on them and so we can put the caterpillars on them to grow. It is also to keep the caterpillars safe from wasps which kill them to eat them.