05/29/2026
If milkweed is growing in the yard — planted or wild — the monarch eggs may already be on it.
Flip a leaf over gently. The underside of upper leaves and new growth is where females usually lay. One egg per leaf, firmly attached. A tiny off-white oval, about the size of a pinhead, with vertical ridges visible under magnification.
🌿 What it's not:
- Yellow dots with black legs clustered together = oleander aphids. Common on milkweed. Not eggs.
- Bright white round droplets along the veins = milkweed sap. Not eggs.
- Monarch eggs are solitary, oval, ridged, and off-white.
The female found the milkweed from the air, landed on it, confirmed it with taste receptors on her feet, and placed one egg on one leaf.
🐾 If you find one:
- Leave it in place — hatching takes a few days
- The caterpillar eats its own eggshell first, then starts on the leaf
- Don't spray, trim, or relocate the plant while eggs or caterpillars are present
The milkweed is the only plant monarch caterpillars can eat. The egg on the underside is proof the relay found your yard 🌿
