Thank you so much to my friends Charles and George Ryan and Mom Catherine for helping with my Monarch film project.Ā
Nature’s Compass ~Ā My currentĀ group of nine MonarchsĀ are synchronized, allĀ lined up on a north-south axis and pupating within moments of each other.
From the moment a caterpillar emerges, internally it begins to form the adult parts of itsĀ body. Adult Monarchs have magnetic receptors along the inner margins of their thorax, which help guideĀ them on their south to north, north to south migration. I wonder if the magnetic receptors are here at work in the caterpillars north-south pattern of pupating.
All nine hung in a J-shape on theĀ north-south axis as well. Since I took this photo three more have also pupated on theĀ north-south axis. In the above photo, you can see the center caterpillar and caterpillar to the far left areĀ in the midst of changing from a caterpillar to a chrysalis (pupating).
